The species had vanished from the wild in the 1980s, but scientists hoped they could reintroduce it. Photo Credit: Sahara Conservation
Animals ChadOnce Lost to the Wild, This Species Has Been Reborn
The scimitar-horned oryx has been restored to the wild in Chad after decades of extinction, offering new hope for ecosystems on the edge of the Sahara Desert.
“This species is a key ecological component of ecosystem resilience,” said Tania Gilbert, head of conservation science at Marwell Wildlife, describing the antelope’s role in restoring degraded landscapes.
More than 550 oryx now roam freely in Chad after 347 animals were reintroduced through a global captive-breeding programme that began with fewer than 50 survivors in the 1980s. The species was downgraded from “extinct in the wild” to “endangered” in 2023, and conservationists say its return could help regenerate grasslands by dispersing seeds and nutrients and strengthening natural barriers against desert expansion, which has grown by around 10% over the past century.
