One of the 60 Minutes segments this week talked about a situation that I am very familiar with. It reported on how the Scimitar Horned Oryx, the Dama Gazelle, and the Addax were saved from extinction in Africa by sending them to ranches mainly located in Texas.
Over 30 years ago, the few remaining animals of each species were sent to ranches located in Texas and zoos even sent their remaining animals of each breed to the same ranches in the hopes of preventing them from becoming extinct. Today, there are now of total of over 50,000 Oryx, Dama Gazelle, and Addax frolicking around Texas. In fact, should someone want to see these animals, their only realistically going to find them in Texas and not so much of their native lands in Northern Africa. What helps keep these species alive are hunters who pay the ranches thousands of dollars for one of these animals. Sacrificing one can save over 10 others. The ranches then use the money to buy feed and help maintain a suitable habitat for them. It has turned into a $1 billion dollar industry.
Now the three animals are facing the greatest threat of extinction from an animal rights group called, Friends of Animals, and Priscilla Feral, who leads the organization. They recently won fighting in the courts and pressuring the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to where the Scimitar Horned Oryx, Dama Gazelle, and the Addax now need Federal Permits in order to hunt them. Essentially all the funding that helped save the animals, is now cut, and if the ranches cannot fund their survival, they will become extinct. Feral essentially claimed to 60 Minutes that these animals should not be in Texas and should be back in Africa. She fails to realize that Texas in the place that saved them. Friends of Animals don't realize that they will be the downfall of the animals they are "trying" to save. The 60 Minutes segment (which is fair to both sides) can be viewed here:
The United States Fish and Wildlife order can be read here:
More information about the topic can be also found here:
http://www.texashunting411.com/scimitar-horned-oryx-addax-dama-gazelle-esa-permits-needed-now/
I love these animals (I have scene all of them), and I want them to succeed and thrive. The only way that can happen for the next 100 years (and most likely more) is in Texas and the ranches need the money from hunting in order to save them. Friends of Animals and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife will be responsible for the extinction of these animals within my lifetime should this order remain in effect.
-Christian
Update: Here is a Twitter conversation I had with Pricilla Feral:
@CRENpolitics Christian N: @pferal You are about to destroy three species of animals. They cannot survive in Africa under current regimes. Texas is their only hope.
@pferal Priscilla Feral: @CRENpolitics Wrong. We reintroduced oryxes to Senegal in 1999. Thriving in protected Reserves over thousands of acres.
@CRENpolitics Christian N: @pferal The ranches in Texas are thousands of acres and more importantly, are safe from poachers. 50,000 in Texas, several hundred in Africa.
@CRENpolitics Christian N: @pferal B/c of you, who will provide the money to care for the 50,000 in Texas or do you just want them to die???
@pferal Priscilla Feral: @CRENpolitics Let the oryxes live out their lives on ranches or decent sanctuaries because on April 5, 2012 it's illegal to harm them.
@CRENpolitics Christian N: @pferal I have been 2 Senegal, other African nations, and ranches in Texas. The safest place 4 the Oryx, Addax, and DG to survive is in Texas.
@pferal Priscilla Feral: @CRENpolitics Ridiculous and I was in Senegal 3 wks ago along with your obscene hunting ranches.
@CRENpolitics Christian N: @pferal but they are not going to gain in population on Texas ranches because no one will care for them anymore meaning nearly all will die.
@pferal Priscilla Feral: @CRENpolitics Earth to you: Hunting ranches are not safe for animals hunted. In Senegal, numbers are increasing on protected lands.
@CRENpolitics Christian N: @pferal why did their populations drop in Africa??? One reason is Qaddafi used them as missile practice. Still going to be harmed over there
@pferal Priscilla Feral: @CRENpolitics No. Oryxes were hunted to extinction by French trophy hunters. That's over.
@CRENpolitics Christian N: @pferal how many in Senegal are there???? And by protected, how well guarded? Poachers still can "harm" them very easily in Senegal.
@CRENpolitics Christian N: @pferal first of all, I never said I was a hunter, that was wrong of you to assume. Again, how many live in Africa? |
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---She never states how many of the three animals remain in Africa. Also notice how she only mentions the Oryx and not the Addax or Dama Gazelle which are also affected? By Feral's logic, every American whether they are of European, African, Asian or any descent should be sent back to their "native" lands even though these species (like many Americans) have been here for generations.
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