This species formerly occurred widely in the semi-arid and arid bushland and grasslands of North-East Africa, from north-east Sudan throughout arid areas of Eritrea, Ethiopia, north-east Uganda and Kenya to Djibouti, Somalia and north-east Tanzania (Wacher and Kingdon in press). Their distribution has declined markedly in numbers and distribution, especially at the margins of its range, e.g., Uganda and Somalia, but still occur quite widely in areas of Ethiopia, northern and eastern Kenya and north-eastern Tanzania where human and livestock densities are low (East 1999).

There is no recent confirmation of Beisa Oryx occurrence in Eritrea, where its status is uncertain. Likewise, the failure to locate any oryx during a 1995 aerial survey of Bokora Corridor, Matheniko and adjoining areas of Karamoja suggests that it has either disappeared completely from Uganda or at best survives in very small numbers (East 1999).

Fringe-eared Oryx are distributed entirely south of the Tana River in eastern Kenya and north-east Tanzania, with a major centre of distribution in Tsavo (East) and the Galana Ranch region (Cobb 1976), spreading west and south to Mkomazi, Amboseli and sporadically appearing in Serengeti (Wacher and Kingdon in press).