The Arabian oryx antelope

In the course of evolution, the white oryx has adapted to its habitat just as perfectly as the dromedary. Its fur is white in summer, even the black markings on its head and legs fade to light brown. This makes them almost invisible in the glaring sunlight and shimmering heat.

The animals can cover their moisture requirements with a few blades of grass and acacia leaves. During the summer, the antelopes usually remain motionless in the shade of individual acacias and only become active in the dark. The oryx avoids rapid, superfluous movements as much as possible. Their normal gait is a walking pace, which makes them easy prey for hunting.

In 1972, the last six free-ranging white oryx antelopes in the world were found in the interior of Oman. Three of them were caught and sold, the other three ended up in the cooking pot.

Two years later, Sultan Qaboos suggested renaturalising the Arabian oryx in the place where it had last been forced to give way. The Yaluni protected area for oryx antelopes is now recognised as a unique ecosystem.