Fota plays vital role in saving oryx from extinction

Fota Wildlife Park in Co Cork has confirmed it is playing a crucial role in preventing the extinction of one of the world’s most endangered animals.

The British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) has compiled a list of the top 10 mammals most reliant on zoological parks in Britain and Ireland.

Among those animals is the scimitar-horned oryx, which, according to BIAZA, is a type of antelope which is extinct in the wild and dependent on captive breeding for survival.

That type of oryx has thrived at Fota Wildlife Park — last year three calves were born there.

@Biaza today released the #toptenmammals most reliants on zoos and parks which includes the scimitar-horned oryx http://t.co/c2g3cKMp0v

— Fota Wildlife Park (@fotawildlife) August 14, 2013

A spokesman for Fota said: “The Scimitar-horned oryx has suffered from over-hunting, coupled with habitat destruction which led to their extinction in the wild during the early 1990s.

“However, a number of zoological facilities — including Fota Wildlife Park — have assisted North African governments in reintroducing the antelope into a number of national parks in Tunisia, Morocco, and Senegal in recent years.”

He said Fota was also proud of a male oryx born at the park in 2003 and which had been successfully re-introduced into the wild in Tunisia. “The male is now the dominant bull in a group of 17 animals and has successfully sired a number of calves,” he said.

Other animals on the BIAZA list include the amur leopard, the Livingstone’s fruit bat, and the San Martin titi monkey. Next year’s report is expected to focus on the top 10 reptiles and amphibians most reliant on zoos.