There is normally a single offspring, but twins are frequent in G. cuvieri. Weight of newborn averages 1,250 grams for G. spekei and is 2,200-3,000 grams for G. thomsoni. Weaning in the latter species occurs after just 2 months, and the young are almost full-grown in a year. Gazelles long have been hunted by people for use as food. The flesh of some species is considered to be excellent, while that of others is strong, coarse, and dry.
Some hunters use falcons to harass a gazelle so that it can be readily overtaken by dogs.
Excessive hunting by people, excessive grazing by domestic livestock, agricultural development, and other habitat modifications have adversely affected most populations of Gazella in the Middle East and North Africa. G. rufina apparently long has been extinct. These IUCN designations cover all living members of the genus Gazella except G. thomsoni and G. granti of sub-Saharan Africa and the Central Asian subspecies of G. subgutturosa. However, the Soviet Union classifies the entire species G. subgutturosa as vulnerable.