California Bighorn Sheep Relocation

Flying California bighorn sheep in Nevada? No, you’re not seeing things, just simply a part of the NDOW capture and release program to reintroduce the native species into mountain ranges that the bighorns historically called home. While blindfolds obstructed the good view the flight afforded, the calm sheep got the ride of their lives before their feet safely and firmly hit the ground. Twenty wild sheep were captured with net guns, blind-folded, slung, and flown back down to familiar ground where they were tagged and/or collared by NDOW biologists and volunteers, then loaded into transport trailers. All the while, the sheep were carefully monitored to ensure their health and well-being. From there, the sheep and biologists headed off on a road trip to the Northern Black Rock Desert wilderness area, soon to be their new stomping grounds. Due to its “Wilderness Area” designation, the destination release spot was not accessible via road or vehicle, so the sheep, this time in crates, got one more airlift to the release site.

Jim Jeffress, NDOW biologist, summed up the relocation project “What you want to see at the end of that is 20 sheep running off in good shape.” And that’s exactly how the story concluded for these 20 sheep as they took off up the mountain, quickly indistinguishable from the sagebrush scattered terrain.