RIYADH: Eight Arabian oryx calves have been welcomed at the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Royal Reserve, it was announced on Thursday. The arrival of the oryxes marks a significant step in the reserve’s breeding program, Saudi Press Agency reported. The species was classified as “extinct” in the wild in the 1970s by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. In 1986 it was classed as “endangered” and in 2011 it became the first animal to revert to “vulnerable” status on the IUCN’s Red List. Estimates from 2016 suggested there were 1,220 oryxes living in the wild globally and as many as 7,000 in captivity. The oryx births at the ITARR follows the hatching of red-necked ostrich chicks and a rise in the number of Arabian sand gazelles at the reserve. Construction of a dedicated breeding center for the endangered Asian houbara is also underway.