Naches area bighorns to be euthanized due to pneumonia

[winshooter88]

WDFW NEWS RELEASE
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091
http://wdfw.wa.gov/

April 1, 2013

Contact: Darren Friedel, (360) 902-2256

Wildlife officials to euthanize
diseased bighorn sheep

OLYMPIA - State wildlife officials will take steps this week to curb the spread of a deadly pneumonia outbreak by euthanizing wild bighorn sheep in the Naches area.

Biologists with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and the U. S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services will spend the next several weeks removing sheep from the Tieton herd, about 10 miles west of Naches.

Because most of the sheep are believed to be infected with a disease that causes pneumonia, almost all of the animals will likely need to be euthanized, said Richard Harris, wildlife manager for WDFW.

"A majority of the live bighorn sheep spotted during recent surveys looked to be in poor condition, with about a third of those animals coughing or showing other signs of the disease," Harris said. "We hate to have to take this action, but we believe it’s necessary to stop the spread of a disease that could devastate adjacent herds of wild bighorn sheep in the area."

The disease has already significantly reduced the herd, which is currently estimated at between 35 to 50 animals, said Harris. In recent years, the Tieton herd has numbered as many as 200 animals.

So far, no dead or sick bighorn sheep have been found outside the Tieton herd.

Earlier this year, wildlife managers received reports of sick and dead sheep along the Tieton River. To date, about 25 dead sheep have been found by WDFW biologists conducting aerial and ground surveys.

Carcasses tested at Washington State University’s veterinary laboratory were found to have pneumonia, caused by Mycoplasma bacteria.

The disease is often fatal in wild bighorn sheep and can affect the survival rate of lambs later born to animals that survive the disease, Harris said. There is no treatment for bighorns with pneumonia and there is no preventative vaccine for the disease.

Pneumonia in wild bighorn sheep is not transmissible to humans or domestic livestock, said Harris, who noted that the department is exploring options for how the meat may be used.

Heads and other biological samples from euthanized sheep will be removed from the area, Harris said.

The Yakima area is home to about a third of the state’s 2,000 wild bighorn sheep, with herds totaling nearly 700 animals. Other bighorn sheep herds in the area include the Quilomene, Cleman Mountain and Umtanum/Selah Butte.

In 2010, state and federal wildlife managers took similar action and successfully stopped the spread of the disease in the Yakima River Canyon. Since then, lamb survival has increased and the population in the canyon is recovering.

Past outbreaks among bighorn sheep in Washington and other parts of the western United States have been linked to contact between wild sheep and domestic sheep or goats that carry Mycoplasma but are unaffected by the bacteria. However, there is currently no evidence that there was contact between domestic and wild sheep in the Naches area, said Harris.

Just to be clear, this is not a April fools day joke. I just recieved the e-mail from the WDFW.

[bobcat]

Wow, bad news! Didn't they just do the same thing last year in the Umtanum unit?

[blacktailer]

Idea has probably been hashed out before but why can't a handful of tags be issued to take out some of the rams rather than simply destroying them???

[jackelope]

Wow, bad news! Didn't they just do the same thing last year in the Umtanum unit?

Yes but they didn't shoot all of them. The way it reads, they're going to eliminate the entire herd.

[X-Force]

Does anyone know how many animals they are taking or took out?

sounds like quite a few

[jackelope]

It says in the article 35-50 I think.

The disease has already significantly reduced the herd, which is currently estimated at between 35 to 50 animals, said Harris. In recent years, the Tieton herd has numbered as many as 200 animals.

[Atroxus]

Any chance it's an April Fools prank? 

[jackelope]

It's not.

[jackelope]

Is pneumonia contagious?I dont get why they would do this

Yes, the pneumonia the sheep have is contagious and as far as I know they have no cure. They're going to kill them before it spreads to the Clemans Mt. herd.

[jackelope]

http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/health/pneumonia/

[carpsniperg2]

Very bum deal I remember someone on here knew the shooter that was brought in last year or the year before. I remember seeing some pictures of the sheep threw his rifle scope. I don't think he ended up shooting to many. Sad deal.

[mulehunter]

OLYMPIA - State wildlife officials will take steps this week to curb the spread of a deadly pneumonia outbreak by euthanizing Wolves packs in the NE area.

 Earlier this year, wildlife managers received reports of sick and dead wolves along the Steven County. To date, about 25 dead wolves  have been found by WDFW biologists conducting aerial and ground surveys.

Carcasses tested at Washington State University’s veterinary laboratory were found to have pneumonia, caused by Mycoplasma bacteria.

   

[mulehunter]

Sad deal for all Rams.   . Hope it get better in future.

[klickman]

OLYMPIA - State wildlife officials will take steps this week to curb the spread of a deadly pneumonia outbreak by euthanizing Wolves packs in the NE area.

 Earlier this year, wildlife managers received reports of sick and dead wolves along the Steven County. To date, about 25 dead wolves  have been found by WDFW biologists conducting aerial and ground surveys.

Carcasses tested at Washington State University’s veterinary laboratory were found to have pneumonia, caused by Mycoplasma bacteria.

   

We can only dream.  Would be sweet though

[Dan-o]

Bad deal for the sheep herd....