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Soldiers don't believe this rare antelope-like animal is roaming around a Texas army base - but we saw one up-close

Soldiers don't believe this rare antelope-like animal is roaming around a Texas army base - but we saw one up-close

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

The soldiers told me a number of different theories that they'd heard about how the animals arrived in the US.

One soldier said that a film crew brought the oryx there to shoot a movie many years ago, and simply left them out in the desert.

Another soldier said that he heard that an African king had gifted them to the US.

But in reality, the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish introduced 95 oryx to the area in the 1950s for large game hunters. Thousands now populate the region.

But, being an non-indigenous species, the National Park Service is concerned about how the animals are effecting the local ecosystem, especially the nearby White Sands National Park.

Source: National Park Service

At one point, being a curious fellow, I crept up to the animal to get a better shot — but it wasn't having any of that. It stomped its hoof and took a couple charging steps towards me, which sent me running in the other direction, much to the soldiers' amusement.

Nor was the oryx scared of the Paladin. Even after the howitzer fired, sending a massive shock wave throughout the surrounding area, I saw it still hanging around.