The Mexican pronghorn (''Antilocapra americana mexicana'') is a

pronghorn The pronghorn (, ) (''Antilocapra americana'') is a species of artiodactyl (even-toed, hoofed) mammal indigenous to interior western and central North America. Though not an antelope, it is known colloquially in North America as the American a ...

native to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. It was found in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

(in

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

), but is considered

extirpated Local extinction, also known as extirpation, refers to a species (or other taxon) of plant or animal that ceases to exist in a chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere. Local extinctions are contrasted with global extinct ...

there.

Reintroduction

With the Mexican pronghorn being an endangered species due to habitat destruction,

overgrazing Overgrazing occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods. It can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, game reserves, or nature res ...

, poaching, and fencing of ranches, efforts have been made to reintroduce them into

. Human intervention may be necessary, such as growing seedlings and transplants of the flora the animals survive on. In

Coahuila Coahuila (), formally Coahuila de Zaragoza (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza), is one of the 32 states of Mexico. Coahuila borders the Mexican states of N ...

, it was determined the animals browse mainly on

forbs A forb or phorb is an herbaceous flowering plant that is not a graminoid (grass, sedge, or rush). The term is used in biology and in vegetation ecology, especially in relation to grasslands and understory. Typically these are dicots without woo ...

.M.A. Martinez, R.E.P. Miranda, S.J.I. Uvalle, R.R. Aranda, S. Chakeredza, U. Meulen
"Monitoring a Pronghorn (''Antilocapra americana mexicana'') Population Reintroduced to the North-East of Mexico."
Journal of Agriculture in the Tropics and Subtropics (Archives: 2000 - 2002/1). 101(2), 141-161. Further things that can be done to help the reintroduction of this subspecies include setting up clean, reliable water stations (which serve to benefit all area wildlife), reducing the amount of grazing by livestock, and minimizing fence use. Temporary bans on hunting/killing pronghorn will be necessary, until populations stabilize sufficiently.

Conservation

After reintroduction of the Mexican pronghorn, the next step is to start the conservation process. Historically, poaching was one of the factors that led them to become endangered. Only when the population is self-sustaining and thriving, can establishment of a hunting season (by permit) be considered for practical conservation. Unfortunately pronghorn numbers aren’t anywhere near, for example, those of

white-tailed deer The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. It has also been introduced t ...

mule deer The mule deer (''Odocoileus hemionus'') is a deer indigenous to western North America; it is named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule. Two subspecies of mule deer are grouped into the black-tailed deer. Unlike the related whit ...

, so this concept is still rather in its infancy. Once sustainable herds are re-established, management plans can be implemented by the states where the animals are found. This allows a “survival-of-the-fittest” approach to aid in the population’s genetic variability, as well as money going to the state. Other ways are contributing money and service to conservation organizations like the

National Wildlife Federation The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) is the United States' largest private, nonprofit conservation education and advocacy organization, with over six million members and supporters, and 51 state and territorial affiliated organizations (includin ...

References

Mammals of Mexico Mammals of North America Pronghorns {{eventoedungulate-stub