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.



Heavy Rain in Northern Japan Triggers Floods, Landslides

A road is flooded after a heavy rain in Sakata, Yamagata prefecture, northern Japan Friday, July 26, 2024. Heavy rain hit northern Japan Thursday, triggering floods and landslides, disrupting transportation systems and forcing hundreds of residents to take shelter at safer grounds. (Kyodo News via AP)
A road is flooded after a heavy rain in Sakata, Yamagata prefecture, northern Japan Friday, July 26, 2024. Heavy rain hit northern Japan Thursday, triggering floods and landslides, disrupting transportation systems and forcing hundreds of residents to take shelter at safer grounds. (Kyodo News via AP)
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Heavy Rain in Northern Japan Triggers Floods, Landslides

A road is flooded after a heavy rain in Sakata, Yamagata prefecture, northern Japan Friday, July 26, 2024. Heavy rain hit northern Japan Thursday, triggering floods and landslides, disrupting transportation systems and forcing hundreds of residents to take shelter at safer grounds. (Kyodo News via AP)
A road is flooded after a heavy rain in Sakata, Yamagata prefecture, northern Japan Friday, July 26, 2024. Heavy rain hit northern Japan Thursday, triggering floods and landslides, disrupting transportation systems and forcing hundreds of residents to take shelter at safer grounds. (Kyodo News via AP)

Heavy rain hit northern Japan Thursday, triggering floods and landslides, disrupting transportation systems and forcing hundreds of residents to take shelter at safer grounds.

The Japan Meteorological Agency issued emergency warnings of heavy rain for several municipalities in the Yamagata and Akita prefecture, where warm and humid air was flowing.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida urged the affected area’s residents to “put safety first” and pay close attention to the latest information from the authorities.

According to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, one person went missing in Yuzawa city — in the Akita prefecture — after being hit by a landslide at a road construction site.

Rescue workers in the city evacuated 11 people from the flooded area with the help of a boat.

In the neighboring Yamagata prefecture, more than 10 centimeters (4 inches) of rain fell in the hardest-hit Yuza and Sakata towns within an hour earlier Thursday.

Thousands of residents in the area were advised to take shelter at higher and safer grounds, but it was not immediately known how many people took that advice.

Yamagata Shinkansen bullet train services were partially suspended on Thursday, according to East Japan Railway Company.

The agency predicted up to 20 centimeters (8 inches) of more rainfall in the region through Friday evening, urging residents to remain cautious.