{"id":22006,"date":"2022-11-10T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-09T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/?post_type=purple_issue&p=22006"},"modified":"2022-11-21T10:24:05","modified_gmt":"2022-11-21T09:24:05","slug":"operation-oryx","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/2022\/11\/10\/operation-oryx\/","title":{"rendered":"Operation Oryx"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Arabian oryx came back from the brink, thanks to one daring expedition <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Operation Oryx<\/h2>\n\n

As all eyes turn to the World Cup in Qatar, we tell the amazing story of this country\u2019s national animal <\/p>\n\n

By <\/em>SIMON PAYNE <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

<\/div>
\n

BBC ONE<\/span><\/strong>
Watch England\u2019s first World Cup game live on 21st November<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n

ORRY THE ORYX STANDS 10M TALL AT the water\u2019s edge, and the sun glares from the ocean and the glittering skyscrapers of the Doha Corniche. The symbol of the Asian Games held here in Qatar in 2006, he reminds us of the importance of the Arabian oryx as Qatar\u2019s national animal. <\/p>\n\n

Indeed, it\u2019s hard to miss \u2013 this elegant antelope features on every Qatar Airways tailfin and gives its name to, among others, a Doha football club, two hotels and an international school. <\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Asian Games mascot Orry the Oryx stands proud on Doha’s waterfront promenade <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

The next sporting milestone for this tiny oil- and gas-rich state, sandwiched between Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf, is the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Not without controversy over migrant workers and human rights, hosting the World Cup would be a big deal for any country, let alone one of just 3 million people, which you can drive end-to-end in two hours. But I am not here for football. I am here to uncover the extraordinary story of the Arabian oryx. <\/p>\n\n

The Al Mas\u2019habiya Reserve is in the far south of Qatar. This is stony, scoured, hilly desert with bleached rocky outcrops, from where you can squint at Saudi Arabia. Occasional sand squalls half-heartedly set off across the scorched plain. On the skyline are a few bushes, their blackened branches bearing just the faintest sign of green. And, barely visible against the white of the rocks, clustered in the shards of shade, are oryx. Arabian oryx, to be precise, sometimes known as white oryx. <\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Arabian oryx blend in with the arid desert landscape of the Al Mas\u2019habiya Reserve <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

STANDING ONLY ABOUT A METRE tall at the shoulder, they are unmistakable. Almost white, wearing black, full-length stockings with a black chest line and face markings that include, as Stuart Wells, former oryx-keeper at Phoenix Zoo, Arizona, puts it, \u201ca Nike swoosh\u201d. And then there are those extraordinary horns: black and slender, almost as long as the animal is tall, and very slightly swept back at their sharp, pointed tips.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\u201cMost impressive is the oryx\u2019s ability to manage with minimal water, garnered only from plants or fog\u201d <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

The Arabian oryx is a true desert specialist. Look down at its white feet and you will see its hooves are a little too big for its diminutive body \u2013 they are shovel-like, splayed for walking in sand. Its white pelage (the whitest of all the oryx species) reflects the heat of the sun (which in summer can reach 45\u02daC or more), but darkens in the colder winter months (when it drops to less than 10\u02daC at night). Beneath the silvery coat lies black skin, which holds warmth on chilly desert mornings. The white-and-black patterning makes the oryx inconspicuous in light and shade. But most impressive is its ability to manage with minimal amounts of water, often garnered only from plants or condensed fog, thanks to its specialised ability to conserve moisture. <\/p>\n\n

Spend an hour or two sweating it out in the humidity of the late summer desert and you\u2019ll see that the oryx is no skittish, fast running antelope. Instead, it steadily plods across the dusty plain. If it does run, it\u2019s not very fast, nor very far. <\/p>\n\n

There is something slightly rotund and cow-like about these mostly placid beasts, who eye me with curiosity. But, as Stuart says, \u201cthey are extremely powerful and compact. And can be pretty feisty.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Female Arabian oryx might produce one calf each year, with the young weaned by the age of 4.5 months<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

