Arabian oryx reintroduction in Oman: successes and setbacks

The return of the Arabian oryx Oryx leucoryx to Oman symbolized the success of a new approach to species conservation and established reintroduction a s a conservation tool. Ten years after the species had been exterminated in the wild by poaching, the first 10 founder oryx, descendants of the 'World Herd', were reintroduced to the desert,in central Oman in January 1982. A second release followed in 1984 and the population grew slowly through a 3- year drought that was broken by rain in. June 1986. Further years of good r ainfall and more founders meant that by April 1990 there were over 100 oryx in the wild, independent of supplementary feed and water, and using a rang e of over 11,000 sq km. At that time a new monitoring programme was impleme nted that allowed the transition from individual- to population-based monit oring and management. The population continued to grow and by October 1995 numbered approximately 280 in the wild (of which 22 were surviving founders ) and used over 16,000 sq km of the Arabian Oryx Sanctuary. However; in Feb ruary 1996 poaching resumed and oryx were captured for sale as live animals outside the country. Despite the poaching the population continued to incr ease and by October 1996 was estimated to be just over 400. However, poachi ng intensified and continued through late 1996 and 1997. By September 1998 it had reduced the wild population to an estimated 138 animals, of which ju st 28 were females. The wild population was no longer considered viable and action was taken to rescue some of the remaining animals from the wild to form a captive herd.