- Joined
- Mar 11, 2001
- Messages
- 70,011
- Reaction score
- 1,003
Overrun by oryx.
Park, missile range work to curb species
Dan J. Williams, El Paso Times
Linda Stelter / El Paso Times
They weigh up to 500 pounds, don't need drinking water, can adjust their body temperature to 116 degrees and give birth every eight months, no matter what time of year.
"These oryx are the toughest critters in the world," wildlife biologist Patrick Morrow said. And they're running amok at White Sands Missile Range and the surrounding countryside.
"We underestimated their reproductive capabilities," Morrow said. "Now we're trying to get their numbers down by allowing more hunting."
Introduced to the range from 1969 to 1973 for big-game hunting, the white-faced south African antelopes have increased their numbers from 93 to around 4,000 and have expanded their range as far as San Marcial to the north and Hueco Tanks State Historical Park to the southeast.
"They adapted very, very well," said Morrow, a biologist at the range. "We introduced a species very adapted to a harsh desert environment and brought them to an area not as harsh.
"Here, they have no predators other than man. They love it."
But not everyone loves the oryx. The majestic animals and their 30- to 44-inch horns may look good on a hunter's wall, but they also destroy fences, trample native vegetation, block runways and interfere with missile range operations.
At White Sands National Monument, the free-ranging antelope -- called gemsbok in Africa -- are gazella non grata.
"The oryx posed a significant threat to the integrity of the park, and we are bound to protect the park," said Jim Mack, superintendent of the national monument, which gets more than 500,000 visitors a year.
Studies by park biologists found that oryx destroy native plants by eating them, trampling the soil on game trails and digging pits while searching for water and roots. Mack said the impact can be severe in a desert ecosystem -- where productivity is very slow. Although there is no scientific evidence of the oryx's effect on other animal species, it is believed to be significant, he said.
"It became a foregone conclusion the oryx couldn't stay," Mack said. "We had to find them another home."
Removing the oryx from the 225-square-mile park wasn't easy -- or cheap.
In 1996, the government spent $1.4 million on a 67-mile fence to keep the oryx outside the park and on the neighboring missile range. When the final section of fence was closed, about 250 oryx were stuck inside the fenced area.
A proposal to shoot them was abandoned after environmentalists raised objections, and public hunting wasn't an option because hunting is prohibited in national parks. So park officials, with help from the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish and the missile range, started rounding them up and moving them out.
By last year, 228 oryx had been removed from the park, most of them in roundups, but some in expensive operations that involved tranquilizer darts and helicopters to carry the animals across the fence. The final bill to taxpayers, Mack said, was $399,000, including a whopping $16,000 to find, capture and remove oryx No. 228.
"We figure there are between 12 and 20 animals left in the park," he said. The park's latest environmental assessment recommends shooting them to avoid estimated capture and relocation costs of $200,000 to $500,000.
There has been little objection to that plan, Mack said, even from environmentalists. The public comment period on the proposal has been extended to Feb. 24.
Not very popular
Many environmentalists have said the oryx shouldn't be there anyway.
"We think they should be completely removed from New Mexico," said Kevin Bixby, director of the Southwest Environmental Center in Las Cruces. "They never should have been brought over here ... and the fact that the national monument had to build an expensive fence to keep them out adds insult to injury."
Outside the park, the oryx continue to thrive and multiply despite increased hunting on and off the missile range.
That's good news for El Paso taxidermist Joe Garcia.
"I mount about 20 (oryx) a year, a lot for El Paso," he said.
One of Garcia's customers was Louie Foght of El Paso, who had been applying for an oryx-hunting permit since 1974 and finally won a chance in 2000.
"I was able to take my two sons with me, and that helped make it a very successful hunt," Foght said. "We saw quite a few animals, and we were able to choose a big one. It was a good chase. I would do it again if I had a chance."
Once in lifetime
He probably won't get that chance. Most New Mexico oryx hunts are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities; hunters are selected by drawing. In 2000, there were 4,507 applicants for 790 permits, said Pat Mathis, southwest area game manager for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.
About 96 percent of the oryx hunters at the missile range are successful, and as efforts to reduce the oryx population proceed, hunters' odds of getting licenses are improving, Mathis said. This year, 890 one-day permits were issued for the missile range, where hunters are carefully controlled, sometimes escorted, to protect the range's security.
Also this year, an additional 500 permits were issued for hunting off the missile range, either on public or private land. The yearlong permits are limited to one a hunter, but are not once-in-a-lifetime hunts, so hunters such as Foght can apply every year.
"Those permits were issued for the first time this year, so we don't know the success rate," Mathis said. "But there were a whole lot of applicants -- about 2,500."
