No New Losses Of Bighorn Sheep

Bighorn sheep in the care of the state Wildlife Health Laboratory in Caldwell have suffered no new losses from a deadly bacterial disease since Jan. 23.

During the first few weeks after 72 sheep were captured and taken to the facility for care, 53 sheep died. That leaves only 19 survivors.

The bighorns were captured in December on the Washington side of the Snake River in Hells Canyon in a cooperative effort by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon Department of Fish and Game and the private Foundation for the North American Wild Sheep. The massive capture operation, funded by the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep, began when bighorn were seen dead in the canyon south of Asotin to the Grande Ronde River.

Captured sheep were trucked to the Caldwell wildlife health facility for tests and treatment. Sportsmen and biologists hoped moving the sheep would remove sick sheep from the canyon where others might be infected with pasteurella, a deadly bacterial disease that leads to pneumonia.