TABUK: In line with its ReWild Arabia mission, the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve in Tabuk has reintroduced the Asian houbara bustard after an absence of more than 35 years, marking a renewed, science-based effort to conserve the species.
A total of 20 Asian houbara have been released within the reserve as part of a collaboration between the royal reserve, the National Center for Wildlife and the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Houbara Conservation Foundation. The initiative will establish viable wild populations across the Kingdom, the Saudi Press Agency said in a new report.
Historically, both migratory and resident Asian houbara ranged from Egypt to China. In Saudi Arabia, the species once bred widely, with migratory populations wintering across much of the Arabian Peninsula.
A total of 20 Asian houbara have been released within Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve in Tabuk. (SPA)
Today, the Asian houbara is classified by the IUCN as Critically Endangered. Resident wild populations no longer exist in the Kingdom, and migratory birds are now only occasionally observed along the Kingdom’s northern and eastern borders.
