Marwell Zoo holds special event to celebrate second International Scimitar-Horned Oryx Day 

Marwell Zoo has celebrated the second International Scimitar-Horned Oryx Day in recognition of the important conservation work it does around the world to save the species from extinction.

To celebrate the species’ very own World Animal Day, first launched last year, Marwell Zoo held special events on Sunday (Aug 16), including the chance to meet the scimitar-horned oryx keepers and discover just how this special creature was saved from the brink of total extinction. 

Visitors could also get hands-on with animal artefacts and even take part in a competition to guess how many oryx poos there are in a jar!

The awareness day was awarded following a competition run by the British Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA), where zoos and aquariums were asked to nominate an overlooked species and Marwell’s dedicated supporters voted to make Scimitar-Horned Oryx Day a reality.

Marwell has been working with the animal – a species of antelope with long, curved horns – since its gates first opened in 1972 and it’s a hugely successful story.

Indigenous to North Africa, the scimitar-horned oryx had completely disappeared from the wild by the 1990s due to over hunting, competition with livestock, and droughts. However thanks to Marwell and partners across the world, the species was reintroduced back into the wild, and as a result, they had a positive change in their conservation status from Extinct in the Wild to Endangered.

Marwell CEO Laura Read said: “This awareness day is so important as it brings more attention to a threatened antelope species and is recognition for the amazing work our conservation teams are doing around the world to save it from extinction.

“We’re very proud of our International Scimitar-Horned Oryx Day and loved sharing it with our visitors on Sunday.”