Distinctly Montana Magazine

w w w. d i s t i n c t ly m o n ta n a . c o m 13 artICLE by EmILy harrIS photoS by brEtt SWaIN WWW.krIttErShotS.Com I t's early morning in Yellowstone country, and domestic sheep paint an idyllic scene as they dot the countryside along the mighty river. High on a bluff overlooking the valley, a Bighorn ram is making his way toward the lush grassland the domestic sheep are grazing; this is not the first time he's been to this ranch. This ram does not cut the figure of majesty and strength that Bighorn Sheep have come to represent across the Western states — coughing and sneez- ing, he is dying from pneumonia. This disease, often carried by domestic sheep and easily contracted by Bighorns, has killed thousands of the wild sheep in recent decades, depleting some states' herd populations to less than 30% of their numbers in the 1980s. In Montana alone, over 1,500 sheep have died in recent years, leaving fewer than 5,000 sheep scattered throughout the state. Efforts to restore these iconic animals are far-reaching and multi-faceted. Any intervention becomes a balanc- ing act as the wellbeing of the Bighorn is weighed against the fact that domestic grazing is one of the National Forest Services' many uses, in consideration of the rights of landowners and woolgrowers, and the ever-looming question of funding. The Bighorn Sheep Disease Research Consortium — a research group currently studying sheep populations in Hells Canyon, has radio collars on over 500 sheep; their study area covers parts of Washington, Oregon, and Wyoming, and Idaho. The Consortium, founded in 2009, has made great strides in further understand- ing how pneumonia moves through time and space to affect Bighorn. Research has shown that while domestic sheep may initially cause an infection, the Bighorn sheep themselves perpetuate the disease within populations and cause devastating die-offs. Recent breakthroughs have been made in finding a pathogen common to Bighorn sheep with pneumonia; microbiologists at Washington State University are working on a potential vaccine. Locally, Montana State University has teamed up with Fish Wildlife and Parks on a 1.2 million dollar, six-year project to provide information to further Bighorn conservation causes. See Bighorn lambs play on the road. Go to: www.distinctlymontana.com/bighorn144 DISTINCTLY MONTANA | DIGITAL

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