From: http://www.kduhtv.com/viewStory.php?id=5314

BIGHORNS RELEASED IN WILDCAT HILLS
1/22/2007 - 05:41:52 PM
THE NEBRASKA GAME AND PARKS COMMISSION RELEASED ELEVEN MORE BIGHORN SHEEP INTO THE HILLS NEAR MCGREW MONDAY. TODAY'S RELEASE FOLLOWS THE RELEASE OF NINE BIGHORN SHEEP YESTERDAY, PART OF A PLAN TO RELEASE 50 OF THE ANIMALS BY THE END OF THIS WEEK.

BIGHORN SHEEP ARE NATIVE TO NEBRASKA, BUT THEIR NUMBERS DWINDLED TO ZERO IN THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY. NEBRASKA GAME AND PARKS WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST DUSTIN DARVEAU SAYS AGENCIES ALL OVER THE STATE ARE WORKING TO BRING BACK NEBRASKA'S NATIVE SPECIES. SAYS DARVEAU, "WE REALIZE HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO HAVE THEM IN THE AREA."

THIS WEEK'S RELEASES HAVE TAKEN MORE THAN A YEAR TO ORGANIZE, AND DARVEAU SAYS IF IT WEREN'T FOR THE COOPERATION OF AREA LANDOWNERS IT SIMPLY COULD NOT HAVE BEEN DONE. WITH THE HELP OF PRIVATE LANDOWNERS, SOME 20,000 ACRES HAVE BEEN SECURED FOR INITIAL HABITAT FOR THE ANIMALS.

ALL OF THE SHEEP HAVE BEEN FITTED WITH RADIO TRANSMITTERS SO WILDLIFE BIOLOGISTS CAN MONITOR THEIR MOVEMENTS AND HABITAT USE. THE NEBRASKA GAME AND PARKS COMMISSION WILL RELEASE THIRTY MORE SHEEP TUESDAY BRINGING THE TOTAL NUMBER IN THE NEW HERD TO FIFTY.