The Arabian oryx roams free once again on the vast plains of Saudi
Arabia. On March 1st 1990, HRH Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz released
the first herd of oryx back into the wild.
By all accounts the Arabian oryx was a plentiful antelope which
occurred over much of present day Saudi Arabia. However, with
the advent of four-wheel drive vehicles and the encroachment of
its grazing grounds by man’s domestic flocks, even its last stronghold
in the Rub al Khali was no safe haven for its survival. Indeed,
this species, the largest of the Saudi Arabian antelopes, was
last observed there in the late 1970’s.
The first step in obtaining oryx for captive breeding was greatly
assisted by the far-sighted action of the late King Khalid who,
in the late 1970’s, established a herd of oryx at his farm at
Thumamah. Animals for this herd came from wild caught oryx, and
from animals in other private collections in Bahrain, Qatar and
the USA. This provided the animals with a broad genetic base and
made them ideal for a captive breeding programme.
The establishment in 1986 of the National Wildlife Research Centre
(NWRC) near Taif created an ideal location for a carefully managed
captive breeding project. In April of that year 57 of the oryx
from Thumamah were captured and air-lifted to Taif with assistance
of staff from the Zoological Society of London. The oryx soon
adapted to their new home but there were serious problems still
to be faced.
Three months after the oryx were transported an outbreak of tuberculosis
was diagnosed and animals started dying. The Commission was seriously
concerned about the situation since the entire herd was now at
risk from the disease. There was certainly no possibility of releasing
oryx into the wild so long as the tuberculosis was present in
the herd.
With painstaking care and patience the NCWCD’s veterinary team
overcame the threat poised by this highly dangerous disease. It
was the first time that this had been successfully managed among
captive oryx. Up to that time the usual course of action had been
to destroy animals affected with tuberculosis because of the serious
health risk to both people and livestock, and also because of
the great difficulty involved in treating the disease. However,
the great genetic value of the Taif oryx herd seemed to be justification
enough to make the extra effort involved in clearing the infection.
This was achieved by treating the entire herd for an extended
period, and by removing calves from their mothers from the moment
of birth. They were then hand-reared, a task that required great
skill and dedication. The treatment was successful in producing
tuberculosis-free oryx suitable for release into the wild. Indeed,
150 calves have now been hand-reared at the time of writing, and
the Taif herd stands at over 178 animals.
The first release area identified for the reintroduction of oryx
to the wild was at Mahazat As Said about 150 kms east of Taif.
As this area was being severely overgrazed by domestic stock,
the 2200 sq. kms area was completely fenced, making it one of
the largest enclosed conservation areas in the world. Immediately
after the exclusion of camels, goats and sheep the vegetation
recovered dramatically. In addition to the outer fence of the
Reserve, a pre-release enclosure 250 hectares in size was prepared
within the larger protected area so that introduced oryx could
undergo a lengthy adaptation period.
Because of the delay brought about by the tuberculosis outbreak
at Taif, and in order to speed up the reintroduction programme
while also improving the genetic base of the Mahazat As Said oryx,
animals from other sources were generously donated to the Commission.
Six oryx were sent by the Royal Commission for the Conservation
of Nature in Jordan, from their stock at Shaumari, and an additional
nine oryx were flown in from the Zoological Society of San Diego
in the USA. It was these animals and their calves that formed
the first herd of 17 oryx released into the wild on 1st March
1990.
Shortly after their release, rains fell, turning the Mahazat As
Said into a paradise for the newly released oryx and ensuring
adequate grazing for the remainder of the hot and dry summer that
followed. From their first release the oryx have been monitored
daily to ascertain how they have adapted to their new environment.
On the whole, the condition of the animals has remained consistently
good and calves have been born and successfully reared by their
mothers. Some males have been killed in combats with other males
but these losses must be considered as part of the normal life
of wild oryx with competition ensuring that the fittest survive
and helping to maintain the herd’s overall health. Additional
oryx from Qatar, Bahrain and Taif have been introduced to Mahazat
As Said since that first historic release, and the number of oryx
in the Reserve at the time of writing is one hundred, of which
seventy were born there, in the wild.
This first phase in the reintroduction of Arabian oryx to the
wild is a great credit to the National Commission for Wildlife
Conservation and Development and the NWRC. It is a pleasure to
record that new areas have now been designated for similar conservation
and the future of Arabian oryx in Saudi Arabia seems assured.