Dublin Zoo is celebrating the birth of a male scimitar-horned oryx, a species classified as extinct in the wild.

Born last December 8, the newest addition to the herd brings its total to four.

The scimitar-horned oryx was once widespread across northern Africa but due to overhunting, habitat loss and competition with domestic livestock – there has been no definitive evidence of their presence in the wild for more than 15 years.

Since 2013, Dublin Zoo has financially supported the reintroduction programme for the scimitar-horned oryx in Tunisia.

Through conservation breeding programmes, zoo-bred oryx have been reintroduced into semi-wild areas in four national parks across Tunisia. Currently there are over 200 oryx in such semi-wild areas.

Commenting on the birth, team leader Helen Clarke-Bennet said, “We are absolutely thrilled with the new arrival and recognise the significance of this birth in the conservation of the scimitar-horned oryx.

“The calf has shown strong signs of settling into its new surroundings and is mixing extremely well with the rest of the herd.”

After a bumper year with many new arrivals, Dublin Zoo also announced its highest ever visitor numbers with 1,143,904 people passing through the gates in 2016 – over 40,000 more than 2015.