The Arabian Oryx Is the national animal of Jordan, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Qatar. It is also the logo of Qatar Airways and was the official mascot of the 2006 Asian Games held in Qatar. The mascot was aptly named Orry.

The Arabian Oryx, or Oryx leucoryx is one of four species of antelope that thrives in the harsh desert environment, where temperatures can reach up to 50ºC in the summers.

It has a bright white coat that reflects the sun's rays, keeping it relatively cool and has broad hooves with a large surface area, allowing it to walk with relative ease on the sand.

Although not a speedster, the Arabian Oryx is known to walk rather long distances. Some are known to have walked over 70km during the night.

The Bedouin people of the Arabian Peninsula traditionally hunted the Arabian Oryx for it's meat and hide. Ever since the end of the Second World War, this species of oryx faced the threat of extinction.

This threat was exacerbated with the availability of firearms and motorized vehicles, until finally in 1972, the last Arabian Oryx in the wild was shot. This animal was declared extinct in the wild.

Fortunately, all hope was not lost, for the conservation efforts had started in the 1960s. Operation Oryx, as the project was known, successfully established a small herd of these animals in captivity at the Phoenix Zoo in the United States of America. Some were even brought to Qatar and kept in private collections.

The oryx were slowly reintroduced into the wild in 1982. This changed the status of the animal from "extinct" to "vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List.

There are now over 1000 wild oryx roaming free in the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula. Currently, the Coordinating Committee for the Conservation of the Arabian Oryx oversees the conservation efforts for this species in the Arabian Peninsula.

Photo credit: Charlesjsharp