| Scientific
Name: Oryx leucoryx
Size: 1 metre at shoulder
Weight: 90 kgs
IUCN Endangered Species:
Endangered
Estimated Wild Population: 1000
Distribution: Reintroduced
populations in Oman, Israel, Bahrain & Saudi Arabia
Description: The
last remaining wild Arabian oryx was killed in 1972.
However, in 1962, Operation Oryx had been launched by the Fauna
Preservation Society and a reintroduction programme was initiated which
used animals from private collections and zoos.
There are now several individual sites in the middle east where
Arabian oryx exist in semi-wild conditions.
The largest of these is in Saudi Arabia.
However, many of the originally reintroduced animals were shot or
stolen for private collections so until this problem has been dealt
with, the remaining oryx are unlikely to return to truly wild
conditions. Typically for
oryx species, the males and females are very similar and difficult to
tell apart. The horns of the male are usually shorter and more
robust.
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