Bighorn Sheep "Disease Event" in Montana Mountains, NV

From NDOW:

​The Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) has taken necessary actions in the Montana Mountains in Northern Nevada in an effort to save healthy bighorns in the adjacent Nevada and Oregon mountain ranges. The decision was made to depopulate a herd of California bighorn sheep due to an ongoing and aggressive outbreak of polymicrobial pneumonia that has caused an all age die-off in a once healthy herd in the Montana Mountains of Humboldt County.

"We had to make the difficult but necessary decision to completely depopulate the Montana Mountains of the remaining small number of bighorn sheep to prevent the spread of pneumonia to sheep in other Nevada mountain ranges and to prevent the possibility of sick sheep dispersing into the neighboring state of Oregon," said Nevada Department of Wildlife Director Tony Wasley. "This is truly an unfortunate measure, but as the extent of this disease event has become clearer to us, we have determined that it is the proper and responsible course of action. " An important factor in the Department’s decision is that currently, there is no known cure or treatment for the illness.

Indications of disease in this herd were first revealed in early December 2015 during routine capture and radio-marking efforts. Subsequent close monitoring and disease testing of additional bighorn sheep from this area indicated a high occurrence of pneumonia.

Learn more here: ​http://www.ndow.org/Bighorn-Sheep-Disease-Event-Montana-Mountains/_

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