Wild Arabian oryx faces extinction

Poachers have been capturing the Arabian oryx and selling them to private zoos outside Oman

April 22, 1999
Web posted at: 9:46 AM EDT

The Arabian oryx, a white antelope that resides on the Arabian Peninsula and is responsible for the unicorn myth, could become extinct in the wild in Oman for the second time in 30 years, the World Wide Fund for Nature announced April 16.

"The great herd of some 400 wild Arabian oryx in Oman's re-introduction project has been so ravished by poachers since 1996 that it is no longer viable," said Ralph Daly, advisor for Conservation of the Environment in the Diwan of the Royal Court in Oman.

Between October 1996 and March 1999, the numbers of Arabian oryx in the wild in Oman fell from 400 to 100. In three years, poachers have removed or killed at least 200 oryx. 39 of the wild animals have been moved to enclosures to protect them from poaching.

Poachers have been capturing the animals and selling them to private zoos outside Oman. They mainly target female oryx and their calves, many of which die from stress or exhaustion during their capture. Others die during transportation or shortly afterwards and their bodies are then abandoned.

Of the 100 or so oryx left in the wild, only 11 are female, reducing even further the species' chances of recovery.

Uncontrolled hunting and capture were the major reasons the oryx originally became extinct in the wild in 1972. The animals were hunted for their horns, hide and meat.

A rescue operation mounted in 1961 ensured that a small number of animals were transferred to zoos for captive breeding. The descendants of these animals were reintroduced in the deserts of central Oman in 1982.

"We were optimistic that the long battle to return the Arabian oryx to the wild was being won when their numbers reached 400 in 1996," said John Newby, head of the World Wide Fund for Nature International's Species Conservation Unit. "Unfortunately, the increasing numbers of oryx also attracted the poachers back".

The efforts of Oman and the World Wide Fund for Nature to save the remaining Arabian oryx were the focus of a recent conference held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The conference recommended the creation of a coordinating body with a permanent secretariat in one of the range states to enhance cooperation and experience exchange across the Arabian Peninsula.

The tightening of regulations and better regional cooperation to prevent illegal trans-boundary movement of, and trade in, Arabian oryx were also called for.

The oryx breeds well in captivity and with careful management there is a healthy source of animals for further reintroduction programs.

"All of this is of limited value, however, unless the causes for the extinction of the oryx in the first place are identified and addressed," said Newby. "The situation in Oman has been a signal lesson to us all not to mistake short-term success with long-term, sustainable solutions."

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