An animal species extinct in the wild has a new home at a local zoo.
On Saturday a Scimitar Horned Oryx was born at the Lehigh Valley Zoo on the 5100 block of Game Preserve Road in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania during the zoo’s annual Party for the Planet.
Guests watched as the baby wobbled to its feet and received its first feeding from its mother.
The mother and baby Oryx will be under the care of the Lehigh Valley Zoo animal care and veterinary staff.
The Scimitar Horned Oryx is an Oryx species extinct in the wild and one of the 21 species at the Lehigh Valley Zoo that are part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Specials Survival Plan program.
“Once widespread in northern Africa, the Scimitar Horned Oryx was hunted almost to extinction for its horns, hoofs, and meat,” a spokesperson for the zoo said. “The Scimitar Horned Oryx can now only be seen in Zoos, such as Lehigh Valley Zoo. It is because of the great work of AZA accredited Zoos and their Species Survival program, that these amazing animals still have a place to live, grow and hopefully one day, be released back into it habitat of origin.”
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