The Tunisian reintroduction of Scimitar-horned Oryx (SHO) started in 1985 with the release of 10 animals transported from UK zoos to Bou Hedma National Park. By 2000, the SHO had been established in three Tunisian protected areas through additional reintroductions. The Direction Générale des Forêts (Ministère de l’Agriculture, de la Pêche et des Ressources Hydrauliques, Tunisie) (DGF) allocated Dghoumes National Park as a fourth area within the species’ indigenous range where substantial habitat regeneration had been initiated. Additional populations of SHO would both secure the future health of the metapopulation and become a keystone in restoring/protecting arid land ecosystems within the country. The DGF requested assistance in re-establishing this fourth population from the zoo community. The help came from coordinators of the Addax and SHO conservation programmes. The European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) contributed via their ex situ Programme (EEP) and the North American Association of Zoos and Aquaria (AZA) also supported via their Species Survival Plan (SSP).
Conservation of Scimitar-horned Oryx and its Habitat in Dghoumes National Park, Tunisia — Reverse the Red
Conservation of Scimitar-horned Oryx and its Habitat in Dghoumes National Park, Tunisia — Reverse the Red