Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve brings back the Onager to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia after 100+ year absence

Onager at Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve

Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve proudly announces the reintroduction of the Persian onager to Saudi Arabia, marking the species’ return to the Kingdom after more than a century of absence.

In April 2024, seven Persian onagers were translocated from the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature’s Shaumari Reserve in Jordan to the Reserve, establishing the first wild population in the Kingdom in over a century. Following their 935-kilometer journey, the onagers have adapted well to their new habitat, with the birth of the first foal in the Reserve—a significant milestone in rewilding efforts for both the Reserve and Saudi Arabia.

Female onager foal born in Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve

“These are the first free running onager seen in Saudi Arabia since their extinction in the early 1900s. Historically celebrated by Arabic poets, these strong, untamable and elusive creatures are classified as Endangered by the IUCN, with fewer than 600 Persian onager remaining in the wild globally. Their reintroduction represents a transformative step for their conservation and a major landmark in the Kingdom’s biodiversity efforts,” said Andrew Zaloumis, CEO of Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve.

Historically, the globally extinct Syrian wild ass, a close genetic relative of the Persian onager, roamed the Reserve as an ecosystem engineer. Today, the Persian onager has taken its place, playing a critical role in the Reserve’s ambitious landscape and seascape restoration program—one of the largest in the Middle East.

This historic achievement was made possible through cross-border collaboration with Jordan’s Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN), reinforcing the principle that nature knows no borders.

Mrs. Batool Ajlouni, President of the Board of Directors of RSCN, stated, ‘’The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature has been conserving the wild onager since 1982 and is pleased to see these efforts bearing fruit in Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve in Saudi Arabia. The joint project began in 2024 when the Reserve signed a cooperation agreement with the RSCN to conserve not only this important species, which once roamed Arabia, the Syrian Desert, and the Levant, but also to foster real collaboration in conserving ecosystems, habitats, and ecological connectivity through best practices in protected area management and effective capacity-building programs. The Royal Society looks forward with hope that another wild population of onagers is being established in Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve’’.

The Persian onager, smaller than other wild asses, features a pale sandy-red coat, a light brown dorsal stripe, and short tails. Renowned for their speed, these animals can reach up to 70 km/h. Their extensive migrations historically rivaled the Great Migration of Africa’s Serengeti. Dating back some 4 million years, Persian onager are older than the Arabic horse and African zebra.

Onager can run up to 70km/h

The return of the onager aligns with the Reserve’s Integrated Development Management Plan, supporting the Saudi Green Initiative and Vision 2030. Since 2022, the Reserve has successfully reintroduced 11 species, including 60 Arabian oryx, 14 Nubian ibex, 125 Sand gazelle, and 22 Mountain gazelle. Additionally, six bird species, including the Griffon vulture and Pharaoh eagle owl, have been reintroduced.

The Reserve’s landscape wide habitat restoration program is enabling nature to heal, fostering the resilience required for reintroduced species to thrive and restoring ecological connectivity. As generations witness the onager’s revival, it may once again be celebrated as a symbol of wildness and the importance of conserving it.

 

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