We’re in love already.
Dublin Zoo has announced that it welcomed a little baby male scimitar-horned oryx last week.
In a statement, the zoo said: “Dublin Zoo is proud to announce the birth of a male scimitar-horned oryx, a species classified as extinct in the wild. Born on Wednesday, July 25, the healthy new calf weighs approx. 25kg and brings the herd at Dublin Zoo to a total of seven.”
The scimitar-horned oryx used to be one of the most common species in northern Africa, but unfortunately due to over-hunting, habitat loss and competition they have gradually died out.
“The species have now been classified as extinct in the wild by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, as there has been no definitive evidence of their presence in the wild since the early 1990’s.
“Dublin Zoo houses a breeding group of scimitar-horned oryx and since 2013, has financially supported the reintroduction programme for the scimitar-horned oryx in Tunisia.
“Through conservation breeding programmes, zoo-bred oryx have been reintroduced into semi-wild areas in four national parks across Tunisia. Currently there are over 200 oryx in such semi-wild areas,” the zoo said.
