Arabian Oryx is now ‘near threatened’, conservation efforts underway

Al Ain Zoo has profiled its conservation and breeding efforts related to the Arabian Oryx, while celebrating its successful reintroduction programmes in the UAE.

Commenting on the importance of the Arabian Oryx and the Zoo’s conservation efforts, Muna Al Dhaheri, Chief of Conservation and Education at Al Ain Zoo, said: “In an effort to continue fulfilling the vision of the late Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Al Ain Zoo has adopted several conservation programmes highly focused on captive management and breeding, propagation, and reintroduction of endangered species such as the Arabian Oryx. As part of its conservation efforts, Al Ain Zoo took part in a reintroduction programme of the Arabian Oryx back in 2007, which was implemented by the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi.”

The late Shaikh Zayed directed his attention towards saving this animal not only for its natural and environmental presence, but also for its cultural value in the UAE.

Propagation programmes of the Arabian Oryx, one of Al Ain Zoo’s most successful programmes, assisted in changing its classification on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of threatened species from ‘extinct in the wild’ to ‘near threatened’.

The Arabian Oryx is known for its ability to fully adapt to the desert environment and reduce its need for water consumption during the summer. When water is scarce, the Arabian Oryx can survive on dew drops that form on the surface of plants.