Scimitar-horned oryx

How it was counted

Sahara Conservation publishes the figure as its estimate of the oryx living free in Chad's reserve, with no range beside it, so it reads as about 650, not an exact count. The unit is animals, and the figure covers that reserve only.

This is Sahara Conservation's estimate, published without a range, so read it as about 650 oryx in Chad's reserve, not exactly that many.

What moves it

Heat pushes the number down: Sahara Conservation reports oryx lost in an unusually severe season of heat the year before this count, the kind of sharp swing it describes as normal for very dry country. It also reports the number up since the previous count.

• an exceptionally harsh hot season: at least 40 oryx were lost in 2024, a boom or bust pattern the report calls typical of hyper-arid environments. Source: Sahara Conservation, Annual Report 2025.

Who is helping

Sahara Conservation's report credits Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD), which sent a group of oryx that were then set free in Chad's reserve.

The next count

Sahara Conservation's schedule is annual (report), so the next figure is expected with its next report. No date for that was known when this record was checked on 12 November 2026.

Sources

• Sahara Conservation, Annual Report 2025 Last checked 12 November 2026.

What changed

• 12 November 2026 Added to Live Species, on the wall (1,000 or fewer): About 650 (Estimate, no range, 2025).

Every change on the site