Re-introduction of Arabian oryx into Um Al Zomoul, Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates

Summary

Building on a captive-breeding program that grew the UAE's Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx) stock to more than 4,000 individuals, over half the global population, the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi launched a five-year project to establish a free-living population in the Um Al Zomoul area of southeastern Abu Dhabi, covering roughly 8,950 square kilometres of semi-fenced sand dunes and gravel plains. Release sites were chosen for food, water, shelter, and accessibility, with artificial shelters, water points, and planted forage established beforehand. Ninety-eight oryx were sourced from Al Ain Zoo, Sir Bani Yas Island, and private collections to maximize genetic diversity, screened for disease, vaccinated, tagged, and microchipped, then held six to ten weeks in pre-release enclosures organized into herds of three males and seven to eight females each. In February 2007, all 98 oryx were released into the wild for the first time in 40 years, monitored via 11 satellite and 26 VHF collars alongside daily wildlife ranger patrols, with hunting banned across the entire UAE. The main recorded difficulty was extreme heat and aridity. The project rated itself Successful, citing low mortality rates, a good calving season with 17 births, and an expanding home range among the released oryx, as the initial phase of a planned ten-year program toward self-sustaining sub-populations.