oryx

the arabian oryx is a very beautiful and graceful
antelope which has lived for many centuries in the
arabian desert.life in the desert is hard.it is too
hot for most animals and there is not enough water
for most plants,but the oryx can survive there.it
eats deser grasses and gets water by licking the
early morning dew in the leaves of desert plants.
an oryx can live for years without drinking.it doesn't
rain very often in the desert,but the oryx always
seems to know when rain is going to fall and quickly
goes to the rainy area.scientific papers have been
written which suggest that the oryx uses a kind
of "radar system" to find rain.
two hundred years ago,there were many oryx in all
parts of arabia.unfortunately,in the last hundred
years almost all of them have been shot by hunters.
by 1972,there were none left in the wild and the
oryx was almost extinct.fortunately,for many years
oryx have been kept in zoos around the world.
a successful breeding programme has been set up
to increase its number.some animals have been
taken back to the desert.now hunting has been banned
and every year there are more oryx in the wild.
there are not as many oryx now as there were
a hundred years ago,but their numbers have increased
there is now some hope for one of the world's most
beautiful animals.