FORT BLISS, Texas — During my first couple days at Fort Bliss, I had heard smatterings from soldiers about a non-indigenous species of African antelope population that somehow inhabited the training grounds.
But no one really quite knew how the animals, known as the oryx, got there.
Many of the soldiers told me different theories that they'd heard. Some told me that they didn't even believe these antelope-looking animals were out there.
But on my last day at the post, as I was hanging out with a bunch of artillerymen waiting to see an M109 Paladin test fire, one of the creatures appeared before us.
Here's the true story about how the animal arrived in the US, and what I saw that day:
The artillerymen, combat photographers and I were waiting to watch the Paladin fire, when, suddenly ...
An oryx appeared out of nowhere — like something out of an M. Night Shyamalan movie.
For about 15-20 minutes, the oryx stood about 20 yards away, periodically nibbling on foliage and curiously looking at us.
The oryx is an African antelope that is non-indigenous to the US.
On average, oryx weigh about 450 pounds and stand about 4 feet tall (not including their 34-inch horns).
Source: National Park Service
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