State conducts bighorn sheep captures

YAKIMA - The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is conducting aerial captures of bighorn sheep in late January.

It's part of ongoing efforts to monitor the Umtanum-Selah Butte, Manson, and Sinlahekin herds.

Bighorn sheep conservation in Washington is challenged by outbreaks of pneumonia and, in some herds, limited knowledge of how they use their habitat, stated a spokesperson.

Bighorn pneumonia is caused by a pathogen called Mycoplasa ovipneumoniae and outbreaks can result in all-age die-offs with subsequent outbreaks commonly causing additional mortality, especially in lambs.

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