Zoo History: Operation Oryx

For centuries, few large land mammals seemed safer or more removed from the threat of humanity than the Arabian oryx.  At home in the desolate deserts of the Arabian peninsula, the oryx - smallest of the world's four species - was sheltered by its seemingly inaccessible habitat.  By the dawn of the twentieth century, however, that was changing.  The introduction of motor vehicles and more powerful, long-range guns replaced the horses, camels, spears, and bows and arrows that the Bedouin had once hunted the animals with, allowing humans to follow the oryx into the heart of the desert.  More concerningly, the boom in oil exploration was luring more and more humans into the desert.  Soon, the numbers of oryx, which had not evolved to face this type of hunting pressure, began to plummet.  The species began to disappear throughout its range.

Responding to the crisis, the Fauna and Flora Preservation Society, an international conservation charity, and World Wildlife Fund, proposed an ambitious plan to capture the last few oryx and relocate them to a sanctuary elsewhere.  Originally, they planned to transport the animals to Kenya - already home to wild oryx of a separate species - until an outbreak of hoof-and-mouth disease scrapped those plans.  Instead, they began to look for a site that, while removed from the dangers of Arabia, would have a climate and habitat suitably similar to the Middle East.  They found it on the other side of the globe, in Arizona - at the Phoenix Zoo.  The Zoo had just opened to the public, and was already being thrust into the center of one of the greatest wildlife rescue projects ever attempted.

Four wild oryx were captured in present-day Yemen with the aid of local tribesmen.  An additional seven were cobbled together from zoos and private collections, both in Arabia and abroad, including two owned by the King of Saudi Arabia, Saud bin Abdul Aziz.  One of the wild oryx and one of the captive oryx died shortly after their assembly.  The remaining nine were transferred to Phoenix and became what was known as "the World Herd."

After the initial bad luck, fortunes reversed quickly.  The first calf was born in October 1963, the result of a conception that took place en route.  Another birth followed, and a few more oryx were scrounged up in Saudi Arabia.  The oryx thrived in Phoenix and bred well, despite the small population bottleneck.  Soon, some were sent to the San Diego Wild Animal Park to start another herd.  Other zoos followed.  Such was the success that, in 1982, reintroduction back into the wild began, first in Oman, then in countries throughout the Middle East, from Israel and Jordan in the north as far south as the bottom of the Arabian Peninsula.  Some of the herds still receive supplemental care, while others are truly wild.  Sanctuaries for the species have been established throughout the region.

Breeding continued to carry on in the US; in 2002, twenty years after the first reintroduction and forty years after the arrival of the first oryxes, Phoenix Zoo welcomed its 225th calf.  The species is now spread throughout zoos, and even has spilled into the private sector.  Today, the oryx has been downgraded to "Vulnerable" by the IUCN.  What really makes the story of the species so remarkable, however, is its example as one of the first international success stories to use captive breeding and reintroduction to save a species that was on the brink of extinction.  Collaboration took place between countries in Europe, North America, and the Middle East, including some nations that have historically been at odds with each other.  Working together, they proved what is possible when nations work together to help restore a priceless piece of their shared natural heritage.