Aoudad_AoudadandBighorn_McKinney_BillyPat_MarathonTX_5April2001_Reel2158.wav

Billy Pat McKinney [00:00:00] An aoudad will out-compete a bighorn sheep. Aoudads are exotics and like, like most exotics that I'm aware of, they out-compete native, native animals.

Billy Pat McKinney [00:00:11] The aoudad was evolved in Africa where you have a host of predators. And in very hard, hard country and in some of the borders around the Sahara Desert is where they really thrive.

Billy Pat McKinney [00:00:25] So when they come to this country here, this is like stepping into heaven for them. They have very few predators compared to what they had in, in Africa. Also, they're an animal that reproduces very quickly. The bighorn sheep compared to the aoudad is a very slow reproducer. So they out-compete sheep, our native bighorn sheep.

Billy Pat McKinney [00:00:48] And and we don't like that. We we try to do everything we can to keep them, from that happening.