The Biology, Husbandry and Conservation Scimitar-horned Oryx ...

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Part 1: Biology & Conservation
the development of supporting ranch programmes (Rost, 1985), and in 1983, the Texas Ranch
Project began (Anon, 1989). There are now several ranches in Texas with oryx, but the largest
herd is held at the Bamberger Ranch near Johnson City, Texas (J.Baccus, pers. comm.).
The Australasian captive breeding programme
The Australasian Species Management Program (ASMP) was established by the Australasian
Regional Association of Zoological Parks and Aquaria (ARAZPA) in 1993. The first animals to
be brought into the region were originally shipped into New Zealand from Marwell Zoological
Park (UK) in 1978. These animals bred and their offspring were dispersed to institutions in
Australia. Further oryx were imported from Marwell in 1986 and 1987. The population of
scimitar-horned oryx in the Australasian region as of the 30 th June 2002 was 24.47.0 (71) (R
Wilkins, pers comm.).
The global overview
In the 1990s, the Conservation Breeding Specialist Group (of the IUCN Species Survival
Commission) established that the scimitar-horned oryx was the second most commonly found
antelope species in ‘managed’ populations around the world with over 1,200 individuals in
zoological institutions. This figure excluded the oryx held on the Texas ranches which total more
than 2000 animals (Lankard, 2001). Current estimates of the global captive population from the
international studbook put the number of captive oryx at 913.1124.25 (2062). This may be an
overestimate, but it is certain that oryx breed well in captivity and readily adapt to captive
conditions (Dixon et al., 1991).
In situ Conservation Activities
While scimitar-horned oryx continue to rely on responsible ex-situ management, efforts are now
being made to return this species to the wild.
Release projects
A number of projects have been initiated, or proposed, to reintroduce scimitar-horned oryx to the
Sahelo-Saharan region. In 1985, Bou Hedma, Tunisia, became the first National Park (NP) to
receive captive oryx for release back into the wild. Since then, projects have been initiated in Sidi
Toui NP, Tunisia; Souss Massa NP, Morocco, and the Guembeul Fauna Reserve and the Ferlo NP
and Biosphere Reserve, Senegal. Wildlife surveys have taken place in Chad and Niger to establish
if suitable sites exist for the reintroduction of oryx, and other countries have initiated and
participated in activities to return this species to their natural range. Further details of some of
these activities can be found in Appendices A to E.
The rationale for current release projects tend to follow formal planning processes including the
provisions in the Djerba Action Plan, and efforts are being co-ordinated via the Sahelo-Saharan
Interest Group (see below).
The Djerba Action Plan
In February 1998, a workshop on the ‘Restoration and Conservation of Sahelo-Saharan
Antelopes’ was held at Djerba, Tunisia, under the auspices of the United Nations Environmental
Programs (UNEP) Convention on Migratory Species. The workshop attracted delegates from
Sahelo-Saharan states, as well as antelope experts from around the globe. The workshop
addressed six issues; desert habitats, research and monitoring, capacity building and training,
sustainable use and economic development, development and funding of national projects, and
captive breeding and re-introduction. In 1999, as a result of this workshop, the previously written