Thirty Desert Bighorn Sheep Find a New Home

Bighorns released in southeastern Utah

Lake Powell -- Thirty desert bighorn sheep in Utah have a new home.

The Division of Wildlife Resources released the sheep in the Dirty Devil drainage north of Lake Powell on Jan. 18. The transplanted animals included 19 ewes, five lambs and six rams.

The DWR contracted with Pathfinder Helicopters to catch the elusive animals in locations in southern Utah that have numerous bighorn sheep. Entangling the sheep in nets, fired from a helicopter overhead, was the first step in capturing them. The sheep were then airlifted to trucks and trailers for a road trip to their release site.

Before being released, the sheep received health examinations, vaccinations and ear markers. Six of the sheep were also fitted with radio collars. The collars will allow biologists to monitor the sheep's movements, their survival and the eventual success of the release.

Of the six rams that were captured, one was 3½ years old, two were 2½ years old, and three were yearlings. Biologists prefer to transplant young rams because they're less likely to wander away from the release area. They also have a longer life expectancy than the older rams.

The bighorns released on Jan. 18 will supplement an existing bighorn sheep population on the west side of the Dirty Devil River.

The DWR released a small group of sheep in the area 10 years ago. This population has slowly increased in size, but there's still plenty of room for more sheep.

Biologists hope the recently transplanted population and the existing population will connect with each other. That connection would speed the growth of bighorn populations in the desert country of southeastern Utah.

Bringing Bighorns Back

Desert bighorn sheep are native to Utah. However, because of disease, by 1960 their populations had declined to very low levels.

Since that time, the DWR and conservation groups, including the Utah Chapter of the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep, have worked together to bring bighorn sheep back.

Through their efforts, desert bighorn sheep can now be seen throughout much of their former range in Utah.

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Contact: Brent Stettler, DWR Southeastern Region Conservation Outreach Manager (435) 636-0266 or (435) 636-0260