A red-necked ostrich – credit, Shlomi Chetrit via PikiWiki Israel CC 2.5
If you pull out a world map to see where you could find some space to stick a few endangered species without the risk of bothering human settlements, the Arabian Peninsula comes to mind as an obvious location.
With virtually the entire population living either on the coast or around oases, huge tracts of land remain uninhabited—something the Saudi Wildlife Authority is taking advantage of.
The red-necked ostrich, known historically as the “camel bird,” was reintroduced by ecologists at Saudi Arabia’s third-largest nature reserve. Critically-Endangered, this bird species once celebrated by Arab poets and Roman scholars has been extinct in the wild on the peninsula for 100 years.
Under a long-term program called ReWild Arabia, the red-necked ostrich was identified as the closest living relative of the extinct Arabian ostrich (sometimes called the Syrian ostrich) and for its ability to survive in extreme desert conditions.
A population of 5 birds were released into the 6-million acres of Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Royal Reserve, where this ambitious rewilding attempt is taking place.
The ostrich is the 12th such animal to be reintroduced out of a project goal of 23 that represent a full compliment of native historic megafauna, including leopards, cheetah, and the Arabian oryx.
“Returning such an iconic desert species after nearly a century carries deep emotional, ecological, and cultural significance,” Andrew Zaloumis, CEO of the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve, told Arab News.
Zaloumis was CEO in 2024 when the reserve ended another 100-year absence with the reintroduction of the Persian onager, or Asiatic wild ass.
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“Both species had disappeared from what is now Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve for generations. Like the onager, the ostrich was revered by Arab poets and symbolized strength, endurance, and speed, appearing in oral histories and traditional storytelling,” he said.
“As a keystone species, its return is essential to restoring full ecosystem functionality, stability, and ecological balance.”
Globally, a mere 1,000 red-necked ostriches (also called the North African ostrich) survive across Africa’s Sahel, and the species remains Critically-Endangered. Given the harsh, out-of-the-way desert landscape and the lack of poaching threats, Arabia will offer the animal a suitable place to proliferate until such a time as its other native range countries become more stable and secure.
In return for the sanctuary, so-to-speak, the ostriches will bring their excellent work as seed-dispersal agents.
“Their nomadic movements across large distances make them highly effective seed dispersers, transporting seeds far from parent plants and increasing plant regeneration, connectivity and genetic diversity across arid landscapes,” Zaloumis said.
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“Their foraging behavior supports nutrient cycling by disturbing vegetation, aerating soils, and flushing insects that benefit insectivorous species.”
The dry climate of Arabia makes it a hotbed for neolithic drawings, thousands of which have survived since ancient times and depict the ostrich along with many other animals the reserve’s managers are attempting to return to the wild.
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