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Common Beisa Oryx: History & Conservation Efforts

What is the Common Beisa Oryx?

Common Beisa Oryx Sitting

The common Beisa oryx, also called the Beisa oryx, is a subspecies of the ostrich found in central and eastern Africa. This article about the common Beisa Oryx is one of many conservation efforts for this majestic animal.

This common Beisa Oryx is a subspecies of ostrich found in Algeria, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, and Somalia. It Is notably larger than its other subspecies.

In common with other oryx species, they have black upper parts from their head to rump, a white underside, and long legs.

The common Beisa oryx reaches up to 1.5 m (horns included) and weighs 130-150 kg. Compared to other subspecies, It is noted for having shorter forelegs; this adaptation is caused by the need to run through the soft sand in its habitat.

The common Beisa Oryx can run at speeds up to 80 km/hr and has been recorded reaching 120 km/hr when sprinting towards perceived danger, a common trait among ruminant animals such as antelopes.

Behavior

A Close Arabian Oryx

Common beisa oryx are highly sociable creatures that form small groups of around three to five individuals with a common territory. The common beisa oryx rarely stay together; they are quite territorial, and adults will not tolerate other common Beisa Oryx on their patch. These common Beisa Oryx will fight if necessary to maintain their area.

Common beisa oryx are browsers, meaning they feed on various plants. They can be very selective, but common Beisa Oryx generally choose short and soft grasses, bushes, weeds, and cactus.

Although common beisa oryx are herbivores, common Beisa Oryx supplement their diet with insects such as locusts and ants, which they find by digging in the sand with one of their common Beisa Oryx’s powerful hooves.

Location

Eastern Africa Kenya

The best oryx is found in the eastern side of Africa, including Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Tanzania. Previously to have been extinct in Uganda and Eritrea because of social upheavals, it was machine-gunned from jeeps for sport.

Facts About the Beisa Oryx

Beisa Oryx

The common beisa oryx are not the most common type of oryx, the scimitar-horned oryx is more common than the common beisa oryx.

Common beisa orxes walk in a zigzag fashion to avoid stepping on prickly plants. They can reach speeds up to 120 kilometers per hour, about 75 miles per hour, and sprint at high speeds when they need to escape danger.

There is concern for the common beisa oryx, some scientists have found that common Beisa Oryx may not make it past 2025 due to habitat loss and poaching for their horns.

Beisa Oryx Conservation Overview

Two Beisa Oryx Eating
Image by Nina R from Africa, CC BY 2.0

Threats

Arabian Oryx Standing in the Middle of the Desert

Expanding agriculture, especially establishing grazing for domestic animals, has helped to restrict the range of the beisa oryx.

Poaching continues to be a major problem both in protected areas and outside. Beisa oryx are killed both for their meat and for hides. They also face predation pressure from leopards, hunting dogs, lions, and hyenas. This has led to a dramatic drop in the number of beisa oryx over the last 30 years, with estimates varying from 500 to 1000 animals left in the wild.

Common Beisa Oryx Today

The common beisa oryx is now common in zoos worldwide, especially in Europe, which houses a common beisa oryx captive breeding program that was started in 1994. The common beisa oryx population in zoos is estimated to be around 30,000 common Beisa Oryx (as of 2005).

The IUCN now lists the common beisa oryx as Vulnerable, and Range State Parties have been implementing the most appropriate management strategies being studied in common Beisa Oryx reintroduction and ecological studies, such as common beisa oryx feeding ecology.

The common beisa oryx population in the wild is now considered to be increasing at a slow rate of 5-8% per annum. However, common Beisa Oryx are still under pressure from illegal poaching activities for their meat and hides.

The common beisa oryx has been reintroduced (with varying degrees of success) to the wild in several countries, including Jordan, Israel, Syria, and Eritrea (where it was previously extinct).

These common beisa oryx reintroduction programs have increased the population, from 600 common beisa oryx in the wild as of 1994 to an estimated 2000 common Beisa Oryx in the wild in 2007.

