Your Pic of the Day
- Thread starter DAA
- Start date
22magnum22
Well-known member
Don't let Spurchaser see these, he will be camping on your doorstep!
Scimitar-horned oryx, was taken off the extinct list in their native habitat shortly after the turn of the century, thanks largely to the combined efforts of a group of Texas ranchers, who provided stock, veterinarians who quarantined the animals prior to export, and many others who jumped through many bureaucratic hoops before they were flown the back to Africa. In 2016 there were more SH Oryx in Texas than Chad and other areas of the Sahara.
The SH oryx has done well in Texas and several large herds range freely on two of the ranches I hunt. The addax are present in smaller numbers on one of the ranches. All of the exotics are free ranging on two 5000+ acre ranches and one 11,000 acre ranch and as such are like any other wild animal in that they try to avoid humans. The larger the herd, the harder it is to get withing shooting or good photography range. Some of my better photos have been taken when calling coyotes and the exotics approach, providing opportunity to get their picture.
Addax were endangered also. The SH oryx has done well in Texas and one or more large herds range freely on two of the ranches I hunt.
The battle to restock Oryx to Chad was a hard fought win for conservationists and hunters alike:
Texas hunting ranchers fight for right to save African antelope species
Captive breeding in the United States has enhanced the propagation and survival of the scimitar-horned oryx, addax, and dama gazelle worldwide by rescuing these species from near extinction and providing the founder stock necessary for reintroduction. Some U.S. captive- breeding facilities allow sport hunting of surplus captive-bred animals. Sport hunting of surplus captive-bred animals generates revenue that supports these captive breeding operations and relieves hunting pressure on wild populations. We are proposing a new rule under the Act's regulations in 50 CFR part 17 that would authorize otherwise prohibited activities for U.S. captive-bred live specimens, embryos, gametes, and sport-hunted trophies of these species that enhance the propagation or survival of the species. Thus, we are proposing that, notwithstanding paragraphs (b), (c), (e), and (f) of 50 CFR 17.21, any person subject to the jurisdiction of the United States may take; export or re-import; deliver, receive, carry, transport, or ship in interstate or foreign commerce, in the course of a commercial activity; or sell or offer for sale in interstate or foreign commerce any live specimen, embryo, gamete, or sport-hunted trophy of scimitar-horned oryx, addax, or dama gazelle that was bred in captivity in the United States.
A consistent theme among the comments received from peer reviewers and stakeholders on the proposed rule to list these species as endangered is the vital role of captive breeding in the conservation of these species. One reviewer noted that 100% of the world's scimitar- horned oryx population (including the reintroduced population that is in an enclosed area), 71% of the addax population, and 48% of the world's dama gazelle population are in captive herds. Captive-breeding programs operated by zoos and private ranches have effectively increased the number of these animals while genetically managing their populations. International studbook keepers and managers of the species in captivity manage these programs in a manner that maintains the captive populations as a demographically and genetically diverse megapopulation (Mallon and Kingswood 2001). In the 1980s and 1990s, captive-breeding operations in Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States provided scimitar-horned oryx, addax, and dama gazelle to Bou-Hedma National Park in Tunisia (Mallon and Kingswood 2001). These animals have become the founding stock of captive in situ herds that have grown substantially since 1995. The IUCN Species Survival Commission has proposed that some of the antelopes produced be used to establish other captive-breeding operations within the range countries or, given the appropriate conditions in the wild, for reintroduction. Similar in situ breeding programs for future reintroduction are occurring in Senegal and Morocco with captive stock produced and provided by breeding operations outside of these countries.
Endangered and threatened species: Scimitar-horned oryx, addax, and dama gazelle,
Federal Registerregulations.vlex.com
Sorry, I just realized that I missed the point of your question and got off on the endangered critters.
Actually, due to the vast numbers of different critters on these ranches, the most difficult of all to capture on "film" was the badger. In 20+ years I have only gotten close enough to these two siblings to get a decent picture. Have only seen one other at very long range in all those years, way too far off for my phone &/or small pocket camera.
Wish my pictures were of the quality of Dave or Bob's, but what these pictures lack in quality has been somewhat offset by the quantity of God's critters from all over the world located on this small patch of S. TX.