Another chance
The state also offers depredation hunts for oryx, in which licenses are issued by drawing when the animals are deemed to be damaging property or interfering with government operations. Mathis said 500 hunters are chosen among applicants, then randomly placed on a list and called when needed.
The depredation hunters are often called to remove animals from Holloman Air Force Base, where they sometimes wander onto runways; at the missile range, where they interfere with missile launches and other activities; and at the San Andres National Wildlife Refuge, where the animals are not wanted.
"They've never stopped a missile from flying ... but we feel we need to get the oryx numbers down," said Morrow at the missile range, where about 90 percent of the estimated 4,000 oryx roam. "As the population grows, there are more potential conflicts with natural species and resources.
"Our goal is to get it to 1,000 to 1,500 animals, about the same level as the mid-'80s."
Dan J. Williams may be reached at dwilliams@elpasotimes.com; Source: White Sands Missile Range.
================================================================
About oryx
Species: Oryx gazella, a native antelope of south Africa.
Description: Bull and cow oryx have straight, ringed horns that can grow to more than 44 inches long. Bulls weigh as much as 450 pounds; cows rarely exceed 350 pounds. Both sexes are buff tan to brown and gray, with dark facial markings with white patches and black striping along the sides near the underbelly.
Native habitat: Deserts of southern Africa's Kalahari region, where they often travel large distances following rain and food. Oryx can withstand high temperatures, get all the water they need from their food, and adjust their body heat to 116 degrees.
Oryx hunting
The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, and White Sands Missile Range have annual public hunts for oryx. Some details:
White Sands Missile Range hunts: As many as 800 permits are issued by drawing each year. Hunts are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, and hunters are usually escorted on the range.
Off-range hunts: Beginning this year, 500 oryx permits were issued, allowing hunters to take an oryx in New Mexico outside White Sands Missile Range. The hunt period is a full year -- April 1 through March 31 -- and hunters can apply every year.
Depredation hunts: Licenses are issued as needed to a limited number of hunters who apply. Some hunts are on the missile range, and others are outside the range where animals are causing damage or safety concerns.
Cost: New Mexico residents, $109 for license, plus $100 range fee at White Sands; nonresidents, $1,516, plus $100 range fee.
Information: Check the New Mexico big-game hunting proclamation, available at most sporting goods stores, or call the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish in Las Cruces, (505) 522-9796.
Park, missile range work to curb species
Dan J. Williams, El Paso Times
Linda Stelter / El Paso Times
They weigh up to 500 pounds, don't need drinking water, can adjust their body temperature to 116 degrees and give birth every eight months, no matter what time of year.
"These oryx are the toughest critters in the world," wildlife biologist Patrick Morrow said. And they're running amok at White Sands Missile Range and the surrounding countryside.
"We underestimated their reproductive capabilities," Morrow said. "Now we're trying to get their numbers down by allowing more hunting."
Introduced to the range from 1969 to 1973 for big-game hunting, the white-faced south African antelopes have increased their numbers from 93 to around 4,000 and have expanded their range as far as San Marcial to the north and Hueco Tanks State Historical Park to the southeast.
"They adapted very, very well," said Morrow, a biologist at the range. "We introduced a species very adapted to a harsh desert environment and brought them to an area not as harsh.
"Here, they have no predators other than man. They love it."
But not everyone loves the oryx. The majestic animals and their 30- to 44-inch horns may look good on a hunter's wall, but they also destroy fences, trample native vegetation, block runways and interfere with missile range operations.
At White Sands National Monument, the free-ranging antelope -- called gemsbok in Africa -- are gazella non grata.
"The oryx posed a significant threat to the integrity of the park, and we are bound to protect the park," said Jim Mack, superintendent of the national monument, which gets more than 500,000 visitors a year.
Studies by park biologists found that oryx destroy native plants by eating them, trampling the soil on game trails and digging pits while searching for water and roots. Mack said the impact can be severe in a desert ecosystem -- where productivity is very slow. Although there is no scientific evidence of the oryx's effect on other animal species, it is believed to be significant, he said.
"It became a foregone conclusion the oryx couldn't stay," Mack said. "We had to find them another home."
Removing the oryx from the 225-square-mile park wasn't easy -- or cheap.
In 1996, the government spent $1.4 million on a 67-mile fence to keep the oryx outside the park and on the neighboring missile range. When the final section of fence was closed, about 250 oryx were stuck inside the fenced area.
A proposal to shoot them was abandoned after environmentalists raised objections, and public hunting wasn't an option because hunting is prohibited in national parks. So park officials, with help from the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish and the missile range, started rounding them up and moving them out.