BY 1960, THE ARABIAN ORYX WAS in real trouble in the wild. Climate change and increased drought frequency may have played a part in the antelope\u2019s demise, and capture for private collections will not have helped. <\/p>\n\n

But the real cause of ruin was hunting parties armed with motorised machine guns, seeking glory in trophies and the magical power of oryx horns, which are prized as charms. Reports of a hunting party, likely from Qatar, that included the pursuit of one of the last remaining herds and resulted in the killing of at least 48 animals, was the final catalyst for action. <\/p>\n\n

Operation Oryx was launched by the Fauna Preservation Society (now Fauna and Flora International) in 1962. The plan was to catch enough animals to establish a captive-breeding herd with the goal of re-introduction to the wild. This may now be a well-established strategy for restoring endangered species, but at the time the idea was revolutionary.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\u201cThe real cause of ruin for the oryx was hunting parties armed with motorised machine guns\u201d <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

The measures were timely. A decade later, in October 1972, reports were received that the last wild herd of six animals had been slaughtered by poachers in Jiddat al Harasis, Oman. With that, the Arabian oryx was declared extinct in the wild. <\/p>\n\n

Looking back on the 1962 expedition, it feels like another age: there was a homemade \u2018catching car\u2019, which looked like something from the Wacky Races, and beer was donated by the brewery Messrs Ind Coope to help cope with the gruelling desert conditions. <\/p>\n\n

This was a time of daring expeditions, David Attenborough\u2019s Zoo <\/em>Quest <\/em>and Gerald Durrell\u2019s A <\/em>Zoo <\/em>in <\/em>My <\/em>Luggage. <\/em>A small British team was gathered under the leadership of Ian Grimwood, then Kenya\u2019s chief game warden. They worked with local Bedouin tribes in what is now Oman and South Yemen, seeking to find \u2013 and then capture \u2013 an almost extinct needle in an intimidatingly vast desert haystack.<\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Los Angeles Zoo played a part in the captive breeding programme <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n
\"\"
A wild oryx being captured as part of Operation Oryx, back in 1962<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

PETER WHITEHEAD (NOW 98 years old) is a surviving member of the Operation Oryx team. \u201cIt was unpleasant and arduous,\u201d he tells me, \u201cbut luck, good leadership and a determination to do the very best we could made what little success we had possible.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

And with hindsight, what success! Despite broken vehicles and broken ribs (of Ian Grimwood) the operation captured three wild animals. These, along with some captive individuals donated by the ruler of Kuwait, the King of Saudi Arabia and the Zoological Society of London, formed the basis of the seven-strong \u2018World Herd\u2019. Phoenix Zoo in Arizona was selected as the herd\u2019s home for its desert conditions. <\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Herds of Arabian oryx typically comprise up to 30 individuals <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

\u201cThe breeding programme still continues at Phoenix Zoo, where 242 oryx have been born to date\u201d <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

When the team held a press conference in London in June 1962, the Duke of Edinburgh sent a telegram of congratulations, noting that this \u201cNoah\u2019s Ark operation is a splendid precedent for future efforts to save the world\u2019s endangered species\u201d. This certainly proved the case.<\/p>\n\n

Within a year, there was breeding success at Phoenix. Gradually, the World Herd was distributed across the Los Angeles and San Diego Zoos in California and, later, the Gladys Porter Zoo in Texas. Spreading the animals out reduced the risk of total extinction in the event of a catastrophic outbreak of disease. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cThe breeding programme was carefully managed,\u201d explains Gary West, a vet at Phoenix Zoo. \u201cA studbook was established and breeding carefully controlled to avoid genetic problems.\u201d The programme still continues at Phoenix, where 242 oryx have been born to date, with the newest arrival last February. \u201cThese kind of programmes really show where zoos can contribute to nature conservation.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

The next phase of the conservation plan began in 1982, with the reintroduction of Arabian oryx from the World Herd to the wild in Oman. Further reintroductions followed, to Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. Though there have been significant pressures from development, poaching and refugees fleeing war, numbers have slowly increased in the wild, so much so that in 2011 the species\u2019 status was downgraded from endangered to vulnerable. The most recent assessment (2016) revealed a wild population of 1,200 individuals, alongside a managed population of 6,000-7,000. There may be more. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cThe Arabian oryx was basically gone and is now back in the game,\u201d says Stuart. \u201cFor a species to go from classified as extinct to vulnerable is unique and phenomenal.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

