In a milestone for its mission to rewild Arabia, Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve has reintroduced the critically endangered red-necked ostrich, known in ancient times as the “camel bird”, to the reserve as a biological replacement for the extinct Arabian (Syrian) ostrich.
The Arabian ostrich (Struthio camelus syriacus) was once widespread across the deserts of Arabia but was driven to extinction in the early 20th century due to overhunting and habitat loss.
The red-necked ostrich (Struthio camelus camelus), also known as the North African or Barbary ostrich, the closest remaining genetic relative of the Arabian ostrich, has been selected for reintroduction based on its biological similarity and ability to survive in arid desert environments.
The founder population of five red-necked ostriches has been reintroduced to the reserve as part of its ambitious board-approved rewilding program to restore historical levels of biodiversity across its 24,500 km² terrestrial and marine area.
The ostrich is the 12th of 23 historically occurring species being reintroduced as part of the reserve’s long-term ecosystem restoration strategy.
Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve CEO Andrew Zaloumis said: “The return of ‘camel birds’ to their historic rangelands supports the restoration of desert ecosystems shaped historically by large grazing and browsing species. Ecosystems can only be considered fully restored when lost species, or their ecological equivalents, are returned.
This is why we consider the return of the red-necked ostrich a landmark step towards the reserve’s restoration and the establishment of a founder population for Saudi Arabia’s national breeding and restoration programs.”
The reintroduction is part of the reserve’s ongoing partnership with the National Center for Wildlife and fellow royal reserves, supporting the commitments of Vision 2030 and the Saudi Green Initiative to enhance biodiversity, restore desert ecosystems, and protect 30% of the Kingdom’s land and sea by 2030.