Arabian Oryx

The Arabian Oryx lived in the past in all the deserts of the Middle East, from Iraq and Syria to the Negev and Sinai, but with the entry of firearms and motor vehicles into our region, it was hunted en masse. Thus the Arabian Oryx became extinct from the country towards the end of the 19th century, and the last individual in the wild was observed in Saudi Arabia in the year 1972. Already in the year 1955, four Arabian Oryx from the last population were caught in Saudi Arabia and taken out to the Phoenix Zoo, where there were conditions similar to the conditions in the Middle East.

This wide-scale operation, which also included the London Zoo, was called "Operation Oryx". With the establishment of the Yotvata Wildlife Reserve in 1978, four pairs of Arabian Oryx were brought to Israel from the Los Angeles Zoo, and later additional individuals were brought also from the San Diego Zoo. At the Yotvata Wildlife Reserve, the Arabian Oryx reproduced well, and in 1997 it was decided to begin reintroductions to the wild.

Since then, several dozen Arabian Oryx have been reintroduced to the wild who live in the Negev and the Arava. At the zoo there is a breeding herd, from which individuals have been sent back to the wild.

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Photo: Shai Ben Ami