The scimitar-horned oryx has habitated over many African countries, including the the vast semi-arid region of North Africa, south of the Sahara. From 1986 onwards, the species was classified on the IUCN red list as endangered until 2000, when it was officially declared extinct in the wild. Since then, animals have been released into fenced enclosures in four protected areas in Tunisia, and one in Senegal, as part of long-term reintroduction programmes. The most ambitious reintroduction initiative to date is the one that has been taking place in the the Ouadi Rimé-Ouadi Achim Faunal Reserve.