Scimitar Oryx - Meet The Endangered
Scimitar Oryx (Oryx dammah)
There is perhaps no greater success in conservation history than the Scimitar Oryx. In 2000, this princely bovid was declared extinct in the wild, following centuries of decline in its North African homeland. But successful breeding programs allowed the animal to be reintroduced in 2016. The wild population is now estimated at 800.
The Scimitar Oryx was a treasured species in antiquity. Egyptians used the oryx in their funeral rites and named a province for it. Wealthy Roman households kept it for its meat and leather. Some believe the oryx is also the origin of the unicorn myth, as from certain angles it can appear to have one horn instead of two.
In a strange twist of fate, this ancient Old World species is now found predominantly in Texas. It was there that private trophy hunting ranches created breeding programs, which - in addition to amassing hunting stock - also provide vital genetic diversity for reintroduction efforts. An estimated 10,000 remain in the Lone Star State, vastly exceeding the numbers in the wild.
IUCN: Endangered (EN)
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