Bighorn Sheep (Ovis Canadensis) are beautiful and graceful creatures, in spite of the fact that they average 300 pounds! Like the American Buffalo, millions of these unique-looking animals once graced the North American mountainsides, but trophy hunters reduced their numbers so drastically that numerous conservation groups were forced to step in to save the species from extinction. They can still be seen in places such as the Colorado Rocky Mountains near Estes Park where cars line up on the highway and the sheep pose for the tourists, but protecting these animals from extinction requires a continuous effort.
Boy Scouts of America Leads Conservation Efforts
Male Bighorn Sheep are easy to spot on mountainsides because of their large horns, which makes them easy targets for hunters. By the early 1900s they were nearly hunted into extinction. According to the Website of Everything Animal, in the 1800s, Bighorn Sheep numbered in the millions. The Arizona Boy Scouts of America started a campaign to save the Bighorn Sheep in 1936 under the guidance of noted conservationist and the "Father of Scouting" Major Frederick Russell Burnham. Burnham noted that their numbers were reduced to the thousands, with only 150 left in Arizona.
In addition to their attraction to game hunters, Burnham noted that the Bighorn Sheep were contracting diseases from domestic sheep. They were also competing with domestic sheep for food sources. Through the efforts of the Boy Scouts, the National Audubon Society, the National Wildlife Federation, and the Izaak Walton League, 1.5 million acres of land was reserved as protected areas for the Bighorn Sheep. They were also reintroduced in areas where they had disappeared. In spite of dedicated conservation efforts, one subspecies that lived in the Black Hills of South Dakota did go extinct.
Pneumonia Outbreak of 2010 Threatens Bighorn Sheep Populations
According to an article in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, contact between domestic sheep, goats, and wild Bighorn Sheep may have been the cause of a 2010 outbreak of pneumonia in Bighorn Sheep populations in five western states. In April of 2010, Wildlife officials announced that an outbreak of bacterial pneumonia was killing sheep in large numbers in Montana, Washington, Utah, Wyoming and Nevada. By April of 2010, more than 1000 sheep had died in nine separate herds. In October of 2010, NBC Montana announced that one Bighorn Sheep herd in the Rock Creek area east of Missoula was reduced by 43% due to the epidemic. Although the herd lost all lambs born in 2010, wildlife officials expected that the remaining 55 sheep would survive.
Some Subspecies of Bighorn Sheep Still Considered Endangered
There are three subspecies of Bighorn Sheep. The graceful Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis canadensis), lives in the Rocky Mountains in the United States, the northwestern United States and the Canadian Rocky Mountains. The Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis sierrae) lives in the Sierra Nevada and conservation groups are fighting to keep these sheep from extinction by including them on the Endangered Species list. The Desert Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni), can be found in the southwest desert regions of the United States and Mexico. The Peninsular Bighorn Sheep, a segment of the Desert Bighorn Sheep, is also considered endangered.
Anatomy of the Bighorn Sheep
According to The Bighorn Institute, the horns of a Bighorn Sheep will continue to grow its entire life. In fact, the most distinctive and recognizable feature of the Bighorn Sheep is the massive, curved horns on the rams. Females, or ewes, also have horns, but they are much shorter. Baby Bighorn Sheep are called lambs. They have one lamb per year, and their average life span is 21 years. The males perform a fierce ramming ritual during mating season. The colors of the Bighorn Sheep range from light brown to chocolate brown and sometimes gray. They have a white rump and white on the backs of their legs. Bighorn Sheep are social creatures. A group of Bighorn Sheep is called a drove, flock or herd.
Rams weigh from 127 to as much as 316 pounds and are between 36 and 41 inches tall at the shoulder. They are between 69 and 79 inches long from nose to tail. Ewes are generally between 75 and 188 pounds, 30 to 36 inches to the shoulder and between 54 and 67 inches from nose to tail. They are extremely graceful creatures and those who live in the Rocky Mountains are often seen on extremely steep slopes, picking their way through fallen rocks to avoid falling prey to cougars and coyotes. They are also herbivores and seek areas of land with salt deposits to supplement their diet.
Tributes to the Bighorn Sheep
Those who live in areas with Bighorn Sheep take great pride in the presence of these animals. The Desert Bighorn Sheep is the Official Nevada State Animal. It is also the provincial mammal of Alberta, Canada. The Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep is the Official State Animal of the State of Colorado and the official symbol for the Colorado Division of Wildlife.
Sources:
- "Facts about Bighorn Sheep" Bighorn Institute. Retrieved January 13, 2011.
- Lannetta, Annamaria. "Bighorn Sheep Survive Pneumonia Outbreak." NBC Montana.com. Retrieved April 17, 2011.
- Nolen, Scott R. "Severe Pneumonia Outbreak Kills Bighorn Sheep." The Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Retrieved January 31, 2011.
- "Ovis Canadensis." The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
Darla Sue Dollman - Darla Sue Dollman, BA, MFA, has expertise in classic films, the Old West, boating, and animals.
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