Goitered gazelles almost disappeared from the Caucasus region in the 1960s. Today, they’re flourishing at Shirvan National Park in Azerbaijan. We take a closer look on a day trip from Baku.
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00:00Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, is a good place to get your city fix, but it's also a great
00:07base for discovering some of the country's incredible nature.
00:10Today, I'm going to Shirvan National Park to get some fresh air and see the diverse
00:14local wildlife.
00:18Shirvan National Park is located an hour and a half's drive away from Baku.
00:22And the best way to get around is aboard a specially designed off-roading truck.
00:28The park was founded in 2003 and is home to the largest population of goitered gazelles
00:33in the entire Caucasus region.
00:37Shirvan is massive, covering 60,000 hectares, with plenty of picnic areas where you can
00:43eat lunch or stop for tea.
00:58Scattered across the park are several observation decks, where visitors can get a good view
01:14of the animals from above, or in our case, from below.
01:20The director told me we have to be really quiet so we don't scare the gazelles.
01:23This is a spot where they like to come drink, and we're going to be able to see them up
01:27close from inside this little observation deck.
01:33Shirvan is a major success story when it comes to conservation.
01:37These goitered gazelles almost went extinct in the 1960s due to overdevelopment of their
01:42native habitat, as well as poaching.
01:45But according to Shirvan's director, today there are around 7,000 of them in this park
01:50alone.
01:52Seeing them up close like this is a privilege.
01:56One of the most frustrating things about visiting beautiful places like this is your
02:00photos not doing it justice.
02:01Luckily, I'm meeting up with someone who can help me improve my shots.
02:06Alexei Lyokhin is an Azeri wildlife photographer.
02:09He's taken pictures of almost all of the indigenous wildlife here.
02:14His shots are gorgeous, the product of many years of hard work and experience.
02:19Hi, Alexei.
02:21Salam.
02:22Nice to meet you.
02:26Alexei, aside from having a very big lens, what's the most important thing to keep in
02:31mind when you take a photo of an animal?
02:56We started with birds.
02:58There are 230 different species in Shirvan National Park, including swans, pelicans,
03:04eagles, even flamingos.
03:07It's not easy to capture them on camera.
03:10As I very quickly learned, I think I need a longer lens.
03:13Yes.
03:14Yeah.
03:15It's a nice perspective.
03:16And I think it's, say, some texture.
03:19Oh, that's cool.
03:20For stock.
03:22For land animals, like gazelles and boars, it's important to hide so you don't scare
03:27them away.
03:38My crash course in wildlife photography with Alexei was a good exercise in patience.
03:43My photos still aren't up to par, but I learned the importance of waiting for that
03:47perfect moment.
03:49On my way back to Baku, I made a pit stop at Gobustan Historical and Artistic Reserve.
03:54It's best known for its ancient petroglyphs, some of which date back to the end of the
03:59Mesolithic era, around 8,000 BCE.
04:06During the day, it's filled with tourists and historians.
04:10It's a great place to take photos.
04:13During the day, it's filled with tourists and history buffs.
04:17But the scene is very different after hours.
04:23As the day ended, I made my way to the top of Boyukdash Mountain to watch the sunset.
04:28It's a secret spot only locals know about.
04:32The air smelled like mountain mint and thyme.
04:35And the fading light added a touch of magic to this moment.
04:44It's amazing to think that there are all of these very different natural landscapes
04:49all within a day's trip of the big city.
04:51It's definitely worth a trip the next time you're in Baku.