Oryx walk the sands of Saudi’s NEOM for the first time in 100 years

Oryx walk the sands of Saudi’s NEOM for the first time in 100 years

Saudi Arabia has returned endangered oryx to the desert in NEOM - the Kingdom’s flagship business and tourism development in the Red Sea - for the first time on 100 years.

The oryx - alongside three other species; ibex, sand gazelles and mountain gazelle - arrived from the National Centre for Wildlife in Riyadh in late October.

For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.

After spending time in specially designed pens to acclimatize to their new environment, NEOM’s newest inhabitants were released into the larger reserve. This is a key first step in NEOM’s plans to make globally significant contributions to conservation.

The initiative, launched in collaboration with NCW, marks the first phase of NEOM’s rewilding program, which aims to conserve wildlife and showcase the unique biodiversity of the region.

Covering a vast area of 25,000 km2 and helping to deliver the nature conservation and environmental components of Vision 2030 and the Saudi Green Initiative (SGI), one of which is NCW wildlife breeding initiative, NEOM’s Nature Reserve aims to host one of the largest rewilding programs in the world. Residents, tourists, and wildlife will all have an opportunity to benefit from NEOM’s regreening and rewilding model, with