Pronghorn antelope complete one of North Americas longest land migrations, but livestock fences fragment their routes and cause significant welfare harm.
Pronghorn caught in fences suffer acute injuries including lacerations, exhaustion, and death by strangulation or exposure. Animals that escape fences may still sustain wounds that become infected or impair future migration. Blocked migration routes cause nutritional stress as animals cannot reach seasonal forage, leading to starvation and reproductive failure. Management tools such as removing redundant fences, raising bottom wires to at least 18 inches, and installing wildlife-friendly passage panels address these harms without eliminating necessary livestock infrastructure.