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At the Prince Khaled wildlife centre, in the parched sands of the Empty Quarter Desert, Simon meets zoologist Robbie Robson, an expert in the wildlife of the Arabian Peninsula, who is trying to save rare Arabian Desert creatures.

Within Robson's modern ark is the oryx, a type of antelope, which until recently faced worldwide extinction due to excessive hunting.

Supported by the Zoological Society of London, the Prince Khaled wildlife centre is trying to establish a large enough population of oryx to be able to release them into managed reserves.

But as Simon finds out – even a simple health check needs military planning.