AMERICAN authorities launched a massive public hunt on Sunday to kill off African gemsbok that are interfering with missile activities and threatening the natural environment in the state of New Mexico. The animals stem from about 100 gemsbok that were taken from Botswana’s Kalahari Desert in the 60s and 70s to create a big game hunting reserve for the public at the White Sands Missile Range in Red Rock. Annual hunts for the gemsbok began in 1974 on the range, but this didn’t stop the animal’s population from exploding to over 3_000 because they can breed all year round. In Africa, the gemsbok’s breeding cycles depend on rainfall, but the American desert is lush in comparison. Authorities have issued 500 licenses that allow hunters to hunt the animals with handguns, rifles, bows and arrows, but not crossbows. – African Eye News Service