From: http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/208453/4/

Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Fifty-five bighorn sheep released in Utah

BARBARA CHRISTIANSEN - North County Staff
Fifty-five bighorn sheep now call Utah their home.

They were released in the hills Monday by the Division of Wildlife Resources after being captured in Montana. Twenty were released at the mouth of American Fork Canyon, 10 at Rock Canyon in Provo and 25 east of Mona/Nephi near the mouth of Willow Creek Canyon.

"It is one of our goals to put bighorn sheep back into their natural habitat," said Craig Clyde, wildlife biologist with DWR. "Because of disease and overhunting, we lost everything we had before.

"We are here to augment the population that is already here," he said. "We want to get them in as many places as we can. We would like them to stay up on the mountain."

He said it is natural for them to go to lower areas, especially in the winter, as they seek forage. That can cause problems if they are attacked by dogs. They can also get too used to being around people and be hit by cars, he said.

Representatives selected the sites because other wild sheep were already in the area. In American Fork Canyon, for example, there is already a herd of about 40, which the new sheep are expected to join. Most of the 20 sheep released into American Fork Canyon are pregnant, so there the herd population could double.

An ideal herd size is about 200, he said. That keeps the group viable to maintain itself despite natural obstacles.

The sheep were trapped in two locations in Montana, near Augusta and outside of Sula, south of Missoula.

"We trapped 55 total," Clyde said. "All of these came from Sula yesterday," he said of the group released in American Fork Canyon. They are moved by helicopter.

"Helicopter is faster and the most efficient way," Clyde said. From the helicopter, the captors shoot a net, approximately 12-by-12 feet, in which the sheep get tangled. The captor takes the net off, then hobbles the sheep and puts them on board the helicopter.

They have ear tags that are numbered and have different colors. They indicate where they were captured. Radio collars help the DWR track them in the future. Before they left Montana, they were given shots and had their blood taken to be analyzed prior to their release, said Lee Howard, former president of the Utah chapter for North American Wild Sheep.

"It has been a project for me for the last 17 years to get a visible number of sheep," he said. "When we started there were about 200 in the state. Now there are over 5,000."

The average cost for each sheep released into the wild is around $1,000, which includes the costs of the helicopter capture, veterinary fees and transportation. Much of the funding comes from the area sportsmen and a conservation permit program, Howard said.

Anis Aoude, regional wildlife manager with the DWR, praised the cooperation between government and non-government entities to bring the sheep to the area.

The site of a herd of sheep making their way to a new habitat can be exhilarating.

"It is exciting for me because I love wildlife," Clyde said. "For me to be able to do things that help wildlife is fulfilling to me personally. I am also doing something good for the people of Utah."

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D1.


Additional on same story:

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_5117026

http://www.abc4.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=8d...d3-b5a6-fa8a5d3edac0

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=844506

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_5112086