Wild Pronghorn Welfare: North America's Speed Champion Under Fence Pressure

Pronghorn are the fastest land animals in the Western Hemisphere, but their seasonal migrations are blocked by fences that cause starvation and welfare crises during extreme weather.

Key Facts

Pronghorn can sustain speeds of 55 mph — the second fastest land animal after the cheetah
They undertake one of North America's longest terrestrial migrations — up to 300 miles between summer and winter range
Unlike deer, pronghorn cannot jump fences; they must crawl under bottom wires or find gaps
Barbed wire fences and livestock fencing block pronghorn migration routes, causing starvation when winter range is inaccessible
Approximately 700,000 pronghorn exist in North America, down from an estimated 35 million historically
Climate change is pushing winter range upslope and northward, extending migration distances

Welfare Considerations

Pronghorn welfare harms are concentrated at fence barriers during migration. Animals blocked from winter range by fences congregate at barriers, becoming exhausted and vulnerable to predation and starvation as food depletes. Severe winters that drive pronghorn to lower elevations blocked by fencing cause mass starvation events. Individual animals that become entangled in lower fence strands sustain lacerations and may die slowly. Fence modification — raising bottom wires to 18 inches and removing the bottom strand — allows pronghorn to slide under while still containing livestock. Organised fence modification projects in Wyoming and Montana have directly improved pronghorn migration welfare.

What You Can Do

Support Wyoming Wildlife Federation and Pronghorn Migration Initiative fence modification programmes
Advocate for wildlife-friendly fencing standards on public lands in pronghorn range states
Donate to migration corridor protection projects identifying and removing fence barriers
Support climate action that preserves winter range availability for migratory ungulates