News Release

Rare antelope shot; its calf dies later

September 19, 2008

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.

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.