Species Recovery, Arabian Oryx

The Arabian Oryx, a species of antelope locally known as Al Maha once ranged most of the plains and deserts of the Arabian Peninsula. “Oryx have been sought since ancient times by local hunters for their meat, hide and the supposed medicinal properties of the blood. However, the destructive potential of hunting intensified with the introduction of modern weapons and motor vehicles. The wide availability of 4WD vehicles after 1945 enabled hunting parties to reach all remote and previously inaccessible areas of the peninsula and sealed the oryx's fate.”  The three last wild Oryx were probably shot in 1972 in southern Oman. The Phoenix Zoo started a captive breeding program in the early 1960s and over 200 young Oryx were successfully bred. Today, its wild population stands at over a thousand individuals. However, continued poaching, habitat loss, and climate change continue to threaten the Oryx.