New Long Distance Migration Route for Pronghorn Found in Idaho

Researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the Idaho-based Lava Lake Institute for Science and Conservation discovered a new overland migration route of pronghorn antelope that ranks among the farthest for any land mammal in the Western Hemisphere.

The migration route stretches from the base of Idaho's Pioneers Mountains to the continental divide's Beaverhead Mountains, passing through Craters of the Moon National Monument and Reserve - a round trip in excess of 160 miles. The route crosses federal, state, and private land and narrows in one stretch to a bottleneck less than two football fields wide. There, animals are restricted by mountains, fences, a highway, and fields of jagged lava from Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve.

The discovery is part of an ongoing study to track pronghorn using GPS and radio collars. The study's investigators include Dr. Scott Bergen of the Wildlife Conservation Society, Tess O'Sullivan of the Lava Lake Institute of Science and Conservation, and Mark Hurley of Idaho Fish and Game.

"This study shows that pronghorn are the true marathoners of the American West," said Scott Bergen, project director for WCS. "With these new findings, we can confirm that Idaho supports a major overland mammal migration - something that is becoming increasingly rare in the U.S. and worldwide."