30 Desert Bighorn Sheep Relocated To Pusch Ridge Wilderness Area

By Dennis Lambert
Published: Monday, November 18, 2013 - 9:32am
Updated: Monday, November 18, 2013 - 10:00am

The Arizona Game and Fish Department is releasing about 30 Desert Bighorn Sheep in the Santa Catalina Mountains, north of Tucson on Monday. Spokesman Mark Hart says the animals were captured in the mountains outside Yuma over the weekend, and are being relocated to the Pusch Ridge Wilderness Area.

“Each of the 30 sheep will be fitted with a radio collar,” Hart said. “That will enable us not only to trace their movements but to determine if we’ve lost any through predators or disease.”

Hart says sheep once dominated the area and they’re confident the sheep will thrive there again.  He says part of the reason for their confidence is a perceived improvement in the habitat as a result of fires in the early 2000s, which has removed vegetation and will allow the sheep to see predators from farther away.