Oregon DFW Steps up Disease Monitoring in California Bighorn Sheep.
SALEM, Ore.–-(Ammoland.com)- ODFW is increasing disease monitoring in California bighorn sheep throughout Oregon this year as part of ongoing research with Oregon State University and the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.
Paired with previous year’s capture efforts, this brings the total of disease sampled and collared California Bighorn Sheep to over 120.
Concerns about how M. Ovi is impacting Oregon’s wild sheep populations have grown since a die-off of the Lower Owyhee bighorn sheep herd in 2015-16.
Respiratory disease has killed numerous wild sheep in Oregon and other Western states over the past few decades and is considered the largest risk to wild sheep populations.
These tests can help answer questions as to whether bighorn sheep have active infections, have been exposed in the past, and how well an individual may be able to fight off infections.
“These samples will give us a much better understanding of the extent of the bacteria in Oregon’s sheep, if infections are active, and if wild sheep can fight it off and survive.” Each sheep was also fitted with a GPS collar to track its movements.
Samples from previous years showed there are different strains of M. ovi affecting Oregon’s sheep herds.
Of 43 hunter-harvested sheep tested in 2015, three sheep from the Owyhee herd were actively shedding the bacteria.
There are also about 800 Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep in northeast Oregon.
ODFW steps up disease monitoring in California bighorn sheepOregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
SALEM, Ore.–-(Ammoland.com)- ODFW is increasing disease monitoring in California bighorn sheep throughout Oregon this year as part of ongoing research with Oregon State University and the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.
ODFW traditionally relocates sheep each year as part of a years-long effort to restore this rare species to its historic range in Oregon. But these relocation efforts are on hold this year while wildlife managers learn more about Mycoplasma ovipneumonia (M. Ovi, the bacteria primarily responsible for infectious pneumonia in bighorn sheep).
In the last few weeks, ODFW wildlife biologists and veterinarians have sampled 54 bighorn sheep in southeastern Oregon. Paired with previous year’s capture efforts, this brings the total of disease sampled and collared California Bighorn Sheep to over 120.
Concerns about how M. Ovi is impacting Oregon’s wild sheep populations have grown since a die-off of the Lower Owyhee bighorn sheep herd in 2015-16. Also that year, the Nevada Dept of Wildlife made the difficult decision to eliminate an entire herd of sick bighorn sheep just south of Oregon’s border to stop the spread of M. ovi to neighboring populations.
Respiratory disease has killed numerous wild sheep in Oregon and other Western states over the past few decades and is considered the largest risk…
