Meet the four members of our scimitar-horned oryx herd!
If you’ve visited the Zoo, you’ve likely met a lot of our more than 800 animal residents. Some animals are easy to spot, but others are often not as easy to see because of their habitat set up, their personalities or their sleep cycles among other things. We wanted to start a “Meet the Animals” section of our blog to introduce you to some of the residents that you may (or may not have) met yet!
Our scimitar-horned oryxes are this month’s Meet the Animal stars! These animals are desert-dwellers native to North Africa. Their namesake comes from the special shape of their horns, the thin and curved keratin resembling a scimitar sword. However, these unique horns also made them victims of overhunting, eventually leading the species to be declared “extinct in the wild” in 2000. However, thanks to the efforts of zoos and international conservation organizations, reintroduction programs began, eventually leading them to have an upgraded status of “endangered!”
We have four oryxes in our herd: Gracie, Moto, Kicha and Danica. Gracie is the eight-year-old baby of the group and was hand-reared right here at the Zoo! She’s quite friendly with her keepers and will allow for an occasional scratch between the horns. Gracie is also known for her bravery, showing no fear when our three lion brothers moved in next door. She even displayed behaviors that signaled she was ready to challenge the lions to fight!
“She had no idea she would lose that fight,” said Expedition Africa keeper, Cindy.
Moto made a cute calf!
Moto, Gracie’s half-brother who is older by one month, is the only male in our herd and is known for his spunkiness, particularly when it comes to his food-stealing antics.
“He will try and steal snacks from the rhinos, sometimes from right under their mouths,” noted Cindy.
Kicha and Danica are the moms of Gracie and Moto respectively. They’re both older oryxes at 15 and 16 years of age. Our group of four all get along great, and we love getting to care for this species at our Zoo. While their skittish nature can present challenges for their keepers, Cindy enjoys the problem-solving environment this creates.
“We have to try and come up with ways to positively encourage the oryxes to do what we need them to do voluntarily,” said Cindy. “It is very rewarding when an idea works, and you know you just made that animal’s life easier.”
While it is the nature of oryxes to be shy and flighty, they all get along well with their habitat mates. Whether they’re sharing space with the rhinos, giraffes, zebra or impala, they’re always content as long as they have their fair share of hay.
Our oryxes spend most of their day grazing on plants and munching on fresh hay. On hotter days, they like to cool off in the shadier areas of their habitat. Our keepers make sure to provide daily enrichment in their habitat to switch up their day-to-day and encourage their natural behaviors. Some of the oryxes’ favorites are big sticks to rub their horns on, large carboard boxes to investigate and, of course, food enrichment! Special food items like ice treats or hay “burritos” are often enjoyed by these four.
Their keeper team also spends part of their day working on training exercises. One of these important behaviors is voluntary scale
Our oryxes do well in a variety of habitats!
training. When an oryx performs this behavior, they will walk onto a scale so we can record their weight. This is important to ensure everyone is at a healthy weight and there are no underlying issues we need to worry about. And, since Gracie is the most comfortable around people, she has also learned to target and is starting to get comfortable with voluntary hoof trims!
Our oryxes are part of the scimitar-horned oryx Species Survival Plan, however, the goal of our herd has moved into being ambassadors to their counterparts in Africa instead of growing oryx populations. We are incredibly proud to be a part of a program that has contributed to this species’ return to their native range after being declared extinct. This incredible accomplishment was made possible by the work of several Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited zoos and other international organizations. Their reintroduction work has allowed this species to not only come back from extinction but also have several viable populations throughout the Sahara Desert. Read about this incredible feat here. And make sure to come say hi to our four special oryxes!
Brevard Zoo is an independent, not-for-profit organization that receives no recurring government funding for our operating costs. Your generous support enables us to continue to serve our community and continue our vital animal wellness, education and conservation programs.