Tunisia: Barbary Stag – Resurgence of Mythical King of Tunisia’s Oak Forests (Report)

Tunis/Tunisia — At the edge of the dense Quercus zen and cork oak (Quercus suber) forest of El Feija, near Ghardimaou in north-western Tunisia, a herd of Barbary stags emerge into a purpose-built clearing captivating onlookers.

Just decades ago, this emblematic cervid was presumed extinct across the Maghreb, driven to the brink by deforestation, climate disruption, and unregulated hunting.

By the 1960s, its range had dwindled to a narrow forested rectangle straddling the border between…