This week, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) achieved a significant milestone in wildlife conservation by reintroducing desert bighorn sheep to their historic range at Franklin Mountains State Park in El Paso. The bighorn sheep, relocated from Elephant Mountain Wildlife Management Area near Alpine, were released into their ancestral habitat as part of a long-term restoration project aimed at reestablishing their presence in the region.
The event, which was open to the public, marks a pivotal moment in the effort to restore the desert bighorn sheep population that had vanished from the West Texas landscape by the early 1960s due to unregulated hunting, competition with domestic livestock, and disease. The sheep introduced to the Franklin Mountains were carefully selected and moved from Elephant Mountain Wildlife Management Area, ensuring their adaptation and survival in their new environment.
Community members and conservation enthusiasts gathered to witness this historic reintroduction and support TPWD’s ongoing efforts to conserve Texas wildlife.