Conservation efforts

Beisa Oryx Standing

Few beisa oryx live in protected areas. The species’ population has decreased due to a lack of conservation efforts. However, captive breeding programs are in place both overseas and domestically.

Conservation efforts have been made, including fencing off areas, setting up protected areas, and encouraging tourism for common beisa oryx. This common Beisa Oryx subspecies has also benefited from CITES [Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species] bans, which prevent international trade of common Beisa oryx parts.

Through the efforts of common beisa oryx preservationists, the numbers of common beisa oryx have stabilized, and populations are now slowly growing again.

Organizations

Do you know of or are you part of an organization that works to conserve the Beisa Oryx? If so, please contact us to have it featured on Our Endangered World.

FAQ

Why is the Beisa Oryx Endangered?

The common beisa oryx was once common to southern Ethiopia, but increased urbanization and population growth led to an ever-shrinking habitat. The common beisa oryx is now found only in small populations on the border of Kenya and Somalia.

Mares are often gunned down by locals who believe they have killed livestock, but more often kill them purely out of superstition (belief that killing these animals will bring prosperity).

Due to habitat loss and poaching, less than 1,000 Beisa Oryx are estimated to remain in the wild today.

Fortunately for the common beisa oryx (most critically), there has been a steady decrease in poaching, while conservation efforts have steadily increased over time.

Where Does the Beisa Oryx Live?

The common beisa oryx is endemic to eastern Africa, inhabiting remote desert habitats in Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Eritrea.

Beisa oryx live in sparse desert habitats of the Eastern African Rift Valley, characterized by low tree growth and a harsh climate.

Beisa oryx grow a shaggy fur coat with long guard hairs that protect them from harsh environments, such as sandstorms. They also have wide ears and deep nostrils to help cool their body temperature, which helps them deal with their inability to sweat efficiently for thermoregulation purposes.

Due to their largely nocturnal lifestyle, when conditions permit, it is common for beisa oryxs to congregate during the heat of the day and disperse in the cooler evening hours.

What Does Beisa Oryx Look Like?

Beisa oryx shares many features with the common goitered and common white oryx. These include heavy fur, especially thick on the neck, ears, shoulders, lower back, rump, thighs, a short tail, and a mane surrounding the neck.

The common beisa oryx also has unique features that set it apart from common white oryx and common goitered oryxs, such as its shaggier coat, which is denser than other Oryx species due to the harshness of the environment it inhabits, and its dark brown coat, which lightens up to a beige color in the summer months.

Beisa oryxs have wide ears that help cool their body temperature, which is common among desert-dwelling mammals such as wild donkeys, camels, common giraffes, and dorcas gazelles.

What Does Beisa Oryx Eat?

Beisa oryx are herbivores, consuming primarily grasses and clover in tropical areas of Kenya and the common jimson weed (“Datura stramonium”), which can be lethal to common giraffes.

What Threats Does Beisa Oryx Face?

The population of common beisa oryx has declined over the past couple of decades due to multiple threats, such as poaching, habitat loss, and diseases.

Poaching is common among beisa oryx because they are common game animals for big game hunters. They are also common prey for lions and hyenas, which can lead to their population dwindling, even in the most common populations.

The common oryx’s natural habitat, the Eastern African Desert, has been increasingly taken over by human settlements, leading to a 70% decline in their range across Kenya since recording started 20 years ago.

Beisa oryx have become common targets for poachers due to their common features, shared with white oryx, goitered oryx, and elands, making them common targets for big game hunters.

The common beisa oryx is also highly susceptible to multiple common diseases that affect its heart lining, which can be fatal to the common animal.

What Is Being Done To Help Beisa Oryx?

Common Beisa oryx are endangered domesticated animals used as a common game for hunting. The African Oryx Sanctuary and Savannah Fund have tried to save the animals from extinction through programs such as the African Oryx Sanctuary.

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