The scimitar-horned oryx will be reintroduced to its ancestral birthplace in the Tunisian scrubland following the success of a breeding project run by conservationists in Tunisia, Europe and the US.
The oryx, a member of the antelope family, was eliminated from Tunisia after being hunted for its long, elegant horns.
But Tunisian authorities removed a number of the creatures to Tunisian national parks in the 1980s and have tended them carefully since.
These local oryx will now be bred with ten of the animals to be brought home from zoos across Europe and the US, creating a new herd.
After being supervised by the Tunisian government while housed in Dghoumes National Park, conservationists hope the oryx population will be ready to migrate into the wild again.
Dghoumes National Park, located in west Tunisia near an immense salt lake called the Chott el Jerid, is a national treasure.
At around 20,000 acres, it provides an ideal habitat for giving the oryxes an experience of wide open spaces and works as a stepping-stone towards their new independent lives.
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Animals reintroduced to native Tunisian scrubland
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