What it is
The scimitar oryx (Oryx dammah) is a desert antelope with a white coat, a reddish brown neck and chest and long horns that curve back like a sabre. Both males and females carry horns. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists it as Endangered.
Range
Dry grassland on the southern edge of the Sahara, today wild again in a large reserve in Chad.
What happened
Overhunting, drought and the loss of grazing to livestock wiped the scimitar oryx out of the wild, and for years it survived only in captivity. Since 2016 Abu Dhabi and Chad have returned captive bred oryx to the wild in Chad, 285 animals in all, and by 2023 the wild herds had grown to more than 600.
When / status
Endangered since December 2023, when it was moved from Extinct in the Wild to Endangered.
Human role
Hunting, drought and livestock that ate its grazing drove it out of the wild.