But the nilgai do have to go because they are not native to South Texas and they were not at the battlefield site when the war was fought in the 1800s. The park s mission is to restore the historic site to the its original state. The battle was fought in 1846 and was the first battle of the Mexican American War, with Gen. Zachary Taylor leading the American troops and Gen. Mariano Arista commanding the Mexican army. Taylor pushed back Arista s forces and defeated him the next day, which led to the conquest of today s Southwest. The battlefield is also home to another pest mesquite trees, Vela said.
Mesquites are an invasive species.
But mesquite trees can be weeded down. They will run through a fence. They don t jump. That was the problem in the first place, wildlife experts say. The nilgai were introduced to the King Ranch during the Great Depression in the 1930s by the Kleberg family.