We are happy to announce a major collection update and professional achievement with the arrival of two scimitar-horned oryxes from Zoo Leipzig on February 2 under a European Endangered Species Program (EAZA EEP). Now exhibited in our African Panorama Section, Katja and Kirsten, mother and daughter born in 2016 and 2022 respectively, are of immense conservation value as they belong to a species that was officially declared extinct in the wild in 2000. Thanks to successful breeding efforts, zoos around the world are home to a fairly large population and have been actively involved in reintroduction programs since 1985. Our history with scimitar-horned oryxes dates back to 2009 when we welcomed a pair that would live a ripe old age. We hope to add a suitable male to the group in the near future and join conservation breeding efforts.
Once widespread throughout North Africa, scimitar-horned oryxes (Oryx dammah) have been named after their scimitar-like curved horns measuring about one meter in length. Adaptations in physiology and diet allow them to do excellently in arid deserts and semi-deserts; they lose very little water by sweating as they tolerate a body temperature of up to 46 °C, meaning they can survive without drinking water for months, relying purely on moisture intake from grasses. In the wild they formed herds of up to 40 individuals led by a dominant bull each, migrating up to several hundreds of kilometers in search of optimal grazing grounds. Reasons for their extinction in the wild include excessive hunting as well as loss of habitat and food shortage from grazing livestock; in addition to their high-concern IUCN Red List category, they are included in Appendix I of CITES for protection against international trade.
Debrecen Zoo
