Page 103 - THE SLOUGHI REVIEW - ISSUE 13

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Lhote then describes in detail the hunting of different game and describes the game, for
example the gazelles and the different species found there. Depending on the region and
tribe, camels or horses (chasse à courre) are used in addition to sighthounds (chasse à la
course). For hunting with sighthounds he writes:

“... the largest herds I have seen, no larger than thirty animals, but on the whole I have most

frequently encountered them in small groups of five or six. The Tuareg hunt the gazelle with
dogs and especially with traps. A good dog is able to catch a gazelle if he surprises it in time
and it is not too far ahead of him. It is incredibly agile and leaps gracefully on its thin legs,

which look like springs. She looks like she is mounted on tennis balls. Her speed on level
ground is amazing. Lavauden had already found that she could maintain the speed of
seventy-two kilometers indicated on the odometer of a car. ... Not every dog can afford the
luxury of catching a gazelle in a race, and only those in the best condition succeed, as they
know this kind of hunting well. With the gazelle it is hardly possible to form relays, as it has

the habit of running straight ahead in flat terrain after being pursued, but occasionally at
an angle and past the hunter. In the mountains it can be advantageous to use several dogs at
the same time, as the terrain often forces the gazelle to be more cautious and the dogs know

how to take advantage of any hook or hesitation on the part of the gazelle. When a dog has
caught a gazelle, it jumps at its throat and, if well trained, holds it until its master arrives.
Some dogs can smell a gazelle very well and follow it with their nose until they spot it
grazing under a tree. The gazelle is often surprised before it can escape, or it notices the
dog's presence too late. Hunting with the dog is practised mainly in the Ahaggar, but also

among other tribes. I have seen very good and well-trained dogs among the Tenguéréguifs,
who, as I have already mentioned, were proud of their animals and hung around their necks
as many gazelle hooves as they had captured” (La Chasse p.92, 94).

Henri Lhote describes the sighthound, possibly the Azawakh* according to today's
conception, as a fast dog that is also capable of catching a gazelle. The description is
similar to that of Daumas, who also points out that only the best sighthounds are capable
of catching a gazelle. But that the dogs are “trained” is an anthropocentric view of
European origin. As Raouf Ochi said, the young dogs learn from the older ones. So they
bring the dispositions to the form of the hunt and complete their skills as required. How

well they do this and what is desirable from the hunter's point of view can be influenced
to a small extent by training, so it may or may not succeed.

*Editor’s note: the term Azawakh was first used when the breed was recognized by the FCI in 1981.