Exotics ranchers in Texas are playing a role in bringing back endangered species — and want to do more.
The scimitar-horned oryx, once considered extinct in the wild, has been reintroduced in the Republic of Chad in northern Africa and is doing well in a large preserve, and researchers are looking to bring the oryx to other areas of its native range.
The dama gazelle, though, hasn’t been faring as well in its native habitat, with only 250-300 left in the wild.
“They used to be present from the Atlantic to the Nile in North Africa,” said Elizabeth Cary Mundall, Science Officer at the Second Ark Foundation and an adjunct professor in the Department of Biology at Texas Women’s University. “The population has gone so far down it has spurred concern. A big focus has been on keeping dama gazelle from going extinct.”
Texas ranches hold between 1,000-1,500 dama gazelle, and a workshop, the third in a series to be held in September, is aimed at understanding and helping initiatives in the native range countries.
“We are planning on having people from the range states at the workshop,” Cary Mundall said. “They, including representatives from the preserve in Chad, will provide updates on initiatives, and we’ll discuss what might be helpful. We don’t know enough about what’s happening inside all of the range countries — that’s why we’ve invited them to the workshops.”
Cary Mundall said the Chad preserve is one area where exotics ranchers may be sending dama gazelles in the future to help bolster the population.
“They have one of the better populations, but there aren’t that many,” she said. “West Africa has some, but they are in enclosed areas.”
Dama gazelles, both the eastern and western subspecies, are more fragile creatures in the wild, especially when faced with predators.
“In Tunisia, some were moved from a fenced area into a reserve, but the jackals got them all,” Cary Mundall said. “In other areas, wild dogs are problem predators of the animals.”
Scimitar-horned oryx and addax, another endangered species, aren’t impacted to that level by dogs and other smaller predators.
“Scimitars are large, and addax are extremely aggressive and protective of their young,” Cary Mundall said.
Texas ranches hold an estimated 12,000 scimitar-horned oryx, 5,000 addax and 1,500 dama gazelle, and hunting plays a significant role in keeping them healthy and abundant.
“You have to have some source of money to pay taxes, keep the fences and keep the staff,” Cary Mundall said. “These aren’t zoos — people aren’t paying admission to come and look at the animals. The hunting keeps everything going. We have a lot more biological diversity by keeping the animals alive and fed here. Plus hunting targets only certain animals. Doing that carefully helps keep healthy herds going.”
