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Agencies try to save desert pronghorn from extinction
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
02/14/2003
This Arizona Game and Fish Department photo, date and location not known, shows a Sonoran pronghorn antelope foal with cactus stuck to its fur. The animal later died after it was rejected by its mother. State and federal officials have formed a recovery team in a last-ditch effort to save the Sonoran pronghorn from extinction. Only 21 of the animals remain today, down from the record high of 138 recorded three years ago. (AP Photo/Arizona Game and Fish Department, George Andrejko)
YUMA -- State and federal officials have formed a recovery team in a last-ditch effort to save the Sonoran pronghorn from extinction.
Only 21 of the animals -- sometimes called the phantoms of the desert -- remain today, down from the high of 138 recorded three years ago.
"The desert died and the animals responded accordingly," said John Hervert, wildlife program manager for the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
The long-running drought has left the deer-like animals with no water and nothing to eat, he said.
Sonoran pronghorns live primarily in southwestern Arizona, from the east side of the Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range, south onto the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge.
No significant rain fell in the area between August 2001 and September 2002, said John Morgart, wildlife biologist and Sonoran pronghorn recovery leader for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The recovery team, made up of wildlife officials from the state, the federal government and the Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, will use two existing wells and dig a new one on Feb. 27. Water pipes will be used to carry water to areas that are natural foraging spots for the pronghorns, Mogart said.
The pipes will sprinkle the desert with water to mimic rainfall, so foliage will grow for the animals.
The recovery team also plans an enclosure of about one square mile. A five- to six-foot high fence in the heart of the pronghorn range will hold the pronghorns in while electric fences are used to keep predators away.
So far, about $500,000 has been set aside by various government agencies to pay for the rescue plan.
Rennie Anderson, wildlife counsel for environmental group Defenders of Wildlife, said her group supports the rescue efforts.
Morgart said the situation is grim, but he remains hopeful.
"We could lose this animal (forever)," he said. "This decline has really captured the attention of a lot of people. It's been a real wake-up call. We're in the window of opportunity now."
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On the Net:
Sonoran pronghorn: http://ecos.fws.gov/servlet/SpeciesProfile?spcodeA009
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
02/14/2003
This Arizona Game and Fish Department photo, date and location not known, shows a Sonoran pronghorn antelope foal with cactus stuck to its fur. The animal later died after it was rejected by its mother. State and federal officials have formed a recovery team in a last-ditch effort to save the Sonoran pronghorn from extinction. Only 21 of the animals remain today, down from the record high of 138 recorded three years ago. (AP Photo/Arizona Game and Fish Department, George Andrejko)
YUMA -- State and federal officials have formed a recovery team in a last-ditch effort to save the Sonoran pronghorn from extinction.
Only 21 of the animals -- sometimes called the phantoms of the desert -- remain today, down from the high of 138 recorded three years ago.
"The desert died and the animals responded accordingly," said John Hervert, wildlife program manager for the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
The long-running drought has left the deer-like animals with no water and nothing to eat, he said.
Sonoran pronghorns live primarily in southwestern Arizona, from the east side of the Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range, south onto the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge.
No significant rain fell in the area between August 2001 and September 2002, said John Morgart, wildlife biologist and Sonoran pronghorn recovery leader for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The recovery team, made up of wildlife officials from the state, the federal government and the Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, will use two existing wells and dig a new one on Feb. 27. Water pipes will be used to carry water to areas that are natural foraging spots for the pronghorns, Mogart said.
The pipes will sprinkle the desert with water to mimic rainfall, so foliage will grow for the animals.
The recovery team also plans an enclosure of about one square mile. A five- to six-foot high fence in the heart of the pronghorn range will hold the pronghorns in while electric fences are used to keep predators away.
So far, about $500,000 has been set aside by various government agencies to pay for the rescue plan.
Rennie Anderson, wildlife counsel for environmental group Defenders of Wildlife, said her group supports the rescue efforts.
Morgart said the situation is grim, but he remains hopeful.
"We could lose this animal (forever)," he said. "This decline has really captured the attention of a lot of people. It's been a real wake-up call. We're in the window of opportunity now."
------
On the Net:
Sonoran pronghorn: http://ecos.fws.gov/servlet/SpeciesProfile?spcodeA009
