Saudi Arabia: Over 20 Spiny-Tailed Lizards Released into King Khalid Royal Reserve

More than 20 spiny-tailed lizards have been released into the King Khalid Royal Reserve. SPA
More than 20 spiny-tailed lizards have been released into the King Khalid Royal Reserve. SPA
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Saudi Arabia: Over 20 Spiny-Tailed Lizards Released into King Khalid Royal Reserve

More than 20 spiny-tailed lizards have been released into the King Khalid Royal Reserve. SPA
More than 20 spiny-tailed lizards have been released into the King Khalid Royal Reserve. SPA

The Imam Abdulaziz bin Mohammed Royal Reserve Development Authority, in cooperation with the National Center for Wildlife (NCW), has released more than 20 spiny-tailed lizards into the King Khalid Royal Reserve as part of joint programs aimed at reintroducing endangered wildlife species into their natural habitats.

The Imam Abdulaziz bin Mohammed Royal Reserve Development Authority explained that the release aimed to boost the population of spiny-tailed lizards in the King Khalid Royal Reserve, allowing them to play their role in nature and contribute to ecological balance, amid warnings from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) about the spiny-tailed lizard being classified as an endangered species.

The authority also said that the release of the lizards is part of a wider endeavor that seeks to increase the population of endangered species in realization of the national environment conservation strategy and the Saudi Vision 2030.

The authority, in cooperation with NCW, has released several endangered species, including the Arabian sand gazelle, mountain gazelle, Arabian oryx, and Nubian ibex, among others.



One Man Gored, 7 Others Bruised in Spain's Bull Running Festival

'Mozos' or runners take part in the second Running of the Bulls during the Sanfermines festival in Pamplona, Spain, 08 July 2025. The San Fermin festival runs until 14 July 2025. EPA/Daniel Fernandez
'Mozos' or runners take part in the second Running of the Bulls during the Sanfermines festival in Pamplona, Spain, 08 July 2025. The San Fermin festival runs until 14 July 2025. EPA/Daniel Fernandez
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One Man Gored, 7 Others Bruised in Spain's Bull Running Festival

'Mozos' or runners take part in the second Running of the Bulls during the Sanfermines festival in Pamplona, Spain, 08 July 2025. The San Fermin festival runs until 14 July 2025. EPA/Daniel Fernandez
'Mozos' or runners take part in the second Running of the Bulls during the Sanfermines festival in Pamplona, Spain, 08 July 2025. The San Fermin festival runs until 14 July 2025. EPA/Daniel Fernandez

A man was gored and seven others lightly injured on Tuesday, the second day of Pamplona's San Fermin festival in which thousands of people line the medieval city's narrow streets for the centuries-old tradition of running with bulls.

The man who was gored, identified only as being older than 25, was injured by a bull horn under his right armpit, a spokesperson for the city emergency services said.

"At this time, he is under observation but is in stable condition," she told reporters.

The seven others suffered bruises and contusions, some in the shoulder or head, Reuters reported.

In the festival's "encierros", or bull runs, fighting bulls are set loose in the streets and then race to reach the bullfight arena. Hundreds of aficionados, many wearing traditional white shirts with red scarves, run with them.

On Tuesday morning, one of the bulls stopped in the middle of his run, and charged the runners for several tense minutes.

The festival, which gained international fame from Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel "The Sun Also Rises", lasts for one week in early July.

Participants are occasionally gored at the hundreds of such bull-running fiestas in Spain every year. Other injuries are common. At least 16 runners have lost their lives at the Pamplona festival down the years, the last in 2009.

As well as the morning bull runs and afternoon bullfights, the San Fermin festival features round-the-clock singing, dancing and drinking by revelers.
There are also religious events in honor of the saint.