This year, record snow levels and resulting floods in Northern Montana have trapped thousands of pronghorn antelope at Fort Peck Reservoir. Wedged between the flooded Missouri River and the steep cliffs on the south side of the Reservoir, antelope are beginning to die off as the limited food supply is being rapidly depleted. Some wildlife specialists estimate that between 2,500 and 3,000 antelope will die of starvation by the end of the summer. Each year, pronghorn antelope make the 260-400 mile migratory journey from central Montana to Northern Montana and Canada. This annual migration has become increasingly difficult in recent years because of climate change and habitat destruction. In the winter of 2010, the now stranded antelope moved farther south than usual because of extreme low temperatures and high rainfall throughout Montana. Of the over 300,000 pronghorn antelope that are estimated to reside in Montana, close to 30,000 have died off already due to harsh temperatures and snow levels of up to 10 feet, according to the New York Times. Additionally, 700 or 800 were killed by freight trains as they sough shelter along the Burlington Northern Train Tracks. Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks official Winston Greely states that there is nothing that can be done for the antelope marooned on the Reservoir. “It can be heart wrenching for people to see wildlife suffering in these conditions, but helping out can cause more harm,” he said. In spite of the dire conditions, many of the antelope that can make it through the summer will be able to complete their journey when the river freezes over. Still, the high death tolls should serve as a warning for the long-term future of wildlife populations. Extreme weather conditions paired with the continuing human-induced depletion of habitat could mean destruction of the patterns and livelihoods of species like the pronghorn antelope. BM
