Saudi Arabia witnesses first onager birth

Saudi Arabia has witnessed the first birth of an onager, one of the world’s rarest wild equids, on its soil in more than 100 years, marking a milestone in efforts to restore species that disappeared from the Arabian Peninsula.

The Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve said a male onager (Equus hemionus) was born in June 2025 as part of its Arabian rewilding programme, which aims to reintroduce 23 native species to their historic habitats.

The reserve announced the birth only after the animal successfully completed its first year, a period considered critical for survival, with mortality rates among young onagers often exceeding 50 per cent.

The birth represents the return of a species that vanished from Arabia’s deserts more than a century ago. The reserve said it expects two more onager births this winter, underscoring the success of ongoing breeding and conservation efforts.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, fewer than 600 onagers remain in the wild, and the species was upgraded to Critically Endangered status in 2025 amid projections of a steep population decline by mid-century.

The reserve is expanding its breeding programme to strengthen genetic diversity, including the planned introduction of a female onager from Jordan later this year. The initiative forms part of Saudi Arabia’s broader environmental strategy to restore biodiversity and revive native wildlife populations across the kingdom.

GN