Scientists Concerned as Two More Bighorn Sheep Die from Pneumonia PALM DESERT, Calif. (AP) 8.18.05, 1:35p -- Pneumonia has killed two more Peninsular bighorn sheep and scientists say they fear an epidemic is brewing that could wipe out the endangered species.
The sheep, one a yearling, were found Saturday and Monday in the northern Santa Rosa Mountains, said Jim DeForge, director of the nonprofit Bighorn Institute.
That makes seven deaths in less than three weeks among a population of just 705 animals.
``Our big concern is that, with this relatively large number of deaths due to pneumonia, we're at the beginning of an epidemic,'' said Walter Boyce, director of the UC Davis Wildlife Health Center.
There are concerns that pneumonia may have killed an entire generation of sheep.
``We have in the northern Santa Rosas 15 yearling rams and we can't find but one or two of them,'' DeForge said.
It was unclear whether the pneumonia was being spread by an insect or sheep-to-sheep, Boyce said.
``We have to figure out what the cause is and that will determine what management options we have,'' Boyce said.
Boyce said some good news was received Wednesday when a biologist making an aerial survey of the mountains got signals from about 50 sheep wearing radio collars.
Peninsular bighorn sheep roam the desert mountain slopes, canyons and washes from the Palm Springs area south into Baja California. Their lifespan is 12 to 14 years.
The sheep, who numbered around 1,200 in the 1970s declined to about 280 by 1996. They rebounded after they were designated an endangered species in 1998.
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" I lift up mine eyes to the hills, whence cometh my help.", Psalm 121
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