Zoo marks first awareness day for rare antelope

The scimitar-horned oryx had completely disappeared from the wild by the 1990s but conservation efforts reintroduced reintroduced the species back to Africa

A zoo is set to celebrate its first international day dedicated to a rare species of antelope, which it helped saved from extinction.

Marwell Zoo near Winchester, Hampshire, has been working with the scimitar-horned oryx since its gates first opened in 1972.

Its first annual awareness day, voted for by the public and the charity, will be marked at the zoo on Saturday with events including the chance to meet the scimitar-horned oryx keepers.

Dr Tania Gilbert, Marwell Wildlife's head of conservation science, said although the animal might not be well-known, "it's a fantastic story showing that conservation does work and it does matter".

The conservation charity won the British Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) awareness day competition with its nomination and 16 August was marked as International Scimitar-Horned Oryx Day.

Other considerations included the Andean bear, Somali wild ass and lungfish.

Indigenous to North Africa, the curved-horn antelope had completely disappeared from the wild by the 1990s due to over hunting, competition with livestock, and droughts.

But after conservation efforts across the world, the species was reintroduced back into the wild and had a positive change in its conservation status from Extinct in the Wild to Endangered.

The antelope gets its name after its horns which are shaped like a scimitar sword.

The zoo said their horns could grow up to 1.5m (5ft) long, which is longer than they are tall.

The antelope can go up to 10 months without drinking water.

Dr Gilbert said saving the animal from extinction was "the perfect example of what can be achieved when we all work together to save species."

She said the animal might not be as well know as tigers or elephants but its story showed that conservation does work.

"It is incredibly rewarding to see them in the wild in Tunisia," she added.