The story of the arabian oryx is one of the earliest successful captive breeding and reintroduction done. This species was brought from the brink of extinction quite literally.
The Arabian oryx is a stunning antelope that is perfectly adapted to desert life. During the summer, it can reduce its water consumption so much that it can subsist on the dew forming on leaves. Its light summer coat reflects the harsh desert sun, but a thick winter undercoat traps warmth during chilly desert nights. These antelope can smell water for miles and travel to follow distant storms. Their distinctive long, straight horns often look like a single horn when viewed in profile, which may have inspired the myth of the unicorn.
RANGE REDUCTION
The Arabian Oryx was traditionally spread all over the inner Arabian Peninsula, stretching to countries as far north as Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, Syria, and Sinai where they occupied deserts and mountain ranges. However, the 20th century saw their range begin to decline. By 1920 the Arabian Oryx had been isolated to two regions, the larger Rub' al Khali which saddled the border of Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Oman, and the Nafud population in northern Saudi Arabia which would be completely eradicated by the 1950s . Barely a decade later the only place in the world that the Arabian Oryx could be found in the wild was the interior of Oman, and they too disappeared when the last herd of six was killed or captured on October 18th, 1972. The Arabian Oryx remained completely extinct in the wild until 1980 when conservationists returned the first herd back to its native habitat.
CAUSES OF EXTINCTION
The traditional bedu tribes of the Arabian Peninsula have hunted the Arabian Oryx for their use as food, clothing, and even medicine since ancient times, however the 19th century brought new technology to the middle east which made hunting easier than ever . Even more threatening than the introduction of the guns was the advent of the automobile which made the Oryx's seemingly barren desert habitat accessible to westerners . Built by oil companies, roads soon became highways for motorized hunting brigades. While an Oryx could out run a traditional hunter with a rifle, they stood no chance against a well supplied motor party, especially if was led by one of the local Harasis guides. It's estimated that half of Rub' al Khali's remaining Arabian Oryx population was killed in a single hunting trip in 1961. Another not insubstantial threat to the Arabian Oryx was the demand to catch them alive. In order to catch just a single Oryx, the entire herd would be chased to the point of exhaustion until one of them slowed enough to be brought down with a net. This often resulted in the death of the animal captured, as well as the eventual death of a few of its worn out herd mates . While some of the attempted captures were executed by those who wished to sell the Arabian Oryx to private menageries, a substantial number were funded by conservationists who would sometimes end up killing the animals they were trying to save.
OPERATION ORYX AND THE WORLD HERD
One such extraction effort by conservationists was carried out by The Fauna Preservation Society in 1962. The expedition was deemed "Operation Oryx and resulted in the capture of one female, and three males, one of whom died from the exhaustion of the chase. After some disagreement, it was decided that the remaining three Arabian Oryx were to be moved to the Phoenix Zoo in Arizona as the climate most closely matched their native habitat. Under the collective management of the Arizona Zoological Society, the Zoological Society of London, the Shikar-Safari Club, and the World Wildlife Fund, six more Oryx were gathered from the private collections of HH Shaik Jaber, HM King Saud, and the London zoo. These nine individuals were the first members of the World Herd breeding program; their successful breeding led to the birth of several calves which were then traded with the Los Angeles Zoo, Gladys Zoo, and San Diego Wild Animal Park for the purpose of maintaining genetic diversity. By the time the Arabian Oryx went extinct in the wild in 1972, the World Herd consisted of 45 individuals and by the time it was officially disbanded in 1979, there were 137 . Operation Oryx and the creation of the World Herd breeding program proved that the captive breeding of Arabian Oryx was incredibly successful, the next challenge however, was seeing if they could be reintroduced to their native habitat.
RETURN TO THE WILD
When it came time to reintroduce the Arabian Oryx to the wild, Oman was the first country to take initiative in reestablishing the species. With the help of R. H. Daly, Oman's adviser for conservation, and Dr. H. Jungius of the WWF, it was decided that it would be best to release them in the same region where the species was last recorded being seen before their eradication, the Jiddat-al-Harasis in Oman. The region was deemed to have sufficient vegetation to support several herds, and in preparation of their arrival a large pen was constructed to give the animals a chance to acclimate to their surroundings. From 1980 to 1983, the San Diego Wild Animal Park sent 17 Arabian Oryx from the World Herd to Oman. The first herd of ten Oryx was officially released from their acclimation pen into the wild in January of 1982. In anticipation of the Oryx's release several legislative measures were taken including a total ban on hunting with vehicles, a law prohibiting the capture or harm of large mammals, and the appointment of a Royal Oman Police made up of local Harasis men who would protect and document the movements of the Oryx and gazelle living in Jiddat-al-Harasis .
STATUS
Currently, there are estimated to be about 1000 Arabian Oryx living wild or "semi-wild" in the Arabian Peninsula, with 6,000–7,000 held in captive breeding programs worldwide in zoos, preserves, and private collections. The largest breeding program is being run by the United Arab Emirates, at 3000 animals it makes up half of the Middle East's breeding population. The other half is distributed among Oman, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Syria (Al Talila), Bahrain, and Qatar where the animals live in large (free-roaming) enclosures. Their combined work allowed the Arabian Oryx to be upgraded from Endangered to Vulnerable in 2011, a monumental achievement in large animal conservation. This is the first time the IUCN has reclassified a species as vulnerable after it had been listed as extinct in the wild. The Arabian oryx is also listed in CITES Appendix I.
THREATS
Hunting with purpose threatens the lives of the Arabian Oryx in the wild. Only captive breeding promotes the preservation of this species. All the current populations have been reintroduced, and it shows an increasing trend under this recovery manifestation in its habitat in the Middle East, though excluding some areas with the prospect forecast of oil. The challenge and failure of improving the number of the population is due to high mortality rates in harsh environments, where water is limited, and they are prone to predators.
CONSERVATION EFFORTS FROM 1962 TO PRESENT
The Arabian Oryx would be extinct today if it were not for massive and effective conservation efforts, via captive breeding and reintroduction. Currently, the number of populations in Oman have declined, but there are now wild populations spreading in Saudi Arabia along with Israel. Additionally, a large, fenced reserve in Saudi Arabia, is highly populated which covers more than 2000 km2. One of the largest populations is found in Mahazat as-Sayd Protected Area.
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