\"\"
The extraordinary sharp horns of the Arabian oryx can be as long as the animal is tall<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

FEW PEOPLE REALISE THAT around the time of Operation Oryx, several prominent members of the Qatari royal family, the Al Thanis, were making their own mark on oryx conservation. HE Sheikh Qassim bin Hamad Al Thani established an oryx reserve in Qatar; a year later HE Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani launched an expedition to Shisr, Oman, to capture oryx to secure the species. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cIt was not hard to catch the oryx,\u201d he tells me over a mint tea in Doha. \u201cWe used two Dodge pick-ups and threw a rope over the horns. Oryx are not very fast. It only takes 10 minutes to catch one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Sand and the city: the Dubai skyline provides a striking backdrop for this herd in the United Arab Emirates <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

The five animals he caught in 1967 became a breeding group in Qatar. This, along with other private collections, became known as the Royal Herd. \u201cOryx from Qatar have been sent out to be preserved in various parts of the world,\u201d he tells me. One of the most recent oryx rewilding projects in Shaumari, Jordan, included animals from the Royal Herd. <\/p>\n\n

In 1979, the Qatar government created an oryx park, bringing together selected oryx from different collections. These animals have been gradually spread across more than 10 protected areas; many more exist in private collections. <\/p>\n\n

Back in the Al Mas\u2019habiya Reserve, with the sun beating down, I admire a small herd traipsing across the sand. The reserve is fenced, but absolutely vast, so the animals here are semi-wild. \u201cThere are around 1,000 oryx in this reserve alone,\u201d says manager Mohammed Nasser Al Henzab. \u201cThey are not fully in the wild to protect them. There could be as many as 10,000 wild and semi-wild oryx in Qatar now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Members of the Qatari royal family launched their own expedition to capture oryx in 1967 <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

\u201cThe story of the oryx set the stage for many other successful conservation programmes\u201d <\/p>STUART WELLS, FORMER ORYX KEEPER AT PHOENIX ZOO, ARIZONA<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n

WHATEVER THE PRECISE numbers, the Arabian oryx has come a long way in the past 50 years. \u201cThe story of the oryx set the stage for many other successful conservation programmes,\u201d says Stuart. \u201cThe pattern has been repeated many times \u2013 think of the black-footed ferret in North America, the Mexican wolf and now the scimitar oryx.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

But there are still concerns and threats to the Arabian oryx. Genetic problems are a risk. \u201cIt was certainly a bottleneck with such a small population of descendants, but they don\u2019t seem to have a lot of genetic disease issues,\u201d says Phoenix Zoo veterinarian Gary West. \u201cI think we were fortunate.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

Hybridisation with other species of oryx, which is a risk in captive groups, is another concern. And across the Middle East, where hunting is an important part of cultural identity, poaching remains a threat \u2013 the Arabian oryx is valued for its meat, skin and the supposed medicinal value of its blood. <\/p>\n\n

But here on the Saudi border it\u2019s a time to celebrate the return of a beautiful animal, back from the very brink. As we watch a dominant male lead his harem up a desert hillside, reserve manager Mohammed tells me: \u201cIf you see oryx, you know it\u2019s going to be a good day.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

\n\n

ID GUIDE <\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

Meet the other oryx <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n
Scimitar-horned oryx <\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

With cream-and-brown colouring and long, swept back horns, this is a desert specialist living in North Africa. When last assessed, it was declared extinct in the wild. Captive breeding populations and reintroductions to the wild have started in Chad. <\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n
Beisa oryx <\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

Divided into two subspecies, the common beisa oryx and the fringe-eared oryx, which live in the semi-desert and grass plains of East Africa, from Somalia to Tanzania. With numbers decreasing, they are classed as Endangered. <\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n
Gemsbok oryx <\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

