By Hana Namrouqa

SHAUMARI WILDLIFE RESERVE – The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) is currently introducing Arabian Oryx from Saudi Arabia to the Shaumari Wildlife Reserve.

The measure seeks to prevent inbreeding and subsequent genetic disorders in Arabian Oryx herds in the reserve, according to Shaumari Wildlife Reserve Director Ashraf Halah.

“The Arabian Oryx in the Shaumari Wildlife Reserve are from the mating of two genetically related animals since 1978. We have been looking across the Arab region for Arabian Oryx with a different stud book to allow mating between two genetically different types of Oryx,” Halah told reporters during a media tour of the reserve organised by the RSCN last week.

A stud book or a breed registry is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. It may consist of a simple certificate or a listing of ancestors in the animal’s background, sometimes with a chart showing the lineage, according to web sources.

“So far, there is no inbreeding within the Arabian Oryx in the Shaumari reserve, however, some signs of slight genetic disorders are showing in the herd such as below-average height and life expectancy of the animal,” Halah told The Jordan Times.

Inbreeding results from the mating of two genetically related parents, which can increase the chances of offspring being affected by recessive or deleterious traits. This generally leads to a decreased fitness of a population, which is called inbreeding depression, according to web sources.

“Saudi Arabia is donating 15 heads of Arabian Oryx; we received the first batch of seven heads last month and the remainder are expected within this year,” Halah said, noting that the reserve is considered an important breeding centre for reintroducing globally threatened and locally extinct wildlife.

Arabian Oryx from Saudi Arabia are being introduced into the Shaumari Wildlife Reserve to prevent inbreeding (Photo courtesy of RSCN)