Why Did Colorado’s Big Snow Storm Lead to 100 Pronghorns Dying?

It's very sad to think how many Coloradans haven't even seen one pronghorn, and we find out that over 100 perished because of a snow storm.

Colorado does get big snow storms from time to time; flights get cancelled, "snow days" can cancel classes, we get told to stay off the roads. All of that is in reference to people; you don't often think about how snow affect wildlife.

In this situation, it's a combination of snow, wildlife and people.

Over 100 Pronghorn Perish After November Snowstorm in Colorado

They say that back in the 1800's there were over 35 million pronghorns in North America, where today there are only about 500,000. That makes what happened to these pronghorns in eastern Colorado in November of 2024.

Not a Lack of Access to Food Killed Colorado Pronghorns

After a heavy storm that dropped over two feet of snow on the eastern plains, you might think that the animals weren't able to find any food; though that would be very sad, what actually happened is horrible to even think about.

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According the Colorado Department of Parks & Wildlife (CPW,) these pronghorns were killed on roads, by vehicles. The pronghorns were out on the roads because they couldn't get under fences, like they usually do, to get to fields because of the heavy snow.

RELATED: Memorial for the Pets That Perished in Colorado's Marshall Fire

According to KRDO, CPW stated that though they do see a little of this during winter months, seeing over 100 perish on the roads is as rare as it is sad. I can't imagine having been one of the drivers involved in this.