Scimitar-horned oryx  (Oryx dammah)

Originally the scimitar-horned oryx began to decline as a result of major climatic changes that caused the Sahara region to become dry. As the Sahara desert expanded, two populations of this oryx became increasingly isolated. The northern population was mostly lost prior to the 20th Century (8) (9). The decline of the southern population accelerated as Europeans began to settle the area and hunting for meat, hides and horn-trophies increased. It is thought that World War Two and the Civil War in Chad during the 1980s impacted heavily on the species through an increase in hunting for food (4) (9).

The species has successfully been bred in captivity and in 1985, five captive-bred pairs were reintroduced to Tunisia, and by 1989 the herd had produced 4 wild-born calves (9). Captive-bred oryx now exist in healthy numbers in both Tunisia and Morocco, and have been reintroduced into Senegal (1) (11). Individuals have also been introduced to Israel, although this was not within the historic range (9). Recent reports of sightings of oryx in Chad and Niger have been investigated but no animals found (1).