Greth A. & Schwede G. 1993. Recent developments in captive-breeding and reintroduction of the Arabian oryx in Saudi Arabia. Gnusletter 12(2): 11-12.

Summary: Captive breeding of Arabian oryx began in Saudi Arabia in April 1986, with a herd of 57 animals. An outbreak of tuberculosis reduced this number to 37 individuals by October 1986. A combination of drastic sanitary measures, systematic nine-month antibiotic treatment, annual checks, and the hand-rearing of calves from infected animals, allowed the breeding of tuberculosis-free animals. The founder population is now kept isolated to avoid any risk of tuberculosis transmission. The second generation is comprised of hand-reared tuberculosis-free oryx, and is the main source of production of animals for reintroduction. Third generation animals are reared by their mother in large enclosures and moved to the reintroduction site when 9-15 months old. In a survey of allozyme variation in 61 individuals it was found that 3 out of 18 loci were polymorphic (P = 16.7 %) and that the mean heterozygosity (H = 0.052) was relatively high compared to other species of artiodactyls. A chromosomal Robertsonian translocation was discovered in the NWRC herd, resulting from the fusion of chromosomes of the acrocentric pairs 17 and 19. The same translocation was subsequently described in Jordanian, Omani, and Qatari individuals. A meeting of the International Wild Arabian oryx Advisory Panel in 1990 decided to reintroduce only individuals with a normal karyotype (2n = 58). The goal for genetic management is to maintain 90 % of the genetic variation of the original population over a period of 100 years, and this should be possible with a herd of at least 200 B-generation oryx. Exchanges have been made between other Middle Eastern herds to increase genetic variability. On 15 December 1992, the NWRC herd numbered 146 (73:73) animals, and 22 3rd-generation oryx had already been successfully reintroduced into the Mahazat as-Sayd protected area. The first reintroduction of 17 animals was made in March 1990; this population has subsequently grown rapidly. All animals adapted to the new environment without supplemented food or water.

#2-1993-011