World_of_Animals_Issue_46_2017

Conserving the scimitar-horned oryx
“In order to provide the best individuals for
reintroduction to the wild, the Environment
Agency of Abu Dhabi worked to assemble a
‘world herd’.” This involved cooperation with
organisations across the world to select the best
possible oryx in captivity to make a genetically
diverse herd to release into the reserve.
There are some animals that need special
treatment to prepare them for life in the wild,
but the scimitar-horned oryx is a hardy beast
and its resourceful nature means it needs little
coaxing to begin a new life out on the plains.
“There has been a relatively long history of
transporting scimitar-horned oryx from lush
European pastures to thorny North African
steppes in Tunisia and Morocco, starting
in 1985,” Wacher says. “These exercises
showed that even naïve and inexperienced
young animals, born in a meadow in the UK,
nevertheless undertook a pragmatic and
sensible approach to strange potential food
plants, some poisonous, many very thorny. They
proved very good at identifying the palatable
grasses that are typical food of all oryx species.”
So the oryx make a great candidate for
these types of schemes. Wacher goes on to
take us through the release process. “The main
way individuals are prepared for their release
is through a protected ‘pre-release’ stage at
the release location. Animals are given time to
acclimatise in a large pen at the release site,
where they learn to orientate themselves to the
new surroundings and gain a sense of place.
For ungulates, it is also an important period to
transition gradually from their captive diet to
the new natural diet through slow reduction of
artificial feed. Food and water is available at the
release site if the animals want to take it.
“Watching the oryx leave the pre-release
pen is always a happy experience,” reflects
Wacher on the moment the oryx leave their
travelling crates and venture into the reserve.
“The reaction of the oryx themselves varies
immensely depending on the individual. One
group, released in the wet season, took a whole
day to decide to approach the open gate, and
another before they decided to step through it.
They then travelled off and none came close to
the release site for six months.”
Wacher also tells us of another group that
was released in the cooler dry season. These
oryx ventured through the gate within ten
minutes and went off on a nine-kilometre (5.6-
mile) trip! They returned later in the day to take
advantage of the plentiful food and drink left
out for them. “This group will move off with the
first rains,” anticipates Wacher.
To ensure that the oryx are doing well, each
animal is kitted out with a tracking collar that
collects GPS data. This allows scientists to track
the oryx’s movements as well as look at their
behaviour. The tracking data has revealed that,
six months into the project, the oryx are doing
well. “The first four calves have been born!”
Wacher says, “And movement patterns and
social groups are beginning to break out from
the combinations in which they were released,
with patterns typical of other oryx species
emerging.” This is a great sign that the oryx are
settling into their ancestral home.
So, what’s next for this species? Wacher
tells us of the plan for the oryx’s future. “The
goal is to build up a population of at least 500
oryx in the reserve through a combination of
reintroduction plus on-site breeding over the
next five years.”
If you want to see the majestic scimitarhorned
oryx with your own eyes, there’s an
amazing herd at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo and some
members of this group have been selected for
the world herd. If you would like to learn more,
visit the ZSL or Abu Dhabi Environment Agency
websites at www.ZSL.org and www.ead.ae.
“One group took a whole day to leave their
crates, while another took just ten minutes”
Oryx in numbers
4 37
1.2
metres
Their horns can
reach up to 1.2m
(3.9ft) in length –
that’s over 50
per cent of their
body length!
8.5 14 1000s 46.6
calves WILD
Before their
MONTHS WEEKS
Four oryx
calves have
now been born
to reintroduced
mothers in the
reserve – great
news for the herd.
There are
currently 37
wild-ranging
individuals
in the reserve,
with more
joining soon.
The approximate
number of
months a female
oryx is pregnant
before giving
birth to a calf.
The number of
weeks a calf
spends with its
mother before
becoming
independent.
extinction in the
wild, oryx would
gather into huge
herds numbering
in the thousands
to prepare for
their migration.
Degrees
Celsius (116
degrees
Fahrenheit)
that an oryx
can raise
its body
temperature to.
© ZSL
The oryx are released from
their crates, getting their first
taste of the Chad sunshine at
the reserve
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