Mending Fences
A herd of pronghorn sprints across the landscape in Clark, Wyoming, close to a fence scheduled to be modified to make it more wildlife friendly. Pronghorn almost always chose to duck under fences, often causing significant harm to their backs which are raked by the barbs of lower strands of barbed wire placed too low to the ground.
Barbed wire fences may seem ubiquitous in the western part of the country but fences in general were unheard of before the arrival and homesteading by European settlers in the late 1800’s. As the plains were divided by ranchers raising cattle and sheep, new ways of containing livestock and delineating property lines were found and fences became a common sight.
A combination of ancient wooden posts and more recent metal poles hold up the strands of barbed wire on this fence in Clark, Wyoming that has been part of the landscape for more than half a century.
There are basically two types of fence, based on the goals of the person erecting the structure: Exclosures are common around suburban and rural homes and are meant to keep things, including other people, out, while enclosures have the role of containing things, such as livestock, within. Both types of fences have the potential to cause issues for wildlife traveling across the landscape.
In recent years scientific studies have allowed us to become more aware of animal migrations and movements and just how critical such actions are for many. In Wyoming, numerous species of ungulates depend on their ability to travel up to summer meadows rich with food and down to wintering grounds with less snow, trips often involving many grueling miles of effort. Habitat fragmentation in the form of roads, houses and fences is just one of the challenges that must be overcome to survive.
Captured on a Bushnell trailcam, a pronghorn ducks under a barbed wire fence. The scars on its back are a sure sign that it has injured itself in previous trips through.
A trailcam captures the moment a piece of fur is stripped off the back of a pronghorn passing through.
Pronghorn are not the only animals that try to duck under fences. Young elk such as the one pictured find it almost impossible to follow the adults jumping over traditional barbed wire fences.
While adult deer and elk usually jump over barbed wire fences, sometimes with tragic consequences, pronghorn and young animals of many species are faced with trying to duck under. Often the bottom wires are too close to the ground to allow easy movement, causing injuries to the backs of the animals passing through. In many areas where sheep were raised in years gone by, the bottom part consists of welded wire – small squares of impenetrable fencing material – causing the animals to travel additional miles as they attempt to find a way through.
Animals jumping over barbed wire fences can catch their bellies or legs on the barbs, causing painful injuries, not to mention the energy that is required to overcome barrier after barrier.
A close-up of animal hair caught in the barbs of a barbed wire fence.
In recent years, several groups have come into being with the goal of assisting landowners to modify their fences to be more wildlife friendly. One such group in this area is the Absaroka Fence Initiative. Like many organizations that came into being in 2020, they had an extended start-up period but still managed to undertake a project before the end of the year. Luckily for us, that project was on our property!
We chose to modify or remove most of the fences on our place some years ago but there was one mile that still caused concern. The fence was built long before we arrived almost three decades ago and has been maintained by our ranching neighbors who hold the grazing rights on the adjoining section of public land. For various reasons, it had not been modified, but our neighbors agreed to allow us to work with the volunteers of Absaroka Fence Initiative to make it happen in early December.
On December 5, fifteen volunteers with the Absaroka Fence Initiative showed up to modify a one mile section of barbed wire fence, making it more wildlife friendly while still serving the purpose of containing cattle within their grazing lands.
To hear more about the history of fencing and about this project in particular, be sure to listen to my podcast on the subject by clicking the button below, or by downloading the latest episode from Apple Podcasts or Spotify.