Abu Dhabi: A group of 20 scimitar-horned oryx and 25 addax antelopes have been successfully translocated to Chad as part of the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi’s (EAD) mammal reintroduction programme.
The animals were reintroduced to the African nation’s Ouadi Rime — Ouadi Achim Game Reserve by the programme, known to be the world’s largest mammal reintroduction programme. Currently there are 460 scimitar-horned oryx in the wild, with 15 calves born so far this year, as well as 96 wild addax antelopes, with five calves born to the herd this year.
Programme extension
In addition, the EAD has also translocated, for the first time, five dama gazelle, and the animals have joined the herd of other captured wild dama gazelle in the EAD programme.
In order to enable monitoring of the animals, the EAD darted seven wild animals six scimitar-horned oryx and one addax antelope — and fitted them with satellite tracking collars. These will enable the EAD to closely monitor the animals’ survival and reproduction patterns.
Pioneering project
“This pioneering project was inspired by the insightful vision of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who noticed that oryx numbers were declining rapidly, and wished to see them flourish once again. Today we are seeing continued success thanks to the support of our wise leadership through the regular translocation of both breeds to their natural habitat in Chad. Both herds of animals are now thriving very well in their natural habitats,” said Dr Shaikha Al Dhaheri, EAD secretary general.
“We are currently very close to achieving our goal of having a herd of 500 scimitar-horned oryxes in Chad and, due to the success of this project, we are aiming to go beyond this figure and ensure that the numbers in the wild increase even further. Alongside the scimitar-horned oryx herd, we are working closely with the government of Chad to also reintroduce addax antelopes and dama gazelles, and in time we will witness increased numbers of these species, hopefully paving the way for their removal them from the extinction danger list,” Dr Al Dhaheri said.
Self-sustaining herds
The 500 scimitar-horned oryx reintroduction programme strives to create a self-sustaining herd of over 500 heads in the 77,950 square kilometre reserve in Chad. This would be a major achievement because the species was declared ‘extinct in the wild’ by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2000.
The programme was initiated in 2014, with the first shipment of animals released back into their natural habitats in 2016. The herds have since been closely monitored to ensure they are adapting well to their wild environment.
The second phase of the reintroduction programme included adding the critically endangered addax antelope, and in November 2019, the translocation project was launched with the first pilot batch of 15 animals, followed by the second group of 25 antelopes in March 2020.
Collaborative partners
The reintroduction programme of both species involves close collaboration with a range of international partners, including the Ministry of Environment in the Government of Chad, the Sahara Conservation Fund, the Zoological Society of London, the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Marwell Wildlife, Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, Saint Louis Zoo Wild Care Institute, Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, and the European Union.
