Rare antelope shot; its calf dies later

Rare antelope shot; its calf dies later

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) Wildlife Alert program and the owner of a rare desert antelope are offering a combined reward of $750 for information leading to the arrest of whoever shot and killed the addax antelope at Pheenix Farm in Putnam County.

This female addax and calf were among only 1,000 in existence. (Photo by John Snow, Pheenix Farm; used with permission.)

The farm owners found the antelope’s body inside a fenced pasture the morning of Sept. 14. It had been shot to death. Its young calf was found that afternoon in a nearby building, but it died shortly afterwards.

The addax antelope is one of the world’s rarest mammals. It is listed as a critically endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and some scientists estimate there are fewer than 500 left in the wild. It is well-adapted to its native African desert habitat and rarely needs water, because it can get most of its water needs from the vegetation it eats.

Pheenix Farm is a game farm located on County Road 315 and Hewitt Lake Road near Orange Springs.

Anyone with information about this incident should call the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922. Callers may remain anonymous.