The Persian onager, sometimes known as the Asiatic wild ass or Persian ass, is a subspecies of wild donkey native to the desert of Iran. However, the species has been extinct in Saudi Arabia for over 100 years — until now.
The country's main wildlife reserve announced it had recently acquired seven Persian onagers from the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature's Shaumari Reserve in Jordan. The onagers are reportedly doing well and have already birthed a new foal.
"These are the first free running onager seen in Saudi Arabia since their extinction in the early 1900s," Andrew Zaloumis, the CEO of the reserve, said. "Historically celebrated by Arabic poets, these strong, untamable and elusive creatures are classified as Endangered by the IUCN, with fewer than 600 Persian onager remaining in the wild globally. Their reintroduction represents a transformative step for their conservation and a major landmark in the Kingdom's biodiversity efforts."
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As Zaloumis referenced, ancient civilizations attempted to domesticate the Persian onager with no success. The animal's stubborn and unruly nature proved too much, and it was deemed untamable.
That means these Persian onagers will simply be free to run around the reserve, eating vegetation and restoring balance to the ecosystem from which they have been missing for more than a century. Ungulates like wild donkeys perform an important function in their ecosystems by dispersing plants and churning up soil with their grazing habits.
Although human activities have caused many plant and animal species around the world to go extinct or become threatened or endangered, it is clear that humans also can — and should — make concerted efforts to help many of these species recover.
Other recent examples of reintroduced species include the Siamese crocodile in Cambodia and the Partula tohiveana snail on the South Pacific island of Moorea.
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