NORTH DAKOTA DELAYING BIGHORN REINTRODUCTION – North Dakota state wildlife officials have decided to postpone a planned Bighorn sheep project. The project was voted for last fall. The plan was to harvest the sick herd in the badlands. Following the harvest of said herd, officials would then bring in a healthy herd from Montana. However, NDGF has voted to postpone the project for the time being. Concerns over the Bighorns being in to close of proximity to domesticated sheep and goats seem to be the many issues. With no clear time table set, many are unsure if the project will ever happen.
Bighorn Sheep and Disease
Unfortunately, Bighorn sheep are very susceptible to a number of diseases. For instance, during the rut rams will wander looking for ewes. Wandering typically results in the rams finding the domesticated sheep. The rams then contract a disease, like pneumonia. Once the rut is over the rams return to the Bighorn herd. As a result, contaminating the entire herd with the disease. Sadly, more often than not this results in many of the Bighorns dying from diseases.
“Basically it just comes down to we don’t feel comfortable right now. We don’t think it would be a responsible decision on our part to bring healthy sheep into areas (and potentially) mingle in with those domestics and bring disease back into that population. I’m not saying the project is dead by any means, but it’s not going to happen next winter, put it that way. Obviously, domestic sheep and goats on the landscape is something we always look at, and at this point in time, the comfort level just isn’t there as far as the close proximity to the release sites that we identified.”
– Jeb Williams, NDGF
Bighorn Sheep Reintroduction
Many conservation groups including KUIU have funded reintroduction efforts in recent years. Projects in Arizona and Utah’s Antelope Island are two of the more recent reintroductions. Most projects have success when it comes to Bighorn sheep. However, every year there seems that a few herds get hit hard by diseases. Bighorns are one of the tougher animals to manage for wildlife officials. What are your thoughts on North Dakota delaying Bighorn reintroduction? Let us know in the comments.
