Blog: The Power of Collaboration - Reviving the Scimitar-horned Oryx

Sophie Whitemore, Zoologist at Marwell Wildlife and International Studbook Keeper for the Scimitar-horned Oryx on how zoos and partnerships brought a beloved species back from extinction.

Some species have a way of weaving themselves into your life. For me, the scimitar-horned oryx is one of those species.

In 2024, I took on the role of International Studbook Keeper for the scimitar-horned oryx, stepping into a position that Marwell Wildlife has proudly supported for over 20 years. It’s a big responsibility, but one that reflects our long-standing commitment to this remarkable antelope. As a Zoologist at Marwell and the Programme Officer for the IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group – which Marwell has hosted and supported for over a decade – I’ve been fortunate to see first-hand how much dedication and international collaboration goes into ensuring the survival of species like the scimitar-horned oryx.

But Marwell’s connection to the scimitar-horned oryx goes back much further than me. In fact, the oryx was one of the original species here when the park opened in 1972. Our founder, John Knowles, was ahead of his time – building a zoo around conservation, long before it became fashionable. Over the years, more than 430 oryx have lived at Marwell, and hundreds of calves have been born here. It’s amazing to think that animals born in Hampshire have gone on to help establish populations on entirely different continents.

And now, for the first time, we get to celebrate all of that with World Scimitar-Horned Oryx Day on 16 August 2025.This isn’t just another awareness day. It’s a chance to pause and recognise what conservation can achieve when people, passion, and science come together.

The scimitar-horned oryx went Extinct in the Wild by the start of the 1990s. Thanks to decades of work across zoos, governments, non-governmental organisations, and communities, that status changed in 2023 – and the species is now listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It’s one of just a handful of large mammals ever to make that journey back from extinction in the wild.

But this is about more than one reintroduction or one reserve. Scimitar-horned oryx have been re-established in semi-wild protected areas across multiple countries. In 1985, the species was returned to Tunisia, where Marwell Wildlife has played a crucial role in the species’ recovery. In Senegal, a herd has been maintained in the Ferlo Nord Faunal Reserve since 1998. Morocco also launched ambitious efforts in the 1990s, with animals introduced to Souss-Massa National Park in 1996. More recently, since 2016, oryx have been successfully reintroduced into the wild in Chad’s Ouadi Rimé – Ouadi Achim Faunal Reserve.

It’s a huge, complex effort – but what inspires me most is the shared commitment behind it. Every zookeeper caring for oryx, every field ranger monitoring them in harsh desert conditions, every researcher, reserve manager, and policymaker. Everyone involved is contributing to a collective vision: not just to save a species, but to restore entire ecosystems.

For me, World Scimitar-Horned Oryx Day is a celebration of that shared hope. It’s about recognising how far we’ve come – and shows that conservation work does make a difference, even in the face of loss. It’s also a reminder that our work isn’t over. The species is still Endangered, it is not fully recovered. These animals still need safe, protected spaces, and they still need our support – in zoos, in the wild, and everywhere in between.

So, whether you’re a conservation professional, a zoo visitor, or someone who just loves animals – take a moment this August to celebrate the scimitar-horned oryx. Because this species’ story is proof that with care, cooperation, and long-term commitment, we can bring species back from the brink.

And to me, that’s something truly worth celebrating.

- Sophie Whitemore, Zoologist at Marwell Wildlife