Experts celebrate as stunning creature returns decades after vanishing from wild: 'A powerful story'

Decades after its extinction in the wild, a beloved desert herbivore has established a viable breeding population following years of conservation work.

As Kiddo Magazine reported, South Africa's Monarto Safari Park played a pivotal role in bringing the scimitar-horned oryx back. The park's acting director, Dr. Ian Smith, said, "This is one of the few times we've seen a species go from zero to viable in the wild again. It's a powerful story."

The Remarkable Return of the Scimitar-horned Oryx!

From Extinct to Endangered – The Remarkable Return of the Scimitar-horned Oryx! Today is the very first World Scimitar-horned Oryx Day and we're celebrating an incredible conservation milestone right here at Monarto Safari Park. Once Extinct in the Wild, this striking desert antelope is now roaming free again in its natural habitat, and Monarto has played a leading role in its comeback. Since 2011, we've welcomed 119 calves into our care and helped build a strong, genetically diverse population that supports global reintroduction efforts. In 2023, 38 Oryx were released into Wild Africa, our 550-hectare savannah habitat, and they're thriving. This rare success story is proof that with passion, science and global teamwork, extinction doesn't have to be the end. Come see them for yourself. You'll find Scimitar-horned Oryx across Monarto Safari Park, whether you're hopping on the free Zu-loop Bus or exploring Wild Africa as a guest of the Monarto Safari Resort. Book your tickets today and support the conservation programs helping species like the Oryx return to the wild

Posted by Monarto Safari Park on Friday, August 15, 2025

The scimitar-horned oryx is one of four oryx species that are found in arid areas throughout Africa and the Middle East. The scimitar-horned oryx shares a similar story with its Arabian cousin, which was also reintroduced to the wild through a captive breeding program. 

Oryxes are a hardy antelope species that are perfectly adapted to handle the searing heat of the desert. They can go months, even years, without water, as they obtain their moisture from the desert vegetation they graze on.

As the Smithsonian notes, one of the secrets to the oryx's survival in the desert is its ability to handle extremely high internal temperatures of up to 116 degrees Fahrenheit. They play a crucial role in the desert ecosystem by controlling vegetation, cycling nutrients through their waste, and serving as a food source for predators. 

Reintroducing a species can be a challenging task, as it inevitably involves confronting the issues that led to the species' disappearance in the first place. Still, there have been multiple cases around the world where reintroduction plans have been successful. For the oryx, similar challenges lie ahead.  

Once abundant across the deserts of Africa, their numbers dropped sharply due to habitat loss, human encroachment, and overhunting. Their thick hides provided high-quality leather prized by desert nomads, according to the Smithsonian Magazine. 

Thanks to a multinational effort, they were kept alive in captivity, and officials began releasing them into the wild in Chad in 2016. To ensure success, the initiative thought internationally while also acting locally by reaching out to the nomadic communities.

According to Sahara Conservation, "Since 2016, 14 carefully planned reintroductions have returned 361 captive-bred scimitar-horned oryx back to their native range in Chad. The oryx population is growing and reproducing naturally, a critical step toward establishing a viable and self-sustaining wild population: 580 wild-born calves have been recorded."

The species has now moved from "Extinct in the Wild" to "Endangered" on the IUCN Red List of threatened species.

Steve Monfort, director and chief scientist of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, said at the time: "Socialize the project to people and communicate about it. A lot of these people weren't even alive when the species went extinct in the early 1980s. To put it simply, without the support of the local people, this project will never succeed."

Thankfully, those efforts are working out, and as Dr. Ian Smith noted, "It reminds us of what's possible when people come together to protect a species."

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