Wild Pronghorn Corridor Welfare | Animal Welfare Hub

Conservation welfare of pronghorn antelope (Antilocapra americana) focusing on migration corridor protection, fence impacts, and habitat fragmentation challenges.

Key Facts

Pronghorn undertake one of North America longest land migrations — up to 300 miles through Wyoming seasonally
Pronghorn cannot jump over fences like deer and rely on gaps or low fence sections to pass through barriers
The Upper Green River pronghorn corridor has been threatened by energy development and infrastructure
Pronghorn are the second-fastest land animal on Earth, with speed evolved for now-extinct predators
Wire fences entangle and injure thousands of pronghorn annually across their range
Habitat fragmentation reduces access to seasonal forage, increasing nutritional stress and mortality
Pronghorn populations have declined from 35 million historically to approximately 500,000 today

Welfare Considerations

Pronghorn welfare is inseparable from landscape connectivity. These animals evolved to move freely across vast distances, and barriers to migration cause direct welfare harms — including malnutrition from inability to reach seasonal forage, injuries from fence entanglement, and population-level stress from crowding. Climate change is shifting the timing and location of optimal forage, making corridor flexibility even more critical. Wildlife-friendly fence design — with smooth bottom wire set higher off the ground and barbed wire removed from the top — significantly reduces pronghorn mortality and injury while maintaining livestock control.

What You Can Do

Support wildlife corridor protection initiatives in Wyoming and other pronghorn range states
Advocate for wildlife-friendly fencing requirements on public lands crossed by pronghorn migration routes
Contribute to organizations like the Pronghorn Alliance working on habitat connectivity
Support energy development policies that require wildlife migration assessments before approval
Learn about the ecology of North American grasslands and their role in pronghorn welfare