A red-necked ostrich at the reserve being fed by the caretaker.

The Kingdom’s only fenced sanctuary, Mahazath, has won the best wildlife sanctuary award from the Gulf Cooperation Council, the GCC headquarters in Riyadh announced recently.

“The Mahazath hunting sanctuary has won the GCC award as the best wildlife sanctuary in the Gulf region within the framework of its awards for environment and wildlife for the year 1436 AH,” a GCC official said here Friday.

Being one of the outstanding sanctuaries and as the only fenced and protected sanctuary for the wildlife upkeep in the Kingdom, the Mahazath protected area in central Saudi Arabia on the Najd Plateau is also a confirmation that wildlife resettlement with protected programs has achieved steady successes in the Kingdom.

According to the Saudi Wildlife Authority (SWA), with a 220-km fence completely surrounding its 2,553 square km area, the wildlife reserve was established for the initial reintroduction of captive-bred Arabian Oryx into their natural habitat. The first release of this rare animal, which are now extinct in the wilds of the Kingdom, began in December 1988. Houbra bustards, Reem gazelles and red-necked ostriches have since been reintroduced.

The completely fenced-in wildlife area, which is protected from livestock grazing, has allowed a spectacular recovery of native vegetation as the reserve is now dominated by grasslands, which are a reminder of what most of the Arabian Peninsula may have looked once.

Reacting to the honor, SWA President Prince Bandar bin Saud bin Mohammed said that the declaration for the Mahazath protected area as the best wildlife sanctuary in the GCC is the result of the extraordinary efforts made by all concerned associates under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, who supported the authority’s efforts in maintaining and developing wildlife and restoring balance to natural environments in the Kingdom.

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