Over 100 pronghorn carcasses line Colorado roads after snowstorm. What’s killing them?
Over 100 pronghorn carcasses appeared along eastern Colorado roads after a historic snowstorm dumped several feet of snow across the plains, wildlife officials said.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife Southeast Region shared video on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday, Nov. 12, showing dozens of the dead animals scattered through fields that line roads. (Warning: The video may be graphic to some viewers.)
And while the reason for the animals’ deaths may seem obvious, the reasons behind it are less apparent than you might think.
“ATTN motorists! More than 100 pronghorn have died on roads across Eastern Colorado as they seek refuge from deep, crusty snow in fields across the region,” the agency said in the post. “(Colorado Parks and Wildlife) is urging motorists to slow down and watch for pronghorn sleeping or standing. Especially at night.”
The hoofed creatures, related to antelopes, can’t move fast enough on icy roads to avoid traffic, officials explained. The animals also can’t jump very well, which creates a whole slew of new problems.
“Because pronghorn prefer to go under fences rather than jump over, many are trapped on the roads because snow is 2 feet deep and there isn’t room for them to crawl under the bottom wires,” the agency said, sharing a second video of the animals hobbling down along a plowed but still-slippery road.
“Pronghorn do not respond to baiting to lure them away from roads,” officials said. “So until the snow melts, CPW asks landowners to plow snow from fields to give them large spaces to shelter off the roads. Meanwhile, CPW officers are monitoring herds to protect them and removing carcasses.”
The agency shared a photo of what appears to be the same massive pronghorn herd in the previous video. Only a few dozen of the animals braved the crunchy packed snow along the roadside while the rest congregated in the middle of the plowed road, the photo shows.
This story was originally published November 12, 2024 at 6:21 PM with the headline "Over 100 pronghorn carcasses line Colorado roads after snowstorm. What’s killing them?."
