Wild Pronghorn: Migrations Blocked by Fences

Pronghorn are North America's fastest land animals and longest-distance migratory ungulates, but their ancient migration routes are increasingly blocked by fences that cause suffering and population decline.

Key Facts

Pronghorn can sustain speeds of 55 mph and undertake migrations up to 300 miles seasonally
Unlike deer, pronghorn cannot jump over standard livestock fences and must crawl under the bottom wire
Barbed wire and woven wire fences that prevent crawling block migration routes and cause starvation
Pronghorn populations have declined from 35 million historically to approximately 500,000 to 700,000 today
Wyoming's Path of the Pronghorn was the first designated wildlife corridor in the US National Forest system
Fence modification programs raising bottom wires allow pronghorn passage without compromising livestock containment
Pronghorn blocked by fences are sometimes found dead against them, having exhausted themselves trying to cross

Welfare Considerations

Pronghorn blocked by fences during migration face starvation as they attempt to reach seasonal forage. Animals congregating at impassable fences experience increased competition, disease transmission, and predation vulnerability. Pronghorn that get entangled in barbed wire attempting to crawl under experience acute injury and slow painful death. The blocking of migration routes concentrates animals in areas with insufficient forage, causing mass starvation during severe winters. Each fence modification that allows pronghorn passage is a direct prevention of individual animal suffering multiplied across thousands of individuals using the route annually.

What You Can Do

Support fence modification programs in pronghorn migration corridors through Wyoming Wildlife Foundation
Advocate for wildlife-friendly fencing requirements on public land grazing allotments
Donate to Path of the Pronghorn corridor protection and wildlife crossing programs
Learn about pronghorn migration biology and the importance of corridor connectivity
Support research tracking pronghorn movement to identify critical fence modification priorities