Image credit: Alberta Fish and Wildlife
December 24, 2023 – 7:00 p.m.
Bighorn sheep may be one of the Okanagan’s best-known wildlife species. However, over time, it risks losing its most distinctive features.
Bighorn sheep are known for their large crescent horns. Unfortunately, this unique feature also makes them vulnerable to trophy hunting.
“Hunters continue to choose the biggest horns and the biggest rams,” Leah McKinnon, management biologist with the Okanagan-Similkameen Management Authority, told iNFOnews.ca.
Hunting of “full curl” rams has created selection pressure on bighorn sheep to have smaller horns, even though hunting is legal with limited admissions.
As a result, bighorn sheep’s antlers may increase over the years.
Males use their horns during mating season to demonstrate strength in head-butting fights. MacKinnon said the horns have a honeycomb structure inside, which helps create a cushion for the brains when sheep collide with each other.
Because their antlers are smooth, such altercations are usually not as deadly as fights in the deer rut. However, since they like to wander around cliffs, terrible accidents can occur.
Bighorn sheep can be found throughout the Okanagan Valley, often hanging close to cliffs with their young.
“They climb like mountain goats, so they really like having cliffs around them,” McKinnon said. “This terrain is called escape terrain because on flat ground they are slower than predators, but on cliffs and very steep slopes they are very fast.”
Bighorn sheep are herbivores, eating a variety of grasses, plants, and shrubs. They are also part of the diet of many local predators, including cougars and coyotes.
These sheep are considered a species at risk in British Columbia, with the main threat being diseases transmitted by domestic sheep, goats, and possibly llamas.
“The big problem that killed a lot of bighorn sheep in the past was pneumonia,” McKinnon said. “The BC government is introducing legislation that would require bacterial testing for domestic sheep farmers. In fact, you can manage your domestic sheep flock in a way that eliminates (the bacteria), and that would allow bighorn sheep to be tested. This is because we can completely eliminate the risk of
Ovine mange is also a recent threat to sheep. Scabies, caused by ticks, has migrated up the Okanagan Valley and is causing problems for local herds.
The Okanagan-Similkameen Management Group works to protect locally at-risk species such as bighorn sheep by helping private landowners protect and enhance habitat on their properties.
The organization works to restore public lands and frequently gives educational presentations to local communities.
For more information about Okanagan Similkamin Stewardship, please visit this website.
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