Once found widespread across North Africa, the Scimitar-horned Oryx was downgraded by the IUCN in November 2023 from extinct in the wild to endangered.
It is estimated that 9,000 oryx are kept in zoos, safari parks, ranches and public holdings around the world. Since 2005 some of the animals in the breeding program have been released into protected areas in Tunisia, Morocco and Senegal.
The endangered status is attributed to uncontrolled hunting, excessive drought, agricultural encroachment and excessive grazing of the limited vegetation by domestic livestock.
As they evolved in sub-saharan Africa, the oryx can tolerate an extremely hot climate. Monarto’s 44 degree summer days are a walk in the park for this species.
