Conservation

The World Conservation Union's Red List of Threatened Species lists scimitar-horned oryx as extinct in the wild.

Contibutory factors leading to the extinction in the wild of Scimitar-Horned Oryx include:

over-hunting and poaching

climate change

agriculture and domestic livestock grazing

Zoo populations of this species are healthy and thriving. A limited re-introduction of small groups is taking place in protected areas in Tunisia. Zoos are working together to establish a 'world herd' genome resource bank.