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‘Extinct-in-the-wild’ rare antelope born at Hampshire zoo

A baby scimitar-horned oryx, assessed as a species extinct in the wild, has been born at Marwell Zoo in Hampshire.

The female calf named Belle was born on October 27 and brings the total count to three born at the centre in 2019.

Classed as extinct in the wild in 2000, the species is being reintroduced into its natural habitat of Tunisia after being successfully bred at Marwell Zoo and Edinburgh Zoo.

Tania Gilbert, the zoo’s conservation biologist, said: “The scimitar-horned oryx was one of the first species we brought to Marwell Zoo when we opened in 1972.

“Since then we’ve had an incredible 366 calves born here, making them one of our biggest success stories, both in terms of breeding and conservation success.

“Our scimitar-horned oryx have been transported as far as Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, but most importantly we’ve reintroduced groups of oryx into protected areas in Tunisia to re-establish them in their natural habitat.”