AlUla Launches Largest Campaign to Resettle Wild Animals in Region

More than 1,580 endangered animals will be released in AlUla as part of the Royal Commission for AlUla’s mission to resettle native species into their natural habitats - (Royal Commission for AlUla)
More than 1,580 endangered animals will be released in AlUla as part of the Royal Commission for AlUla’s mission to resettle native species into their natural habitats - (Royal Commission for AlUla)
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AlUla Launches Largest Campaign to Resettle Wild Animals in Region

More than 1,580 endangered animals will be released in AlUla as part of the Royal Commission for AlUla’s mission to resettle native species into their natural habitats - (Royal Commission for AlUla)
More than 1,580 endangered animals will be released in AlUla as part of the Royal Commission for AlUla’s mission to resettle native species into their natural habitats - (Royal Commission for AlUla)

The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) has launched the largest campaign to resettle more than 1,580 wild animals that will include antelopes, gazelles, Arabian oryx and mountain ibex.

The campaign is the largest of its kind for RCU, as it includes determining the readiness of the site, and monitoring the resettled animals, in addition to focusing on scientific studies during the preparations for the resettling campaign.

Monitoring of the newly released animals will be carried out with SMART software analysis tools, camera trapping and satellite tracking collars. It is the first time that the lightweight, solar-powered collars will be used for ungulate species in the region.

The commission's campaign comes in line with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030,as well as the Saudi Green Initiative and the Green Middle East Initiative, with the aim of transforming AlUla into the largest living museum in the world while preserving its environmental and historical characteristics.



Australian Hiker Found Alive after Surviving for Two Weeks on Berries and Muesli Bars

A general view of Cooma Hospital where hiker Hadi Nazari was transferred to for a health check in Cooma, New South Wales, Australia, 08 January 2025. (EPA)
A general view of Cooma Hospital where hiker Hadi Nazari was transferred to for a health check in Cooma, New South Wales, Australia, 08 January 2025. (EPA)
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Australian Hiker Found Alive after Surviving for Two Weeks on Berries and Muesli Bars

A general view of Cooma Hospital where hiker Hadi Nazari was transferred to for a health check in Cooma, New South Wales, Australia, 08 January 2025. (EPA)
A general view of Cooma Hospital where hiker Hadi Nazari was transferred to for a health check in Cooma, New South Wales, Australia, 08 January 2025. (EPA)

An Australian student missing for two weeks near the country's tallest mountain was found on Wednesday, after surviving by foraging for berries, drinking water from a creek and finding two muesli bars left behind by other hikers, police said.

Hadi Nazari, a 23-year-old university student from Melbourne, went missing from his group of friends on December 26 in the Kosciuszko National Park.

Nazari was found on Wednesday afternoon by a group of hikers who alerted the authorities, police in the state of New South Wales said.

“This is the fourteenth day we've been looking for him and for him to come out and be in such good spirits and in such great condition, it’s incredible," NSW Police Inspector Josh Broadfoot said.

The student was in "really good spirits" with no significant injuries, he added.

More than 300 people had searched for Nazari across rugged bushland, police said. The national park is home to the 2,228 meter (7,310 foot) Mount Kosciuszko.