Gemsbok in New Mexico

**Maroelas** · 18-02-2012, 10:57

Morning hunters,

Been watching some ESPN this morning and they were hunting Gemsbok in New Mexico in the USA!! Apparently there are about 3000 Gemsbokke in New Mexico. Anybody got any idea how African antelope ended up in the USA?

Terrain looks like savannah grasslands so the habitat suits them fine.

**Craig** · 18-02-2012, 11:06

Wow, thats interesting.

Introduction to North America

In 1969 the New Mexico State Department of Game and Fish decided to introduce Gemsbok to the Tularosa Basin in the United States. The introduction was a compromise between those who wanted to preserve nature and those who wanted to use it for profit and promotion.[8] 93 were released from 1969 to 1977. The current population is estimated to be 3,000. The reason the Gemsbok thrived is because their natural predators, including the Lion, are not present.[9]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemsbok

**KK20** · 18-02-2012, 11:35

texas also has large numbers of game from abroad eg the sambar

**GameFarmer** · 18-02-2012, 12:01

Just to show how similar the habitats look:

**Michaelrp** · 18-02-2012, 12:40

I also saw the program. The host as well as the guide stated that it had trophy class horns. IMO the horns were nowhere near trophy material. Especially for a cow.

**Messor** · 18-02-2012, 15:16

Don't like it, the Oryx belongs to Africa. Besides that humans have made the same mistake over and over by introducing things into an ecosystem in which they do not belong.

**KK20** · 18-02-2012, 15:23

that is true messor, but far into the future when africa anhilates everything and our kids have to see what was roaming free via pictures etc at least america will have gene pools in healthy proportions to keep them going.

**Messor** · 18-02-2012, 15:32

Originally Posted by KK20

that is true messor, but far into the future when africa anhilates everything and our kids have to see what was roaming free via pictures etc at least america will have gene pools in healthy proportions to keep them going.

That could be the only benefit. But we humans think we are so clever, sometimes even the different bacteria living in the stomach of such animals is enough to cause damage, you see your dung beetles disappearing after some time and think, well, we f@ucked up again.

**KK20** · 18-02-2012, 15:43

true

very true

but we have to balance the act

**Maroelas** · 19-02-2012, 06:47

Seems like they haven't had a significant influence on the ecosystem there though. Except that there is no natural predators, so there numbers will have to be controlled by humans.