Scimitar horned oryx reintroduced onto the wild

The scimitar horned oryx, also called the Sahara oryx, was once widespread across North Africa. In the 1980’s the population dramatically reduced due to hunting and in 2000 they were officially declared extinct in the wild, with only a few in existence in zoos.

The global cooperation and conservation organisations involved in the reintroduction of the scimitar horned oryx, have seen 510 scimitar-horned oryx calves born in the wild sine the reintroduction. They have now been re classified as endangered.

It is the first species to be released back into the wild after it was previously marked as extinct in the wild.

Projects like the Scimitar horned oryx show the possibility of reintroducing these species and other species back into the wild, that now only exist in zoos, wildlife and conservation parks.

The surrounding ecosystem around the reintroduction of the species will be positively affected by maintaining grasslands through grazing and preventing the spread of desertification. Their reintroduction is a nature-based solution helping to tackle the local impacts of climate change.