Pronghorn are the second-fastest land animals on Earth and perform North America's longest terrestrial migration, but fencing and development fragment their migration corridors and threaten population welfare.
Pronghorn welfare during migration involves the physical demands of long-distance movement through increasingly fenced and developed landscapes. Animals that encounter impassable barriers during migration face nutritional stress from failed movement to seasonal ranges. Fence modifications (removing barbed wire at the bottom strand) directly improve welfare by allowing natural crawling passage. Migration corridor protection preserves the ability of pronghorns to perform the evolved behavior that defines their ecological role. Individual pronghorn welfare and population sustainability both depend on maintaining these corridor links.