For roughly six years now, researcher with the Borderlands Research Institute have worked to revitalize the pronghorn population in West Texas.
At its historic low, the pronghorn population wilted to roughly 3,700 in 2011. Today it has rebounded to about 6,000, and researchers say that has brought new problems. As female pronghorns are beginning to fawn, they're heading into new areas and crossing roads -- where they can potentially be hit by passing vehicles. This is one of the new issues facing researchers as they hope to strengthen pronghorn numbers.
Since their restoration project began, researchers have worked with ranchers in the Trans-pecos area to modify fences so that pronghorns can pass through more easily. This - coupled with other factors like drought conditions - is what researchers believe spurred the animal's decline. But with their gradual return to the West Texas plains, researchers are hoping the pronghorn are here to stay.
