Captive Breeding of Scimitar-Horned Oryx

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) manages a captive herd of scimitar-horned oryx to facilitate breeding, scientific research and contribute to the in situ and ex situ conservation of the species. SCBI is a 1,440-ha facility for research and conservation of endangered species and their ecosystems and is located outside the town of Front Royal, VA, in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains (Figures 1A, B). The scimitar-horned oryx herd at SCBI is maintained in several enclosures over an area of 7.47 ha (Figure 1B). Animals are moved between fenced pastures with free access to grazing and to shelters or barn facilities that protect animals from the weather and enable veterinary and animal care procedures. We selected eight adult scimitar-horned oryx (Figure 1C) for this study: one vasectomized male and seven non-pregnant females (Table 1). Initially, the studied animals were part of a social group of 18 adult females, five offspring of the year and the vasectomized male (“Sweeny”). After about 6 months, the male was permanently separated from the female herd and transferred to his own pasture and barn, in visual and olfactory proximity to other oryx. Animal care personnel interacted twice daily with scimitar-horned oryx for feeding, check-ups, care, and cleaning of the barn at approximately 08h00 and 14h00 local time. The animals had free access to pastures and hay and received pellet food once a day at about 15h00. Between August and November 2019, the female herd was temporarily kept in the largest grazing area (outlined by white lines in Figure 1B) due to barn maintenance.