Arabian oryx  (Oryx leucoryx)

The Bedouin people of the Arabian Peninsula traditionally hunted Arabian oryx for their meat and hides. The total decimation of the species did not occur until after the Second World War however, with the availability of firearms and motorised transport (5), and the demand for sport hunting (10). The species became extinct in the wild in 1972 when the last recorded animal was shot (8). Following the success of re-introduced herds during the 1990s, poaching once again became a serious threat although it has been controlled in recent years (5).

The rescue of the Arabian oryx began in early 1960s when Fauna and Flora International had the foresight to capture wild oryx and transfer them to Phoenix Zoo in Arizona (8). Operation Oryx, as it became known, succeeded in establishing a large captive herd in the USA that could later be used for re-introductions (5). The first herds were released in Oman at Jaaluni in the Jiddat-al-Harasis in 1982 (8), over the years the wild population became firmly established and by 1996 numbered over 400 animals (11). Poaching since 1996 has decreased numbers again (5), but the re-introduction of the Arabian oryx still represents a remarkable conservation success story and an example of what international cooperation can achieve.