The Baton of Life Connected to the Future: Scimitar Oryx Gives Birth to a Baby at Age 15, the Oldest First-Time Mother in Japan! A Miracle Life Connected Together with the Staff
Adventure World in Shirahama, Wakayama, announced the birth of a baby Scimitar Oryx on March 23, 2026. The 15-year-old mother is the oldest first-time mother in Japan for this endangered species.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 11, 2026 at 03:15
- 🔍 Collected: April 11, 2026 at 00:20
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 20, 2026 at 06:05 (221h 45m after Collected)
On Monday, March 23, 2026, a baby Scimitar Oryx was born at Adventure World (Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture). The 15-year-old mother welcomed her first birth, making her the oldest first-time mother in Japan.
The Scimitar Oryx was once considered extinct in the wild, but thanks to global conservation efforts, its Red List status improved from "Extinct in the Wild (EW)" to "Endangered (EN)" in 2023, making it an animal that symbolizes a "miraculous revival." Currently, there are about 100 individuals kept in Japan, and zoos and aquariums are continuing their collaborative efforts to connect the species to the future.
At our park, the 15-year-old mother, who had almost given up on breeding due to the absence of a partner, was blessed with a long-awaited life after welcoming a new male in October 2024. The birth was a perilous journey, risking the lives of both mother and child, and the baby was born apneic at one point. However, as a result of desperate resuscitation efforts by the staff, the baby let out a strong cry. Currently, in consideration of the mother's postpartum recovery, the baby is being carefully nurtured by staff through artificial rearing and is showing a healthy, running-around appearance. The life that has been carefully protected around the world has once again been connected to the future here in Shirahama.
From Saturday, April 11, 2026, public practice will be held with the aim of joining the herd in the area where the mothers live.
Hoping for a bright future in the history of this species that has made a comeback from the brink of extinction, and in the vitality that sprouted strongly after surviving the crisis of death, the baby was named "Hope".
[About the Baby Scimitar Oryx]
- Date of birth: Monday, March 23, 2026
- Number: 1
- Gender: Male
- Weight: 8 kg (measured on April 2)
- Name: Hope
- Parent information:
- Father: Born on July 8, 2023, at Chausuyama Zoo in Nagano City (2 years old) / Brought in on October 9, 2024
- Mother: Born on September 4, 2010, at Adventure World (15 years old)
[About the Public Viewing]
- Start of public viewing: Saturday, April 11
- Location: Small exercise yard in front of the giraffe bedroom in Safari World
- Time: 1:45 PM to 2:15 PM *We plan to extend this while observing the situation.
*You can see it on the Walking Safari, where you can walk around Safari World.
*Depending on the location, you may not be able to see the baby.
*Public viewing contents may be changed or canceled due to weather or animal health management reasons.
[Number Kept]
Including the newly born individual, we keep 7 individuals (2 males, 5 females).
[Breeding and Rearing of Scimitar Oryx at Adventure World]
- October 1980: Started rearing
- February 1982: The first baby was born. Subsequently, 36 babies were raised in 37 births up to 2010.
- October 2, 2025: One baby was born for the first time in 15 years.
- March 23, 2026: One baby was born.
The Scimitar Oryx was once considered extinct in the wild, but thanks to global conservation efforts, its Red List status improved from "Extinct in the Wild (EW)" to "Endangered (EN)" in 2023, making it an animal that symbolizes a "miraculous revival." Currently, there are about 100 individuals kept in Japan, and zoos and aquariums are continuing their collaborative efforts to connect the species to the future.
At our park, the 15-year-old mother, who had almost given up on breeding due to the absence of a partner, was blessed with a long-awaited life after welcoming a new male in October 2024. The birth was a perilous journey, risking the lives of both mother and child, and the baby was born apneic at one point. However, as a result of desperate resuscitation efforts by the staff, the baby let out a strong cry. Currently, in consideration of the mother's postpartum recovery, the baby is being carefully nurtured by staff through artificial rearing and is showing a healthy, running-around appearance. The life that has been carefully protected around the world has once again been connected to the future here in Shirahama.
From Saturday, April 11, 2026, public practice will be held with the aim of joining the herd in the area where the mothers live.
Hoping for a bright future in the history of this species that has made a comeback from the brink of extinction, and in the vitality that sprouted strongly after surviving the crisis of death, the baby was named "Hope".
[About the Baby Scimitar Oryx]
- Date of birth: Monday, March 23, 2026
- Number: 1
- Gender: Male
- Weight: 8 kg (measured on April 2)
- Name: Hope
- Parent information:
- Father: Born on July 8, 2023, at Chausuyama Zoo in Nagano City (2 years old) / Brought in on October 9, 2024
- Mother: Born on September 4, 2010, at Adventure World (15 years old)
[About the Public Viewing]
- Start of public viewing: Saturday, April 11
- Location: Small exercise yard in front of the giraffe bedroom in Safari World
- Time: 1:45 PM to 2:15 PM *We plan to extend this while observing the situation.
*You can see it on the Walking Safari, where you can walk around Safari World.
*Depending on the location, you may not be able to see the baby.
*Public viewing contents may be changed or canceled due to weather or animal health management reasons.
[Number Kept]
Including the newly born individual, we keep 7 individuals (2 males, 5 females).
[Breeding and Rearing of Scimitar Oryx at Adventure World]
- October 1980: Started rearing
- February 1982: The first baby was born. Subsequently, 36 babies were raised in 37 births up to 2010.
- October 2, 2025: One baby was born for the first time in 15 years.
- March 23, 2026: One baby was born.