Discovery of Bighorn Sheep Carcasses Sets Back State Effort to Get Herd Started

The carcasses of two bighorn sheep have been found and biologists suspect that four more of the rare animals may have died in a state effort to start a new herd along the eastern boundary of Yosemite National Park.

A 9-year-old ram fell into a crevice and a 7-year-old ewe apparently died of respiratory problems after the move earlier this month, said Bill Clark, a state Department of Fish and Game pathologist.

The animals were among 27 bighorns separated from a larger herd on Mt. Baxter, 40 miles south of Bishop, under a program meant to strengthen the species.

Radio-tracking devices attached to four lambs are not transmitting the proper signals, indicating that the animals may have fallen prey to mountain lions or coyotes, officials said.

‘Not a Defeat’

“This is a setback, but it is not a defeat,” Clark said. “Relocations such as these involve a lot of risks. We don’t like any mortality, but it’s part of the game.”

Jeff Keay, a Yosemite biologist participating in the relocation program, was more optimistic about the animals’ chances.

“They may have slipped their collars, which are designed to expand for safety’s sake, or the sensors may have malfunctioned,” he said. “We won’t know the fate of the lambs until we can locate them.”

Trackers began searching for the four missing lambs on Thursday.