Scimitar-Horned Oryx

[Livia]

I was downright CRUSHED to learn from the new announcement that this stunning animal was declared extinct in the wild in 2000! A local breeding center had them near me.

Thankfully, it appears their ICNU status just hasn't been updated (which makes sense as it takes a very long time to update), but due to breeding programs and reintroduction, 400 are back in the wild. That is still terribly low, but I am grateful for the work of conservationists.

[grampers62]

Right there with you on that Livia. Too many species are recognized as extinct in the wild these days. Thanks to the efforts of some diligent people, some are no longer in that category.

[Livia]

Anytime I hear about an animal going extinct in the wild, it crushes my heart. I think it should be big news when it happens to help keep the focus. It would also likely increase donations to breeding and reintroduction programs.

I hope they have animations of these antelopes eating on their front knees, because they do that and it's AWESOME!

[grampers62]

We will find out in a couple weeks!

[sandelwood16]

My local zoo in Colorado sent their entire herd of them to the protected reserve in Chad, Africa where they are being introduced. Denver Zoo had a very healthy breeding program, and I'm really proud to support a zoo that has been involved in a reintroduction program that has been so successful. I miss seeing them at the zoo since they were one of my favorites, but their offspring are now essentially living very nearly wild (I do believe they are still very occasionally fed depending on conditions since there is a drought, and vet checked to make sure the herd is healthy) within the protection of a reserve, where they belong in their native range, and that's fantastic.

[Livia]

Originally posted by sandelwood16:

My local zoo in Colorado sent their entire herd of them to the protected reserve in Chad, Africa where they are being introduced. Denver Zoo had a very healthy breeding program, and I'm really proud to support a zoo that has been involved in a reintroduction program that has been so successful. I miss seeing them at the zoo since they were one of my favorites, but their offspring are now essentially living very nearly wild (I do believe they are still very occasionally fed depending on conditions since there is a drought, and vet checked to make sure the herd is healthy) within the protection of a reserve, where they belong in their native range, and that's fantastic.

Thank you for sharing! Great to hear! The local place here was also breeding them for conservation, but they switched to local animals only (also much smaller, so easier to run); I don't know where their oryx went, but I have many photos of the babies over the years.