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The Arabian oryx or white oryx (Oryx leucoryx) is a medium-sized antelope with a distinct shoulder bump, long, straight horns, and a tufted tail. [2] It is a bovid , and the smallest member of the genus Oryx , native to desert and steppe areas of the Arabian Peninsula .
The Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx, Arabic: المها), became extinct in the wild in 1972 in the Arabian Peninsula. It was reintroduced in 1982 in Oman , but poaching has reduced its numbers there. One of the largest populations of Arabian oryxes exists on Sir Bani Yas Island in the United Arab Emirates .
The Arabian oryx was reintroduced to Israel in 1978, when a breeding program was established. The animals bred successfully in captivity until they reached 80 individuals in 1996, some of which were released in the Arabah Valley and the Negev. They subsequently reproduced naturally, reaching a population of approximately 100 by 2004. [119]
However, many species are more secluded, such as the forest antelope, as well as the extreme cold-living saiga, the desert-adapted Arabian oryx, the rocky koppie-living klipspringer, and semiaquatic sitatunga. [10] Species living in forests, woodland, or bush tend to be sedentary, but many of the plains species undertake long migrations.
The Wildlife Reserve in Al Wusta, formerly the Arabian Oryx Sanctuary, is a nature reserve in the Omani Central Desert and Coastal Hills. It was included in the UNESCO World Heritage list, but became the first site to be removed from the World Heritage list in 2007.
Al Houbara Protected Area is a natural reserve in the United Arab Emirates, and it is located in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. It is named after the large ground bird, Houbara, which belongs in the Persian Gulf region. This reserve consists of abundant plantation and coastal plains on well-drained sandy and gravelly terrain. [2]
Larger terrestrial mammals such as the Arabian oryx and Arabian gazelle are protected and are held in nature reserves. [3] The Arabian gazelle is the only native gazelle species to Qatar and is locally referred to as the rheem. [4] Qatar's largest mammal is the dugong. Large numbers of dugong appear north of the peninsula's shores. [5]
The Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx) lived in Jiddat al-Harasis until 1972 when it was considered extinct in the wild. In 1981 the San Diego Wild Animal Park, now the San Diego Zoo Safari Park , sent five oryxes to the Oman Mammal Breeding Center (also known as Yalooni, where they were released into the wild.