Decoding the Arabian Oryx

The decision was taken at a recent meeting of the Committee for Conservation of Arabian Oryx (CCAO) in Jordan.

The meeting discussed the current and future strategies to protect this endangered species of one of the most charismatic animals in the Arabian peninsula.

The UAE was represented at the meeting by Majid Al Mansouri, secretary-general of Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD), Abdulnasser Al Shamsi, director of EAD’s Terrestrial Environment Research Centre, and a number of environmental experts.

During the meeting, EAD agreed to donate 20 of the animals to be set free in the natural area of Rum, Jordan, as part of a programme funded jointly by the UAE and Jordan’s Royal Society for Conservation of Nature.

It may be noted that the Arabian Oryx was driven to extinction in 1972, mostly because of uncontrolled hunting. However, following a successful captive breeding programme, the species was reintroduced into the wilds in Saudi Arabia and Oman. Thanks to the efforts of the late president Shaikh Zayed, the UAE today boasts as one of the world’s largest population of captive oryxes.