60 Arabian Oryx to be released in Kingdom’s Shaumari reserve

AMMAN — The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) and Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD) have signed a memorandum of understanding to release a herd of Arabian Oryx into Jordan’s Shaumari Wildlife Reserve (SWR), according to a RSCN statement on Monday.

Under the agreement, signed on the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi-held 10th World Urban Forum by RSCN General Director Yahya Khalid and EAD Secretary General Shaikha Dhaheri, 60 Arabian Oryx will be released into the SWR.

The deal aims at improving the genetic structure of the existing herd of Arabian Oryx and rehabilitating additional grazing sites. The project is part of the Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Arabian Oryx Reintroduction Programme, which was launched in 2007.