The largest of the four oryx species, standing up to 240cm tall. It is thriving in the Kalahari (which covers vast areas of Botswana, as well as Namibia and South Africa), with the wild population numbering several hundred thousand. Notably, it has straight horns.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

<\/div>
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Real-life unicorns <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

For centuries the unicorn was no fanciful legend. It was believed to be a real creature, no more extraordinary than a giraffe. After all, it was just a beautiful, pale-looking deer, antelope or horse, made special by having only one horn and being the star of many fairy tales. The 7th-century scholar Isodore of Seville wrote that catching a unicorn was impossible without a virgin to appease it. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The origins of the unicorn legend are uncertain, but Aristotle and Pliny the Elder played their part. Pliny\u2019s book Natural History <\/em>included the unicorn, while Aristotle wrote that it might actually be an oryx. The Egyptians (whose wall illustrations include Arabian oryx) are said to have bound the horns of young oryx together to create one horn.<\/span> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

More plausible is that when oryx stand side on to the sun at dawn to absorb as much heat as possible after the chill of the desert night, they may appear to have a single horn. Its colour and appearance make the Arabian oryx top contender for inspiring unicorn illusions. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n
ABOUT THE AUTHOR <\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

Simon Payne is a nature writer specialising in conservation, extinction and rewilding, and is also emeritus professor at the University of Plymouth <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

PHOTOS: ROGEL TURA\/GETTY; KRISTIAN BELL\/GETTY; ALEX SAUREL\/GETTY; MUNIB CHAUDRY\/GETTY; GORSH13\/GETTY, KARIM SAHIB\/AFP\/GETTY; SCIENCE HISTORY IMAGES\/ALAMY; FBQ, GETTY; LOS ANGELES ZOO; MICHAEL WOODFORD, SIMON PAYNE, INAKI RELANZON\/NPL<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As all eyes turn to the World Cup in Qatar, we tell the amazing story of this country\u2019s national animal <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":22350,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ub_ctt_via":"","purple_page_number":"80","purple_custom_meta_purple_page_number":"80","purple_seq_number":"1","purple_custom_meta_purple_seq_number":"1","purple_source_article":"article_80-1.xml","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_article":"article_80-1.xml","purple_source_issue":"December-2022","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_issue":"December-2022","purple_external_id":"December-2022-80-1","purple_custom_meta_purple_external_id":"December-2022-80-1","purple_issue_code":"|0000087238||","purple_custom_meta_purple_issue_code":"|0000087238||","purple_android_product":"com.im.wildlife.498","purple_custom_meta_purple_android_product":"com.im.wildlife.498","purple_ios_product":"com.im.wildlife.498","purple_custom_meta_purple_ios_product":"com.im.wildlife.498","purple_web_product":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_web_product":"","purple_publication_id":"58d61955-0ac4-406c-83f1-ab6f21d86b70","purple_migrated":"","kt_blocks_editor_width":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2022-11-10T11:09:50Z","apple_news_article-theme":"","apple_news_api_id":"3f3cb7d7-2300-4e68-ac55-f1181fe2019d","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2022-11-21T09:24:16Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABg==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/APzy31yMATmisVfEYH-IBnQ","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":true,"apple_news_is_preview":true,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_article_theme":"","apple_news_sections":"[]"},"categories":[27],"tags":[14],"apple_news_notices":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2022\/11\/naturepl_01562224_cmyk_preview.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"12","apple_news_title":""},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2022\/11\/naturepl_01562224_cmyk_preview.jpg",1600,1066,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2022\/11\/naturepl_01562224_cmyk_preview-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2022\/11\/naturepl_01562224_cmyk_preview-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2022\/11\/naturepl_01562224_cmyk_preview-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2022\/11\/naturepl_01562224_cmyk_preview-1024x682.jpg",800,533,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2022\/11\/naturepl_01562224_cmyk_preview-1536x1023.jpg",1536,1023,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2022\/11\/naturepl_01562224_cmyk_preview.jpg",1600,1066,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"As all eyes turn to the World Cup in Qatar, we tell the amazing story of this country\u2019s national animal","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22006"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22006"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22006\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22357,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22006\/revisions\/22357"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22350"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22006"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22006"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22006"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}