ABU DHABI, 28th February / WAM / The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi has recently completed a successful mission to transfer 20 Arabian Oryx to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, which was released in the Shaumari Wildlife Reserve.
Before the release, the herd was subjected to veterinary control in the adaptation pens in the reserve, while the monitoring operations will continue following the release to ensure that it is in a good and healthy condition and is able to adapt well to its new surroundings.
This release is an important step for the resettlement of the Arabian Oryx and the enhancement of its numbers in the wild in its natural habitats within wide reserves within the areas in which it previously lived and the formation of growing herds capable of self-reliance and roaming freely in their natural habitats under effective management and a long-term protection plan.
The launch comes within the framework of a memorandum of understanding signed between the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi and the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature on a project to develop a vital herd of Arabian Oryx in the Shaumari Wildlife Reserve in Jordan, which is being implemented by the Authority in cooperation with the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature in Jordan in order to enhance the efforts of both parties to work on establishing Vital and sustainable herd of Arabian Oryx in the reserve through diversification of genetic resources and rehabilitation of pastures and natural habitats.
The project aims to release 20 heads of Arabian Oryx into the Shaumari Wildlife Reserve and ensure their adaptation to the environment of the region, in addition to improving the genetic structure of the Arabian Oryx herd and reducing the possibility of genetic imbalances to create a lively herd and the sustainability of suitable and sufficient pastoral areas for the Arabian Oryx individuals through improving the pastoral load and finding and rehabilitating areas New pastoralism outside the boundaries of the reserve, represented by an increase in the area of the Shaumari Wildlife Reserve.
The project also aims to develop a program and an educational center for school students to raise environmental awareness towards breeding and resettlement programs, implement an eco-tourism program, and benefit from the Arabian Oryx breeding program and raise awareness among visitors to the reserve.
Ahmed Al Hashemi, Executive Director of the Terrestrial and Marine Biodiversity Sector at the authority, said: “The release of the Arabian Oryx in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan comes as a continuation of the efforts initiated by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God rest his soul, in preserving the cultural and natural heritage in the Arabian Peninsula, and in implementation The program of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, to resettle the Arabian Oryx in its natural areas of spread, which was launched in 2007 and contributed to the enhancement of the Oryx population in the wild.
This ambitious program has contributed to strengthening efforts to protect the Arabian Oryx and increase its numbers in the wild, as well as changing the Arabian Oryx’s status in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature from “threatened” to “vulnerable” in 2011 in a move that was considered one of the most important achievements in the field Resettlement of species at the global level.
Al-Hashemi pointed out that the program also contributed to increasing the number of the Arabian Oryx within its natural and historical spread in the UAE, the Sultanate of Oman and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, following more than 1,000 Arabian Oryx were released.
He stated that the UAE today harbors more than 10,000 heads, and Abu Dhabi embraces regarding 5,000 of them, as it is the largest group of Arabian Oryx in the world.
It is noteworthy that in accordance with the memorandum of understanding signed between the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi and the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature on the project to develop a vital herd of Arabian Oryx in the Shaumari Wildlife Reserve in Jordan, it seeks to secure and protect an appropriate environment for the Arabian Oryx groups in the reserve in addition to other wild species, which will provide the opportunity In front of the reserve to sustain a vibrant and healthy herd of Arabian Oryx and implement other future resettlement programs.
There will also be a great opportunity through the project to raise awareness among local communities and school students through many activities and involve the local community in the different stages of resettlement programs.
It is noteworthy that the Shaumari Wildlife Reserve, which is located in the heart of the Jordanian Badia, near the village of Azraq, 120 km to the east of the capital Amman, was established in 1975 with the support of the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature and the World Wide Fund for Nature to be the first nature reserve in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Re-release the Arabian Oryx, as it was later called the home of the Arabian Oryx.
