Pronghorn are the fastest land animals in the Western Hemisphere, undertaking ancient seasonal migrations across Wyoming and beyond. Their welfare is threatened by fencing that blocks migration routes and causes injury and starvation.
Pronghorn welfare during migration is shaped primarily by fencing. Animals caught in barbed wire sustain lacerations, broken legs, and exhaustion — individuals trapped overnight may die from exposure. Blocked migrations cause animals to compress into smaller areas, deplete forage, and fail to reach winter or summer ranges, resulting in malnutrition and starvation mortality. The welfare impact of migration barriers is both acute (wire entanglement injury and death) and chronic (nutritional stress from range restriction). Wildlife-friendly fence modification is among the most cost-effective and welfare-positive interventions in North American conservation — a single fence modification costs $2–5 per metre and can open kilometres of previously blocked range. Corridor protection through conservation easements on private land prevents new barriers. Road crossing structures at key highway crossings reduce vehicle collision mortality.