EAD sends 25 rare Oryx to natural habitat

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As many as 25 Scimitar Horned Oryx (SHO) have been reintroduced to their natural habitat in Chad, as part of the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD) and Government of Chad initiative.
This reintroduction programme aims to create a population of up to 500 SHOs in an isolated natural reserve within the Oadi Rime-Oadi Achim Game Reserve in Chad.
Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, Secretary-General of the EAD said: "Inspired by the late Shaikh Zayed's legacy and efforts to protect endangered species and sustain them in their natural habitat, the Scimitar Horned Oryx Reintroduction Programme was initiated on behalf of the government of Abu Dhabi in close collaboration with the Government of Chad. This is possibly the world's most ambitious large mammal reintroduction programme."
Initially every single SHO released will be fitted with a satellite collar. Data from these collars will be monitored by the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Washington D.C.
In 2015, EAD received 42 Scimitar Horned Oryx from the US, originating from six different facilities including the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and private collections.
The Scimitar Horned Oryx has been classified as "Extinct in the Wild" by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List.
The UAE is home to more than 3,000 orynx, the world's largest single population. - Wam

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