![]() ![]() Yet there was room for improvement: they discovered three ancestral groups, but their genetics were not evenly distributed across the current-day herds in the wildlife reserve. “This means that conservation strategies based on random mating could be reasonably successful,” said the lead author of the study, Associate Professor Gongora. In fact, at 58 percent of the total diversity, the current-day sample was more genetically diverse than the historical ones. To their relief, the Arabian oryx’s gene pool was moderately diverse, meaning that herds can respond to changing environments and maintain good health. They studied the maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA and biparentally inherited single nucleotide polymorphisms – genetic variations used to identify species. The researchers gathered and tested genetic samples from 138 Arabian oryxes at the Al-Wusta Wildlife Reserve, as well as 36 historical samples from the Phoenix Zoo – the offspring of a herd established there in the 1970s. Their study on this has been published in Royal Society Open Science. Yet, until now, no breeding strategies that account for the genetic diversity have been devised.Īssociate Professor Jaime Gongora, his former PhD student Qais Al Rawahi, and his colleagues decided to address this by analysing the population’s DNA and proposing breeding strategies based on the results. There are 6,000-7,000 animals in captivity, 600 of which are in the Al-Wusta Wildlife Reserve, in Oman.Īccording to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the Arabian oryx continues to face a high risk of extinction in the wild. It was historically – and remains – a cultural and national icon in the Gulf region.Ī decade later, the species was ‘rewilded’ and today, wild populations totalling 1,200 animals exist in around the world, mainly on the Arabian Peninsula. However, it continued to exist in captivity through breeding programs at the Phoenix Zoo and by private collectors in Saudi Arabia (indeed, it was the first animal to be rescued from extinction in the wild). The Arabian oryx, a kind of antelope, became extinct in the wild in 1972 due to hunting and poaching. An international team led by the University of Sydney undertook this project to ensure the survival of the species, by using the genetic data to inform breeding programs. ![]() In a world-first, the DNA of a vulnerable species, the iconic Arabian Oryx, has been decoded.
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