Conservation Conversations 4

Abu Dhabi Oryx

It has been reported (http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2043588,00.html) that the Emirate of Abu Dhabi intends to annually release around 100 captive bred Arabian oryx into remote desert areas (totalling some 4000 square miles) each year until 2012 (the first 98 went out this year). This antelope became extinct in the country some 40 years ago. On the positive side, one can applaud an attempt to reintroduce a recently lost and locally evocative mammal. Details are not clear but it would be nice if the animals were individually tracked (otherwise one gets little clear indication of the success of such endeavours). Creating a protected area might well ensure that extinction does not happen again. On the negative side, it is difficult to know if captive bred animals will have the necessary knowledge to survive in what is likely to be a much harsher regime (there could be considerable animal welfare implications). The 40 years since extinction might have led to changes in the immediate environment (in terms of rainfall, water availability, vegetation and the activities of other herbivores) that make it less conducive to the viability of the Arabian oryx. It is possible that the numbers released (and breeding in the wild?) make exceed the carrying capacity of the area. Again, monitoring seems to be essential.