It seems it’s a good time for animals that have teetered on the brink of extinction. The beautiful Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx), seen here making the most of a pool in Dubai, is the first species to have been reclassified by an improvement of three categories on the IUCN Red List - from Extinct in the Wild to Vulnerable.Like the Vegas Valley frog, the Arabian oryx’s downfall was primarily due to human actions. Unregulated hunting in the Arabian peninsula, to which the oryx is endemic, meant that the last individual was shot in the wild in the early 1970s. Luckily, Operation Oryx, established in the early ’60s, had previously captured 4 individuals, which were able to be bred with individuals from royal collections in Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to form a herd large enough to release. The oryx was returned to the wild in Oman in the 1980s, and the operation has proven to be a truly successful conservation story, with wild populations now reaching over 1000 individuals. Let’s hope that this stunning animal can continue its upward climb away from that label of Endangered.Ref: Collins (2011) Good news: The magnificent Arabian oryx is back. New Scientist [link] 

It seems it’s a good time for animals that have teetered on the brink of extinction. The beautiful Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx), seen here making the most of a pool in Dubai, is the first species to have been reclassified by an improvement of three categories on the IUCN Red List - from Extinct in the Wild to Vulnerable.

Like the Vegas Valley frog, the Arabian oryx’s downfall was primarily due to human actions. Unregulated hunting in the Arabian peninsula, to which the oryx is endemic, meant that the last individual was shot in the wild in the early 1970s. Luckily, Operation Oryx, established in the early ’60s, had previously captured 4 individuals, which were able to be bred with individuals from royal collections in Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to form a herd large enough to release. The oryx was returned to the wild in Oman in the 1980s, and the operation has proven to be a truly successful conservation story, with wild populations now reaching over 1000 individuals. Let’s hope that this stunning animal can continue its upward climb away from that label of Endangered.

Ref: Collins (2011) Good news: The magnificent Arabian oryx is back. New Scientist [link] 

Source: Flickr / dwilder

  1. iusedtobeintbs reblogged this from cog-nito
  2. cog-nito reblogged this from zoo-logic
  3. owlshit reblogged this from zoo-logic
  4. skeletoninthecloset reblogged this from zoo-logic
  5. claws-and-paws reblogged this from zoo-logic
  6. iitzkat reblogged this from zoo-logic
  7. sug0iland reblogged this from trees-stars-seas
  8. sudden-spasms reblogged this from worsturlever
  9. lifeisajukebox reblogged this from w-i-l-d-ivy
  10. worsturlever reblogged this from w-i-l-d-ivy
  11. ivor-y reblogged this from w-i-l-d-ivy
  12. suicidal-kidz reblogged this from un-corrupted
  13. a-summer-breeze reblogged this from lotu-s
  14. lotu-s reblogged this from frankendork
  15. frankendork reblogged this from li-mbo
  16. graz1 reblogged this from bluepueblo
  17. littlelionlucy reblogged this from sun-stones
  18. sun-stones reblogged this from c-i-t-r-i-c
  19. natalycony reblogged this from zoo-logic and added:
    your best attribute zoo-logic
  20. mattbenji reblogged this from zoo-logic
  21. japanian4lyf reblogged this from surf-the-w0rld
  22. rascism reblogged this from zoo-logic
  23. trees-stars-seas reblogged this from sun-stones
  24. my-mind-wanders-off reblogged this from e-a-r-t-h and added:
    It seems it’s a good time for animals that have teetered on the brink of extinction. The beautiful Arabian oryx (Oryx...
  25. losing-ctrl reblogged this from s-h-e-i-k
  26. acanthocyte reblogged this from zoo-logic
  27. c-heap-thrill-s reblogged this from lion-ess
  28. myskinyourfingers reblogged this from sal-vaje
  29. saraalzarouni reblogged this from e-a-r-t-h
  30. my-lo-xy-lo-to reblogged this from sal-vaje
  31. thing2and1 reblogged this from v-i-t-a-l-i-t-y
  32. v-i-t-a-l-i-t-y reblogged this from sal-vaje
  33. sexyqueen reblogged this from earth-ism
  34. malgre-nous reblogged this from earth-ism
  35. octopusboat reblogged this from paranoidgemsbok