WATCH: The Story of the Wyoming Mule Deer that Walked 242 Miles
My family likes to walk. I thought we were doing a pretty good job of strolling long distances until I saw this story about the Wyoming deer that walked 242 miles.
This is a new video share by the Wyoming Migration Initiative from the University of Wyoming. It's the story of what they refer to as "deer 255". Here's how they described their study:
Here’s the backstory: In 2016, our team of University of Wyoming biologists discovered a record-breaking mule deer in Wyoming. A collared doe migrated from southwest Wyoming to eastern Idaho, 242 miles, one-way.
Most mule deer that are a part of this migration stop after 150 miles according to this study. Not Deer 255. She continued on for a world record 242 miles.
This new video reveals that they didn't detect her making this trek during spring, so they speculate that she may have had fawns and will lead them on this journey next year.
It's an interesting deep dive into the struggle that these deer have making this trek in our modern world. Even with special efforts to provide paths over busy highways, it's still a challenge that some deer do not survive. As for deer 255, she continues on hopefully for many seasons to come.