The Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx), also known as the white oryx, was no longer found in nature by 1972. However, efforts to bring the species back into the wild began in 1982. The first reintroduction used two main groups of oryx: the "World Herd," which started at the Phoenix Zoo in 1963 with only nine oryx, and the Saudi Arabian herd, which began in 1986 using animals from private collections and some members of the "World Herd" provided by the Saudi National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC). By 2009, oryx had been reintroduced to Oman, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan. In 2013, the IUCN Red List classified the Arabian oryx as vulnerable.

Decline of a species

The Arabian oryx was becoming fewer in number since the early 1900s in the Arabian Peninsula. By 1930, there were two groups of oryx that were separated from each other. In 1960, Lee M. Talbot reported that Arabian oryx no longer lived in their old areas along the southern edge of Ar-Rub' al-Khali. He believed that any remaining oryx might disappear within a few years and suggested starting a program to breed them in captivity to save the species. Michael Crouch, then Assistant Adviser in the Eastern Aden Protectorate, noted that each spring, small groups of oryx still appeared on gravel plains in the northeast corner of the Protectorate, where he thought capture might be possible.

Operation Oryx

Operation Oryx was a program started by the Phoenix Zoo and the Fauna and Flora Preservation Society of London (now called Fauna and Flora International). The World Wide Fund for Nature provided financial support. This program was one of the first captive breeding programs at any zoo. Its goal was to save Arabian oryx and reintroduce them to the wild.

The Fauna and Flora Preservation Society originally planned to create a herd in Kenya, where another type of oryx already lived. This plan changed because of an outbreak of hoof-and-mouth disease. The oryx meant for Kenya were sent to the Phoenix Zoo instead.

The program began with four oryx captured in Aden (now part of Yemen) near the border of Oman. This expedition was led by Major Ian Grimwood, who was then Kenya’s chief game warden, with help from the Manahil and Mahra tribes. One male from this group died due to stress from being captured. Seven other oryx were donated for the project: one from the London Zoo, two from Sheikh Jaber Abdullah al-Sabah, and two pairs from King Saud bin Abdul Aziz’s collection. One oryx from Sheikh Jaber Abdullah al-Sabah died before being sent, leaving nine oryx to form the “World Herd.”

Five Arabian oryx arrived at the Phoenix Zoo in 1963 (four in June and one in September). A baby was born to the herd in October 1963, and another was born in spring 1964. This brought the Phoenix Zoo herd’s population to seven. The four oryx donated by King Saud arrived at the Phoenix Zoo in July 1964, increasing the “World Herd” to 11.

The Phoenix Zoo’s breeding program was very successful. In 2002, the zoo celebrated its 225th Arabian oryx birth. From Phoenix, some oryx were sent to other zoos and parks, including the San Diego Wild Animal Park, to start new herds. Most Arabian oryx living in the wild today are descendants of the Phoenix Zoo’s original herd.

Reintroductions

Reintroductions of the Arabian oryx began in Oman in 1982. By 2009, reintroductions had also taken place in Saudi Arabia, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan. At this time, populations in the United Arab Emirates and Jordan were not included in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List count for wild oryx. The population in Oman still receives additional food, and the reintroduction in Jordan occurred after the last update of the Red List.

By 1980, the number of Arabian oryx in captivity had grown enough to allow reintroduction to Oman. These oryx were moved from the San Diego Wild Animal Park to Jaaluni in the Jiddat al-Harasis. At first, the oryx were kept in large outdoor enclosures. They were released into the wild on January 31, 1982, in the Omani Central Desert and Coastal Hills.

These oryx became the foundation of the wild herd in Oman. Additional releases of captive-bred animals occurred over the next two decades. The area where they were released became the Arabian Oryx Sanctuary.

On June 28, 2007, Oman’s Arabian Oryx Sanctuary was the first site removed from the UNESCO World Heritage List. UNESCO stated that the Omani government’s decision to allow oil exploration on 90% of the site was the main reason for this action. The oryx population on the site decreased from 450 in 1996 to 65 in 2007, mainly due to poaching and illegal capture. Fewer than four breeding pairs remain there today.

Captive breeding of Arabian oryx in Saudi Arabia began in April 1986, when 57 oryx from the late King Khalid bin Abdul Aziz’s farm were moved to the National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) near At-Ta'if. Between 1986 and 1996, 33 additional oryx, including some from the "World Herd," were added to the founder population at the NWRC. Since 1996, all new members of the population have been born in captivity.

A disease outbreak of Mycobacterium bovis (bovine tuberculosis) in the founder generation led to the introduction of a "buffer generation" into the herd. Calves born to the founder herd are now removed from their mothers immediately after birth and raised by humans. These second-generation oryx are regularly tested for tuberculosis and other diseases. They join the breeding group only after passing multiple health tests. After breeding, they produce the third generation, which is free of tuberculosis and raised by their mothers. More than 80% of these oryx are reintroduced into the wild.

Reintroduction of a wild population began in 1995 in the 'Uruq Bani Ma'arid Protected Area. This reserve covers about 12,000 km² (4,600 sq mi) at the western edge of the Rubʿ al-Khali desert. As of 2009, the IUCN Red List estimated the oryx population on this reserve at 160 individuals.

A free-ranging herd was established in 1989 in the Mahazat as-Sayd Protected Area. This 2,244 km² (866 sq mi) fenced reserve is home to reintroduced oryx, gazelle, and the houbara bustard. As of 2009, the IUCN Red List estimated the oryx population on this reserve at about 800 individuals. Some debate exists about whether these animals should be considered "wild."

In Israel, the reintroduction program started in 1978 with four pairs of Arabian oryx. At that time, the IUCN Redbook reported 90–100 wild oryx in three locations in the Northern Arava and Negev Desert. By 2014, there were about 130 oryx in the Aravah region, and the population had expanded to the central Negev. Each year, about six oryx are released into the wild in Israel. Israel is the only country where poaching laws can be effectively enforced, allowing the population to grow annually. In addition to the wild population, a few dozen oryx live in the Yotvata Hai-Bar Nature Reserve, a few breeding pairs are in the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo, and a small herd is in the Ramat Gan Safari. The oryx reintroduction in Israel is one of the few successful wildlife reintroduction programs in the country, alongside efforts to reintroduce the Persian onager and the Persian fallow deer.

In the early 1960s, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan arranged for the capture of two breeding pairs of oryx to start a captive-breeding program in Al Ain, which later led to the creation of the city’s zoo. In 2007, the United Arab Emirates began releasing oryx into Umm Al Zumul. By 2009, about 100 animals had been released. A similar program is being developed to reintroduce oryx into their natural habitats in Yemen and Iraq.

Since March 1999, the Emirate of Abu Dhabi has hosted an intergovernmental group called The Coordinating Committee for the Conservation of the Arabian Oryx. This group oversees conservation efforts for the species across the

Impact

In 1986, because of efforts to bring them back, the IUCN changed the Arabian oryx's status from extinct in the wild to endangered. By 2009, the Arabian oryx was protected by law in all areas where it lived.

In June 2011, the IUCN Red List changed the Arabian oryx's status to vulnerable. In 2016, the IUCN estimated there were more than 1,000 Arabian oryx in the wild and between 6,000 and 7,000 in captivity worldwide in zoos, preserves, and private collections. Some of these animals live in large fenced enclosures where they are allowed to move freely, including those in Syria (Al Talila), Bahrain, Qatar, and the UAE. This was the first time the IUCN changed a species' status to vulnerable after it had been listed as extinct in the wild. The Arabian oryx is also listed in CITES Appendix I.