The Oryx
The Oryx gazella is a large African antelope that now lives in southern New Mexico.
Purpose of introducing exotic big game: The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish wanted to establish a huntable animal population in an area where there were not currently huntable numbers of big game.
Species Considered: The Greater Kudu - This animal turned out to be highly susceptible to diseases that cattle have so was never released into the wild.
The Ibex - This member of the goat family from Siberia and Iran was introduced into the Florida Mountains near Deming, New Mexico. The ibex have been successful in that area and have begun to move out of the mountains and onto the plains.
The Oryx - This African antelope was introduced to the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. The oryx was brought from the Kalahari Desert in Africa to an experimental range at Red Rock New Mexico. Federal law prohibits introducing a wild animal from another country into the wild in this country so offspring were obtained at this experimental range to introduce onto the White Sands Missile Range.
Between 1969 and 1977, 93 oryx were released on White Sands Missile Range. There are now about 1000 aniamals in residence. Annual hunts for the oryx began in 1974 on the range.
The oryx enters the southern boundary of White Sands National Monument and forages. The oryx is not native to this country so the National Park Service is concerned about how this animal affects the native plants and animals of White Sands National Monument. The National Park Service plans to fence the park boundary to prevent the oryx from entering the monument.
They are specially adapted to desert life. They can go 30 days without water. In Africa they feed on grasses, forbs, and melons. Here in the Tularosa basin, they eat desert grasses, yucca, buffalo gourds, mesquite bean pods, and tumbleweeds.
Their gestation period is 260-300 days (9-10 months). They are weaned at 3.5 months and by 5 months look like a small adult with shorter than normal horns. They can reproduce at 2 years of age and can calve year round in this area. In Africa their calving is more seasonal due to rainfall. Their life span is 20 years.
They weigh 450 pounds. They stand 1-2 meters at the shoulder and have horns 0.6-1.2 meters long. Their brown coloring with distinctive black and white markings allows them to hide among desert shrubs.