Wild Pronghorn Welfare: America's Speed Champion Under Pressure

Pronghorns are North America's fastest land animal and undertake some of the longest remaining land migrations on the continent. Fencing and development threaten their welfare and survival.

Key Facts

Pronghorns (Antilocapra americana) can sustain speeds of 55 mph and are built for long-distance running rather than jumping
Their migration routes can span hundreds of miles — one route in Wyoming covers over 160 miles each way
Unlike deer, pronghorns cannot jump most fences and instead try to crawl underneath — becoming entangled and dying
Barbed wire fencing along migration corridors causes thousands of pronghorn deaths and injuries annually
Populations have recovered from near-extinction in the early 20th century but face renewed pressure from development

Welfare Considerations

Pronghorn welfare is acutely threatened by infrastructure that fragments their migration corridors. Fence entanglement causes suffering from lacerations, exhaustion, and prolonged death. Converting fencing to wildlife-friendly designs — raising the lowest wire to 18 inches from the ground and replacing barbed bottom strands with smooth wire — dramatically reduces entanglement mortality at low cost. Highway crossings kill additional pronghorns, and underpass or overpass wildlife crossing structures have proven effective where implemented. Supporting intact migration corridors is the highest-impact single intervention for pronghorn welfare.

What You Can Do

Support organizations like the Pronghorn Project that work to convert fencing to wildlife-friendly designs
Advocate for wildlife crossing infrastructure on highways that bisect pronghorn migration routes
Donate to land trust organizations protecting key pronghorn habitat in Wyoming, Utah, and other western states
Contact ranchers about fence conversion programs — many offer cost-sharing assistance for wildlife-friendly modifications