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.

"Fitting bighorn with radio collars gives us a better picture of how outbreaks affect the population when they occur," said WDFW Ungulate Section Manager Kyle Garrison. "The GPS data from those collars also allows us to quantify how they use their habitat, which ultimately helps us manage for quality habitat and healthy bighorn herds".

The state is deploying 10 collars in both the Manson and Sinlahekin herds, and replacing five collars in the Umtanum-Selah Butte herd.