| Range: |
Middle East, including Oman, Saudi Arabia, Israel |
| Habitat: |
Stony semi-deserts |
| Conservation Status: |
Endangered |
| Scientific Name: |
Oryx leucoryx |
If you cross your fingers, you can cite this handsome desert antelope as a conservation success story.
Arabian oryx herds once ranged through Arabia, Jordan, Syria and Iraq, but trophy hunting with vehicles and automatic weapons drove this species to extinction in the wild. By 1972, only a few herds existed in zoos and private collections. The populations in American zoos flourished, and beginning in 1982, captive animals were being released into protected preserves in the Middle East. Two oryx born at the Saint Louis Zoo were reintroduced into Oman in 1995.
Today, there are about 700 Arabian oryx in Saudi Arabia, and additional herds in Oman and other countries. But animals -- primarily females -- continue to be captured live for private collections. The herds that survive today still need protection, but scientists are hopeful the species will continue to survive in the wild.
These antelopes are truly adapted to life in the desert. Their white coats reflect the rays of the desert sun and their splayed hooves permit easy travel on sand. Both males and females possess sharp, lethal horns -- used to kill predators, including lions.
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