Four gazelles died at a conservation center in the Spanish city of Almeria, and veterinarians are blaming a nearby music festival.
A veterinarian at the center told the BBC that the animals were agitated during Saturday's concert, but that the worst consequences came a day later when disoriented gazelles crashed into walls and broke their necks and legs.
Dr. Sonja Dominguez, from Estasion Eksperimental de Zonas Aridas (Estación Experimental de Zonas Aridas - EEZA), she was with the animals during the concert on Saturday night.
Her team had earlier asked the authorities to move the festival to another place.
But the Cultural Center of Almeria (Almería Cultura), the city's cultural center, defended the decision to organize the event, stating on the social network X that the music from the concerts "did not exceed 65 decibels".
"We can measure decibels, but that wasn't the only problem," said the Nature Conservation Center veterinarian, explaining that animals are more sensitive than humans to sound and vibrations.
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Local authorities expressed regret over the deaths of the animals, but said the center had jumped to "jump conclusions" and should take other factors into account.
Dr. Dominguez said that animals are especially sensitive at this time of year because it is their mating season.
Gazelles are prey in their natural habitats and "when they feel threatened, when they are scared, they run away," explains the veterinarian.
That happened even now, the animals ran headlong and hurt themselves, hitting the walls of the center.
Some of the animals suffered "traumatic injuries," says the veterinarian.
Dr Dominguez said a newborn calf, only a day old, also died "because its mother was very nervous and did not take care of it".
The director of the center, Teresa Abaigar, said it was "frustrating that the city authorities of Almeria did not show a sense of precaution" regarding the protection of the animals at the conservation center.
Veterinarian Dominguez says that the center has asked the city authorities to move future events to another location so that the animals are not disturbed, but that they have not yet received a response.
All the animals in the conservation center are endangered in their natural habitats in North Africa, and the center plays a vital role in preserving biodiversity around the world, Dr. Dominguez points out.
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The animals are endangered and classified as "vulnerable" according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Established in 1964, this Red List of Threatened Species has become the world's most comprehensive source of information on the global conservation status of animal, fungal and plant species.
Among the animals that died after the concert was a rare one barbarian sheep, which inhabits parts of North Africa.
"It's very frustrating that the authorities don't see the risk," Sonia Dominguez told the BBC.
The BBC has contacted the Cultural Center of Almeria for comment.
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