The Department of Game and Fish reintroduced Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep into historic bighorn sheep habitat near Cochiti Canyon in the Jemez Mountains of the Santa Fe National Forest.
Several dozen department staff and volunteers conducted a capture operation Aug. 11-14 near Wheeler Peak in the Carson National Forest. The sheep were released in the treeless burned area created by the Las Conchas Fire in 2011, which has become ideal bighorn sheep habitat.
The department captured a total of 45 bighorn sheep using drop nets and then transported the sheep via helicopter to a staging area where they underwent a health evaluation. After receiving veterinary care, they were transported by trailer to their new home.
This will be the 10th Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep herd the department has established since beginning to restore the species in 1978. Biologists anticipate that the herd will expand into Bandelier National Monument and the White Rock Canyon area, and will increase opportunities for New Mexican’s to see bighorns in the wild.
As part of a long-term study, the department will place radio collars on all of the adult sheep. Twenty of the collars will have GPS technology that will give wildlife biologists new insights about the sheep and their daily routines.
The department has used the herd of Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep near Wheeler Peak, established in 1993, as a source for starting new herds since 2003. The department most recently transplanted sheep from the herd of about 350 in 2012.
“More than 170 bighorn sheep have been trapped from the Wheeler Peak population since 2003, and every time is different,” said Eric Rominger, bighorn sheep biologist for the department. “Success is never guaranteed, but we are hoping for the best.”
Bighorn Sheep Translocation | |
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