Saudi Arabia's conservationists save the Arabian oryx from oblivion

The Arabian oryx now represents environmental rejuvenation in addition to Saudi Arabia's and the Middle East's cultural legacy.

Due to overhunting, poisoning, drought, and habitat disturbance brought on by the expansion of agriculture and human settlements, which denied them meadows, their numbers have drastically decreased in recent decades. This is reported by Arab News.

Because of Saudi environmentalists' efforts to restore biodiversity and breeding programmes, this species has been saved.

Its population has drastically decreased in recent decades as a result of habitat degradation, overhunting, and drought.

To save the Arabian oryx from extinction, international organisations have launched a programme to capture wild individuals and create breeding centers. Since their numbers have recovered, the groups have been reintroduced to their original habitats.

By building specialist breeding facilities and veterinary clinics for the Arabian oryx, Saudi Arabia has made a significant contribution. To enable them to flourish in the wild, many of them have been moved to protected regions that most closely resemble their original environment.

By early 2024, the Arabian oryx population had increased by 60 times thanks to the breeding programme the reserve had instituted in 2021.

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