sheep threatened by disease
Photo: Okanagan Nation Alliance
The Coalition of Okanagan Nations wants comprehensive legislation to provide an effective means of separating wild and domestic sheep and goats.
The Okanagan Tribal Alliance wants to increase protections for dwindling wild sheep.
They are calling on the B.C. government to work with the Syilx Nation to develop legislation that provides an effective means of keeping captive sheep and goats away from native species.
According to ONA, wild sheep numbers continue to decline due to diseases transmitted by livestock species.
“It is our duty and sacred responsibility to protect the Timix who cannot speak for themselves. It is sad to see the yilikwlxkn suffer from diseases perpetuated by humans and preventable with simple measures. This is unacceptable and we must do everything we can to prevent further suffering,” said Rep. Jordan Coble, chair of the ONA Natural Resources Committee.
“We cannot stand by and watch our yilikwlxkn lambs continue to die every year. We need new laws developed in partnership and collaboration.”
One of the most difficult diseases is Mycoplasma fallopian tube pneumonia (M.ovi). This is a bacterial strain commonly found in the nasal cavities and sinuses of domestic sheep and goats. When infected in wild sheep populations, it can cause sudden outbreaks of pneumonia that can kill large parts of the herd. After an outbreak, lamb birth and survival rates are often low for many years.
These animals are also threatened by hemorrhagic disease viruses (bluetongue and zoonotic viruses) and psoriatic mange (psoroptes cuniculi).
ONA says comprehensive new legislation, developed in collaboration with the Syilx Nation, could help maintain sustainability and recognition of Indigenous principles of food for food, social and ceremonial purposes. I am. They argue that case-by-case or farm-by-farm mitigation measures, such as fencing projects on private land, can be costly, difficult to implement, and susceptible to exploitation by landowners.
“Without domestic industry regulation, we cannot adequately address the risks of exposure and catastrophic mortality,” ONA said in a news release.
