Pronghorn used to roam widely in northern Arizona. But European settlement dramatically altered the open grasslands on which pronghorn depend, reducing the population of these graceful deer-like creatures. Today, conservation organizations are working to help pronghorn — by lessening the impact of the fences that now crisscross the land.
Fences fracture pronghorn habitat. Though they are one of Earth’s fastest land animals, pronghorn don’t like to jump. When they encounter a fence, they get through by going under it. Many fences are made of barbed wire and are too low for pronghorn to go under, so the animal’s attempt to cross a fence can lead to injury or death...