Pronghorn are uniquely North American animals whose extraordinary speed evolved alongside now-extinct predators. Today, fencing and road infrastructure are their greatest threats.
Wild pronghorn experience welfare harms from fencing that blocks traditional migration routes and causes fatal entanglement. Animals that cannot complete seasonal migrations face food stress in winter ranges, particularly during severe weather. Entanglement in barbed wire causes traumatic injuries and slow death. Road collisions during migration cause acute trauma, and animals surviving collisions may suffer serious injury without access to care. Climate change is altering the timing of vegetation growth along migration corridors, creating mismatches between pronghorn arrival and peak forage quality. Fence modifications — raising the bottom wire and removing the top barbed wire — are simple, low-cost interventions that allow pronghorn to pass under fences while maintaining livestock containment, with significant welfare and population benefits.