ABU DHABI (WAM) — A herd of 25 Scimitar-horned Oryx has arrived safely at their new home in the Ouadi Rime-Ouadi Achim Reserve. This, the latest translocation, is part of the reintroduction programme of the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, EAD, in co-operation with the Government of Chad Ministry of Environment and Fisheries and the Sahara Conservation Fund, SCF.
The third shipment of 25 Scimitar-horned Oryx were loaded onto a charter plane from Abu Dhabi to Chad. After a long journey, the Oryx were released, in a healthy state, to settle into their expansive pre-release pen. This batch of oryx will be released into the wild later this year in the summer season. This shipment of oryx to Chad is from a “world herd” of Scimitar-horned Oryx being bred and curated in EAD’s Deleika Wildlife Conservation Centre.
Last month, a delegation from EAD, led by Dr. Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, Executive Director, Terrestrial and Marine Biodiversity Sector, visited Chad to attend a steering committee meeting where the project’s progress and outlook were reviewed.
Dr. Al Dhaheri stressed the importance of the project, emphasising the UAE government’s commitment, through EAD, to contribute significantly to conservation and restoration of desert and Sahelian wildlife through the heritage collections of rare species established by the late Founder of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
She added that, “Under the vision of our leaders, EAD’s input has been invaluable both at home in Abu Dhabi, with the creation and management of a world herd of Scimitar-horned Oryx, and overseas in Chad, through the provision of animals accompanied by technical expertise for the re-introduction project. The success of this project is not only to secure the future of this, and other endangered species, benefiting from the halo-effect of their protection, but to also provide a modern conservation biology model for others to be inspired by and to follow.”
Dr. Shaikha noted that EAD’s ex-situ conservation team focused on increasing the genetic diversity of the world herd in Abu Dhabi, and sources the population from different countries for the Chad re-introduction. EAD has recently translocated 69 Scimitar-horned Oryx from Sir Bani Yas Island, home to thousands of local and exotic species which was formerly the private collection of the late Sheikh Zayed. These animals will be added to the established world herd at the Deleika Wildlife Conservation Centre which will contribute to the source population for the Chad re-introduction project.