Exotic species, or non-native plants or animals that have been introduced into an area, are often very detrimental to native plants, animals, and ecosystems. At White Sands National Park, the oryx is one such species.
African Oryx (Oryx gazella)
Introduction and Adaptation
Native to the Kalahari Desert, the African oryx, or gemsbok (Oryx gazella), is a large antelope that now lives in southern New Mexico. Beginning in 1969, oryx were introduced to the Chihuahuan Desert.
Frank C. Hibben, then chairman of the New Mexico Game Commission, had hunted oryx in the Atlas Mountains in northwest Africa, an area that resembled his adopted state of New Mexico. The idea to provide exotic big-game hunting opportunities for local hunters originated just after World War II with Frank C. Hibben.
Between 1969 and 1977, 95 oryx were released on White Sands Missile Range and the surrounding areas. Released onto the White Sands Missile Range, the largest restricted military airspace in the United States, the powerful creatures quickly grew in numbers and range. Under federal law, the original animals had to spend the rest of their lives confined at the zoo, but their offspring were released onto White Sands Missile Range, a 2.2 million-acre parcel of property.
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It weighs on average up to 450 pounds (204 kg) and stands 47 inches (1.2 meters) tall at the shoulder, almost as tall as the roof of the average car. Both male and female oryx have horns that average 34 inches long (.86 meter).
The success of the oryx in New Mexico is due in part to the abundance of food. In Africa, they eat grasses, forbs, and melons. Here, they feed on desert grasses, yucca, buffalo gourds, and mesquite bean pods. They are especially adapted to desert life and can go a long time without drinking water.
Population Growth and Expansion
Once small in number, these oryx have proliferated and make for an unexpected sight with their giant bodies, striking black and white faces, and long, spear-like horns. Roughly six thousand large antelopes native to Africa live on the White Sands Missile Range in southern New Mexico.
Between 1969 and 1973, 93 oryx were released onto the missile range - and quickly began to reproduce. Researchers believed that the population would never grow beyond 500 to 600 and would remain within the Tularosa Basin. However, the animals proved to be extremely opportunistic, and quickly spread into the San Andres Mountains.
The oryx spread nearly as far north as Albuquerque, and to the south past El Paso. “Oryx do not go through a rut,” says Patrick Morrow, a wildlife biologist at White Sands Missile Range. “Even in the Kalahari, they have the ability to mate and breed year round. But conditions are much harsher there, and African lions prey on them.
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There are five to six thousand oryx in New Mexico. The animal’s impressive adaptability and resilience have helped it thrive in the ancient Chihuahuan ecosystem.
They began to expand into the Jornada Basin, and perhaps beyond, though large-scale surveys are still needed to learn more about their distribution.
Oryx in New Mexico
Impact on the Ecosystem
Because the oryx is not native to this country, the National Park Service (NPS) is concerned about how this animal affects the native plants and animals of White Sands National Park. Researchers don’t fully understand the kinds of effects the newcomers may have on the native ecosystem.
Oryx may also overgraze some remnant patches of desert grass, some research shows. They not only compete with cattle, causing issues for ranchers. They can also have detrimental effects on the ecosystem, Wagnon said. Oryx sometimes congregate in large herds, which can trample native vegetation.
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Their diet overlaps with native species like pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus). Oryx may outcompete more than just cattle.
In 1996, in an effort to keep oryx out, the Park Service spent $1,040,000 on 67.6 miles of fencing to completely enclose the 225 square miles of the national monument. In doing so, workers inadvertently fenced in over 200 animals. The hearty oryx trampled the fragile white gypsum environment and outcompeted native wildlife for the park’s sparse food resources.
Wildlife managers at the ranch are concerned. As a way to mitigate some of the effects of drought, they provide artificial water sources for wildlife. But Prude said they are concerned this may also provide an avenue for the oryx to expand.
What’s certain is that pronghorn are declining in the ranch, Prude said. But it’s not yet clear whether oryx are outcompeting them or if drought is causing a drop in pronghorn numbers. “Unfortunately, in this region, it’s just the rangeland itself that is imperiled because of climate change,” Prude said.
Oryx may be more aggressive than native ungulates. In New Mexico, the animals have caused some issues at the White Sands Missile Range, where they sometimes block the runway. They also have few, if any, predators.
However, trail cameras at the Armendaris Ranch have revealed that some cougars have taken a liking to exotic meat. Prude’s research has found that a single cougar (Puma concolor) is likely responsible for 29 oryx kills-oryx comprised about 58% of the total kills recorded for that cat.
This area also lacks a way to control the population. Lions and other natural predators cull the population in Africa, with only 10% of calves reaching one year of age.
Management and Hunting
Annual hunts for the oryx began in 1974 and continue to this day to help control and stabilize the population. Since 1974, hunters have killed approximately 5,000 oryx, says Morrow. The first year, the missile range and New Mexico Game and Fish issued only four hunting permits for oryx.
“Eventually, we’d like to see no oryx outside missile range boundaries,” says Patrick Mathis, area game manager at the New Mexico Game and Fish Department. “We want to decrease the herd on the range to 1,000 animals - down from 3,000.
In the 1990s there was backlash from animal rights activists when word got out about the Park Service’s plan to cull problem oryx on the White Sands National Monument. The people of New Mexico stood by their adopted creatures.
In a joint effort with White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico Game and Fish, and the Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service spent just under $400,000 to successfully remove 228 animals. Each animal had to be tranquilized with a dart from a helicopter. There, a processing crew measured the animal while a vet examined it and administered a reversal drug. Then the crew released the animal, where it instantly became a member of the huntable population on missile range property.
Despite the mission’s success, a small number of oryx - 12 to 20 animals - remain on the national monument, and Jim Mack is anxious to get them off. The Park Service must first go to the public to solicit input on methods.
The issue also has political implications. Oryx were initially introduced as a game species, and hunters enjoy the chance to harvest these charismatic animals. Sales of hunting licenses for the ungulates provide a lot of revenue for the New Mexico Game and Fish Department.
New Mexican ranchers are unhappy because oryx on private land damage property through overgrazing.
Missile range biologist Morrow says, “In my professional opinion, this species should never have been introduced in the first place. Who knew they would breed so easily? “We have more oryx in New Mexico than all of the Kalahari,” he says.
The New Mexico Game and Fish Department first introduced the South African oryx-also known as the gemsbok (Oryx gazella)-to the Tularosa Basin starting in 1969 as a game species. Dozens were released over the next few years, and this relatively small initial population took off.
Now we are past the point of no return; the oryx have made their mark in the desert. We now live in a system of ritual killings to maintain the status quo of the desert, but it is not quite enough.
Celebrate New Mexico: The Oryx
Other Introduced Species
To increase large game opportunities for hunters, the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish wanted to establish an exotic animal population in an area where there were few species of big game.
The ibex, a member of the goat family from Siberia and Iran, was introduced into the Florida Mountains near Deming, New Mexico. The ibex successfully colonized in that area and has begun to move out of the mountains and into the flats. The African Barbary sheep was introduced on land near Picacho, New Mexico.
| Introduced Species | Location in New Mexico | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| African Oryx (Gemsbok) | White Sands Missile Range and surrounding areas | Kalahari Desert, Africa |
| Ibex | Florida Mountains near Deming | Siberia and Iran |
| African Barbary Sheep | Near Picacho | Africa |
