#Scimitar-horned oryx

[endlingmusings]

"An animal once considered extinct in the wild has seen its classification changed to “endangered,” signifying a remarkable comeback.  The scimitar-horned oryx has recovered its numbers thanks to the efforts of conservationists and zoos worldwide, and they can now be seen wandering the plains of Chad’s Ouadi Rimé-Ouadi Achim Faunal Reserve after they were first reintroduced in August 2016. On December 13, the oryx, also known more simply as the scimitar oryx, officially saw its status changed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).  Between 2016 and 2022, 285 scimitar oryx have been released in the unfenced area, and a population estimate in September 2022 put the total number of the species at 575.   “The change from the previous category of Extinct in Wild is genuine, as it results from the successful re-establishment of the species in the wild,” the IUCN’s website reads. According to the Good News Network, who described the news as a “tremendous achievement,” the change of classification for the scimitar oryx is the first time any animal has moved from the “extinct in the wild” designation to “endangered.” Further research from the scientific journal Animals reveals that another animal, Przewalski’s horse, was downgraded from extinct in the wild to endangered back in 2011, but the feat is exceptionally rare regardless.  Upon hearing the news, the Zoological Society of London’s senior conservation biologist Tim Wacher said: “The return of the scimitar-horned oryx is the result of a long-term conservation effort for the species – following in-depth, careful preparation, and championed and supported by the Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi.    “All Saharan antelope species are severely threatened, but this project is proof that with the right will and resources, we can secure a future for them all.”"

- Excerpt from "Scientists thrilled after horned animal once deemed extinct in wild upgraded to endangered species list: 'A tremendous achievement'" by Leo Collis.

[inatungulates]

Scimitar-horned oryx Oryx dammah

Observed by ruseva, CC BY-NC

[bjekkergauken]

Lion king: north africa DLC

[wachinyeya]

Thank you for your good news!! I also posted an article about these guys here: https://www.tumblr.com/wachinyeya/736546151829028864/extinct-in-the-wild-antelope-bought-back-from?source=share

Though this might be a better article with more info! I will admit that the apps I use to source most of my good news are not always 100%

I also have a friend @crimson-flamez who showed me this lovely pic they took of some oryx hanging out at their local FL zoo where they have a reintroduction program~

[nature-nerd-sarah]

I went to the Amsterdam zoo today. It was weird seeing the oryxes in what had been the camel field all my life.

[snototter]

A scimitar oryx (Oryx dammah) housed at the ARTIS zoo, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

by safi kok

[hmtaxidermy]

Mounts from yesterday. I forgot to take pictures of the oryx before I added the carding (grey tubes), so enjoy a peak behind the scenes.

[purpleweredragon]

The scimitar horned oryx, (Oryx dammah), also called the Sahara oryx, was once widespread across North Africa, but in the 1980’s the population began to plummet - largely due to the antelopes being hunted for their horns and meat. In 2000, the species was declared Extinct in the Wild by the IUCN Red List.

Today its fate has been reversed – the first species from our Extinct in the Wild global initiative to be downlisted.

[minmocat]

ive decided to give ych.commishes a try with these two designs! check the links to bid! ^_^

lynx adopt: open

oryx adopt: open

[doom-dreaming]

went to the zoo today and saw a bunch of beasts (part 1)

[roachiezz]

dont talk to me (/nsrs) i saw my favorite animals the other day

[inatungulates]

Scimitar-horned oryx Oryx dammah

Observed by roylesafaris, CC BY-NC

[le-jardin-inculte]

The extinct in the wild scimitar-horned oryx (Oryx dammah) in the Zagreb zoo. One of the three had no horns, she also pooped when I came there 🤣

Don't think many people go to zoos for antelopes lmao

(all pics by me)

[nature-nerd-sarah]

I went to the Amsterdam zoo with my parents and sibling yesterday.

[reasonsforhope]

"In one of Africa’s last great wildernesses, a remarkable thing has happened—the scimitar-horned oryx, once declared extinct in the wild, is now classified only as endangered.

It’s the first time the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the world’s largest conservation organization, has ever moved a species on its Red List from ‘Extinct in the Wild’ to ‘Endangered.’

The recovery was down to the conservation work of zoos around the world, but also from game breeders in the Texas hill country, who kept the oryx alive while the governments of Abu Dhabi and Chad worked together on a reintroduction program.

Chad... ranks second-lowest on the UN Development Index. Nevertheless, it is within this North African country that can be found the Ouadi Rimé-Ouadi Achim Faunal Reserve, a piece of protected desert and savannah the size of Scotland—around 30,000 square miles, or 10 times the size of Yellowstone.

At a workshop in Chad’s capital of N’Djamena, in 2012, Environment Abu Dhabi, the government of Chad, the Sahara Conservation Fund, and the Zoological Society of London, all secured the support of local landowners and nomadic herders for the reintroduction of the scimitar-horned oryx to the reserve.

Environment Abu Dhabi started the project, assembling captive animals from zoos and private collections the world over to ensure genetic diversity. In March 2016, the first 21 animals from this “world herd” were released over time into a fenced-off part of the reserve where they could acclimatize. Ranging over 30 miles, one female gave birth—the first oryx born into its once-native habitat in over three decades.

In late January 2017, 14 more animals were flown to the reserve in Chad from Abu Dhabi.

In 2022, the rewilded species was officially assessed by the IUCN’s Red List, and determined them to be just ‘Endangered,’ and not ‘Critically Endangered,’ with a population of between 140 and 160 individuals that was increasing, not decreasing.

It’s a tremendous achievement of international scientific and governmental collaboration and a sign that zoological efforts to breed endangered and even extinct animals in captivity can truly work if suitable habitat remains for them to return to."

-via Good News Network, December 13, 2023