Pronghorns Bolstered

Wildlife management

Nearly 300 North American pronghorn antelope from Utah were released into Arizona’s wilds to help assure the speedsters don’t die out.

Though Arizona has an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 of the antelope, at up to 45 mph the fastest mammals on this continent, their natural habitat tends to be much the same as that which humans like - valleys and meadows such as those around Prescott Valley.

Cattle grazing, fire suppression, road building and housing developments are among the factors seen as pushing the pronghorns out of their preferred environments and making then a “sensitive” species in terms of their future.

The North American sub-species are hunted by permit in Arizona - 556 were issued last year. Revenue from the permits are used to replenish their numbers.

However, the Sonoran pronghorns of Arizona’s southwestern deserts are in a more dire situation that precludes hunting. They are listed as an endangered species with only about 200 in Arizona.