By last year, 228 oryx had been removed from the park, most of them in roundups, but some in expensive operations that involved tranquilizer darts and helicopters to carry the animals across the fence. The final bill to taxpayers, Mack said, was $399,000, including a whopping $16,000 to find, capture and remove oryx No. 228.
"We figure there are between 12 and 20 animals left in the park," he said. The park's latest environmental assessment recommends shooting them to avoid estimated capture and relocation costs of $200,000 to $500,000.
There has been little objection to that plan, Mack said, even from environmentalists. The public comment period on the proposal has been extended to Feb. 24.
Not very popular
Many environmentalists have said the oryx shouldn't be there anyway.
"We think they should be completely removed from New Mexico," said Kevin Bixby, director of the Southwest Environmental Center in Las Cruces. "They never should have been brought over here ... and the fact that the national monument had to build an expensive fence to keep them out adds insult to injury."
Outside the park, the oryx continue to thrive and multiply despite increased hunting on and off the missile range.
That's good news for El Paso taxidermist Joe Garcia.
"I mount about 20 (oryx) a year, a lot for El Paso," he said.
One of Garcia's customers was Louie Foght of El Paso, who had been applying for an oryx-hunting permit since 1974 and finally won a chance in 2000.
"I was able to take my two sons with me, and that helped make it a very successful hunt," Foght said. "We saw quite a few animals, and we were able to choose a big one. It was a good chase. I would do it again if I had a chance."
Once in lifetime
He probably won't get that chance. Most New Mexico oryx hunts are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities; hunters are selected by drawing. In 2000, there were 4,507 applicants for 790 permits, said Pat Mathis, southwest area game manager for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.
About 96 percent of the oryx hunters at the missile range are successful, and as efforts to reduce the oryx population proceed, hunters' odds of getting licenses are improving, Mathis said. This year, 890 one-day permits were issued for the missile range, where hunters are carefully controlled, sometimes escorted, to protect the range's security.
Also this year, an additional 500 permits were issued for hunting off the missile range, either on public or private land. The yearlong permits are limited to one a hunter, but are not once-in-a-lifetime hunts, so hunters such as Foght can apply every year.
"Those permits were issued for the first time this year, so we don't know the success rate," Mathis said. "But there were a whole lot of applicants -- about 2,500."
Another chance
The state also offers depredation hunts for oryx, in which licenses are issued by drawing when the animals are deemed to be damaging property or interfering with government operations. Mathis said 500 hunters are chosen among applicants, then randomly placed on a list and called when needed.
The depredation hunters are often called to remove animals from Holloman Air Force Base, where they sometimes wander onto runways; at the missile range, where they interfere with missile launches and other activities; and at the San Andres National Wildlife Refuge, where the animals are not wanted.
"They've never stopped a missile from flying ... but we feel we need to get the oryx numbers down," said Morrow at the missile range, where about 90 percent of the estimated 4,000 oryx roam. "As the population grows, there are more potential conflicts with natural species and resources.
"Our goal is to get it to 1,000 to 1,500 animals, about the same level as the mid-'80s."
Dan J. Williams may be reached at dwilliams@elpasotimes.com; Source: White Sands Missile Range.
================================================================
About oryx
Species: Oryx gazella, a native antelope of south Africa.
Description: Bull and cow oryx have straight, ringed horns that can grow to more than 44 inches long. Bulls weigh as much as 450 pounds; cows rarely exceed 350 pounds. Both sexes are buff tan to brown and gray, with dark facial markings with white patches and black striping along the sides near the underbelly.
Native habitat: Deserts of southern Africa's Kalahari region, where they often travel large distances following rain and food. Oryx can withstand high temperatures, get all the water they need from their food, and adjust their body heat to 116 degrees.
Oryx hunting
The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, and White Sands Missile Range have annual public hunts for oryx. Some details:
White Sands Missile Range hunts: As many as 800 permits are issued by drawing each year. Hunts are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, and hunters are usually escorted on the range.
Off-range hunts: Beginning this year, 500 oryx permits were issued, allowing hunters to take an oryx in New Mexico outside White Sands Missile Range. The hunt period is a full year -- April 1 through March 31 -- and hunters can apply every year.
Depredation hunts: Licenses are issued as needed to a limited number of hunters who apply. Some hunts are on the missile range, and others are outside the range where animals are causing damage or safety concerns.
Cost: New Mexico residents, $109 for license, plus $100 range fee at White Sands; nonresidents, $1,516, plus $100 range fee.
Information: Check the New Mexico big-game hunting proclamation, available at most sporting goods stores, or call the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish in Las Cruces, (505) 522-9796.
