Pronghorn antelope migration routes are increasingly blocked by livestock fencing — fence modification programs restore movement and dramatically improve population welfare.
Pronghorn migration welfare is fundamentally about landscape permeability. When migration routes are blocked by fencing or roads, pronghorn cannot reach seasonal forage and water — particularly critical in drought years when the journey to summer range becomes a survival necessity. Animals that fail to complete migration face malnutrition, dehydration, and increased predation pressure in degraded habitat. Fence modification programs are among the most cost-effective conservation investments available: modifying a fence segment costs relatively little compared to the number of animals that regain migration access. The welfare and population recovery benefits of these programs make them a clear priority for western US land management.