Technology
Ep 233: Wild Sheep Are at a Critical Point
In this episode, we explore the critical state of wild sheep in North America, whose populations have drastically declined due to disease and habitat loss. Expert Amanda Verhewl discusses the importan...
Ep 233: Wild Sheep Are at a Critical Point
Technology •
0:00 / 0:00
Interactive Transcript
Speaker A
The plight of wild sheep in North America is dire. At the time of European settlement, there were an estimated 2 million individuals roaming freely across the continent. However, today their numbers have plummeted, leaving only about 80,000 wild sheep in existence. This drastic decline can be attributed to several factors, but one of the most significant threats to their survival is the transmission of deadly Mycoplasma ova pneumoniae from domestic sheep. This highly contagious disease can devastate bighorn populations, causing die offs that reduce their numbers by as much as 75% in a single outbreak. To learn more about these amazing North American megafauna, we reached out to an expert on wild sheep, Amanda Verhewl.
Speaker B
I'm Amanda Verhewl, the executive director for the National Bighorn Sheep center, and our mission is the education and outreach for the national conservation of wild sheep, wild lands and wildlife. When we were first established, we had the largest herd of Rocky Mountain bighorn in North America. At that time we had over 2,000 sheep in our single herd. Since that time we've experienced a die off due to Mycoplasma ova pneumoniae and we have lost 90% of our herd, unfortunately. So it is a really difficult situation. But our lamb recruitment this year is up higher than any other year. So we're hoping that we're at the bottom and we're headed back up with sheep population.
Speaker A
Wild sheep require expansive, undisturbed habitats to thrive. But over the past century, the landscape they once roamed has been severely diminished by human encroachment. The combination of habitat loss and disease transmission poses a serious challenge to the long term survival of wild sheep in North America, making conservation efforts more critical than ever to protect these majestic animals and their fragile ecosystems. Organizations like the National Bighorn Sheep center and the Wild Sheep foundation are vital for gathering professional and financial resources to not only monitor populations of wild sheep, but also to enhance habitat and advance scientific knowledge for the species. Additionally, there is an ever growing misconception that hunting and hunters are contributing to the decline of the wild sheep's population, when in reality the inverse is true. Without hunters, it is almost assured that there would be no wild sheep left. As hunters, conservation dollars, through state hunting license sales and Pittman Robertson dollars, fund the vast majority of wildlife conservation in the United States as part of the North American model of wildlife conservation. Amanda encounters this misconception of the impact of hunters on conservation regularly and explains why hunting is so vital to the survival of wild sheep.
Speaker B
We have people from all different walks of life that will come into the center, many of them are against hunting. We, what we get to do here is talk about what hunting can actually do for the conservation of the species. So it's a common misconception that hunting can lead to the decline of the species when really hunters are outdoor conservationists that are really trying to impact our herds on a very high level. Hunting that was the first concept of the Wild Sheep foundation. When it started getting more sheep on the mountain. A lot of hunters and outdoor enthusiasts were very passionate about the wild sheep and we are absolutely passionate about the wild sheep too. So hunting outfitting has always been a huge part of what we are and what we do. We have impacted so many people that were very much against hunting. To really understand, you know, what the hunter actually does and how that's important, we do sell licenses here at the center about every year. We're able to obtain a commissioner's tag, which helps support a huge portion of what we do, but also gets more hunters on the mountain. There's only a few, few sheep that are hunted in this area and it's a once in a lifetime tag. So it's a really big deal for us to partner with hunters that are able to get a tag locally in the area and just happy to be a partnership with, with hunting and that outdoor world.
Speaker A
Here in Wyoming, commissioners and Governor's Tags special hunting permits auction to raise funds for wildlife conservation have come under increasing attack in the United States with critics claiming they promote hunting elitism. However, these tags are extremely limited, removing a negligible amount from the overall pool of hunting opportunities. Yet the benefits are exponential. These auctions generate significant revenue that directly support habitat restoration, wildlife research and anti poaching efforts. In states like Arizona, where auction tags were recently banned, conservation programs lost critical funding to the tune of $7.1 million for wild sheep alone since 1984. This money was previously used to maintain and expand bighorn populations, restore degraded habitats and manage disease outbreaks. Without these specialized auctions, many vital wildlife conservation projects would be severely underfunded, ultimately harming the wildlife these critics aim to protect. As hunter conservationists, it is important that we fight to prioritize conservation across the country without funding mechanisms as set forth through the North American model, support from hunters and organizations like the Wild Sheep foundation. The animals we all love and cherish will lose the critical habitat and the vital research necessary to keep them around forever. Let's hear from Amanda one more time about how the National Bighorn Sheep center has been working to accomplish this for decades.
Speaker B
The National Bighorn Sheep center collaborative effort first started in 1987, it was planned and designed by a collaborative team. It was actually hundreds of citizens in this community that came together with an idea, with a concept. And having all those citizens come up with this idea and create this center, it truly takes a village and a community. So it's a great example of one place that can be built by hundreds of citizens coming together. So we are our own nonprofit now in a state owned building. There's nothing like it out there. So be sure to come visit the National Bighorn Sheep center and know that this is a collaborative effort from a community of hundreds of people that just dedicated their time and effort to make this place a reality.
Speaker A
If you would like to take action, you can support organizations like the Wild Sheep foundation and the National Bighorn Sheep center and help them continue their incredible work in conserving the fragile populations of wild sheep in North America.
Speaker B
Visit BigHorn.org through that website. BigHorn.org we do have several webinars that we do every year as well. So those webinars will run during our winter, from fall all the way to the spring. We do about eight webinars throughout the year and that is just all about adult education and some different opportunities that you can just view in from anywhere around the world and learn more about this collaborative effort that we have. Sam.
Topics Covered
wild sheep conservation
North American wildlife
Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae
bighorn sheep population
habitat loss
hunting and conservation
National Bighorn Sheep Center
Wild Sheep Foundation
wildlife research funding
hunter conservationists
community conservation efforts
habitat restoration
educational webinars
outdoor conservationists
wild sheep habitats