According to a recent press release from the Nevada Division of Wildlife (NDOW), 50 Nevada desert bighorn sheep have been transplanted to new homes in the mountains of Nevada and Utah.
It involved a joint effort by NDOW and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, assisted by volunteers from the Fraternity of the Desert Bighorn, the Southern Nevada Water Authority, the Nevada State Board of Wildlife Commissioners and the Clark County Advisory Board to Manage Wildlife.
Craig Stevenson, NDOW biologist, said that the sheep were moved to the two new locations following two days of trapping in mountain ranges in Clark County.
All of the sheep were caught using net guns fired from a helicopter. The aircraft was provided by a contract helicopter service, Hawkins and Powers Aviation of Wyoming.
Bighorns for the Utah release were netted in the Muddy Mountains near the Overton Arm of Lake Mead. They were released into Cataract Canyon near the town of Moab.
Nevada sheep were netted in the River Mountains near Boulder City and released in the Delamar Range in Lincoln County, southeast of Alamo.
All of the sheep that were captured were ewes and young rams. Mature rams are typically not captured during these types of operations because they are difficult to handle and once in the trailers, they are prone to injuring the other sheep.
For information, call the Nevada Division of Wildlife at 688-1500 during business hours.