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Texas desert bighorn sheep have faced a challenging stretch since respiratory disease outbreaks linked to Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae were first documented in 2019. But the most recent population survey results are offering renewed hope.
 

Thanks to a unique collaboration between researchers, conservationists, and one very dedicated ranching family, desert bighorn sheep are returning to a mountain range where they haven’t thrived in decades. This effort is more than a feel-good story about wildlife restoration. It’s a data-driven, GPS-collared, camera-equipped, science-meets-stubborn-determination kind of story. And it’s just getting started.

A significant trap and transplant operation occurred in mid-June in southern Nevada to aid a desert bighorn sheep population that has been at risk due to chronic drought conditions impacting both surface water and available forage. The Nevada Department of Wildlife, KUIU, Grand Slam Club Ovis, Fraternity of the Desert Bighorn, Nevada Bighorns Unlimited, the Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF), and a host of Nevada conservation NGOs partnered on a rescue mission.

Spearheaded by the Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society (ADBSS) and fueled by a $40,394 Grant-In-Aid from the Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF), the Rinehart-Newlon Water Catchment project stands as a powerful example of what partnerships and passionate volunteers can accomplish.

This past week, 77 desert bighorn sheep were captured from the Elephant Mountains Wildlife Management Areas in the Trans-Peco Region of west Texas and safely released into the Franklin Mountains to establish a new wild sheep population. “The Wild Sheep Foundation was thrilled to partner with the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) and Texas Bighorn Society (TBS) as catalysts and funding partners for the establishment of a new disease-free population of desert bighorn sheep,” stated Gray N. Thornton, WSF President and CEO. 

Franklin Mountains State Park is unique in that it is mainly within the El Paso metro area. It's popular with hikers, campers, and photographers, which created a high-profile and safe release location for the sheep. More than 600 people were in attendance to watch the historic release of 77 desert bighorn sheep, which had more significance than most knew.

The Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF) applauds the effort to restore desert bighorn sheep in the Lone Star State’s Franklin Mountains State Park.

We’re going to Texas in this episode to talk about restoring desert bighorn sheep to a mountain range that hasn’t seen sheep since the early 1900s. Sheep Fever co-host Keith Balfourd visits with Texas Bighorn Sheep Society president Sam Cunningham, WSF’s VP of Conservation Kevin Hurley, and Texas outdoor writer and WSF contributor Chester Moore.

Hunting desert bighorn sheep is an epic challenge. Their wary nature, combined with inhabiting extremely challenging terrain, is respected among sheep hunters. Add to that limited hunting opportunities, and you have a highly prized game animal

Gray sits down with La Palmosa owners Emilio Rangel and his son Emilio Espino to discuss the history of the ranch and their repatriation efforts for desert bighorn sheep which from a source population of 133 released in 2005/2006 now numbers more than 700 free-ranging bighorns.