Tumaren

Our rangers this morning came back to the office to report that they had found a dead Oryx. From the tracks they could see that the fatality was not from poaching or predation. The Big Male Oryx had been killed by another Male. A deep puncture wound pierced his chest and blood had flowed from his mouth so we suspected that he had been hit in the lungs. There was no other marks on the animal besides some horn scratches on its face.
I look at Oryx every day but when i went to the scene and saw the animal lying there I was shocked by how big Oryx actually are. I have heard stories of Oryx even killing lion. Despite that I have noticed that they are generally not terribly aggressive – A cheetah that I found in Samburu National Reserve with a baby Oryx kill consumed his prize while the entire herd of more than 30 watched from within 50 feet. They could have easily driven the cheetah away but appeared spooked and didn’t bother.