FWP transports bighorn sheep to Kootenai Falls

By Jennifer McBride - Leader Staff

Counting sheep has a new meaning for the helicopter crew airlifting bighorn sheep from Wild Horse Island to Big Arm state park.

The three-person helicopter team lifted over two dozen bighorn sheep Tuesday, using slings under the helicopter's belly. The animals went two at a time, hog-tied and blindfolded to help them endure the trip.

Extras from the Wild Horse herd will be used to augment the Kootenai Falls flock, essentially doubling it.

"The last time we moved sheep from the island was seven or eight years ago," said John Fraley, information officer for the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

Fraley said the target size of the Wild Horse Island herd is 100. Right now, there are 140 to 160 running around. Because no hunting is allowed on the island, Fraley said the best way to cull the herd and maintain the constraints of the Wild Horse habitat is to take sheep and send them to places that need them. There are only 45 to 55 bighorn sheep in Kootenai Falls currently.

According to Fraley, hunting sheep isn't easy. The catchers don't use tranquilizers or sedatives because it might endanger the sheeps' health.

The Pathfinder helicopter, chartered out of Salt Lake City, hovers over the Island, searching for sheep. Then, using a modified shotgun, a shooter fires an orange net over the sheep. The corners of the net are weighted with metal rods which helps the net spread out in the air and keep the sheep in place. Then, a person called the "mugger" gets out of the plane and single-handedly removes the net, blindfolds the sheep and hog-ties them.

FWP biologist Bruce Sterling said the group plans to move about 20 ewes, five lambs and 10-15 adult rams. Sterling said it's really unusual for a group to transport adult rams.

"In typical transplants, we don't move adult rams," he said. Sterling rarely transfers males more than a year-and-a-half old.

"They don't move well," he said. "They don't transport well. They have the tendency to wander when you set them down."

In other words, rams don't settle down but constantly push the boundaries of their habitat, perhaps searching for their old territory.

But Sterling said the sex ratio is "out of balance" and so they're moving the sheep. After being taken from the island, the rams and the ewes will be separated into two different trailers for the journey to Kootenai Falls.

On Tuesday, the trailer full of males rocked as the rams expressed displeasure with their surroundings. By day's end, each trailer was stuffed with 15 to 20 sheep. In spite of the ominous sounds coming from the rams' trailer, Fraley said the sheep are actually "quite docile."

But before they're transferred, the sheep undergo a 15-minute rigorous testing period. The dozen workers haul the animals, still hog-tied and blindfolded, up onto a set of haystacks. The doctors then take a variety of samples.

Neil Anderson, veterinarian with FWP, said he tests the temperature of the sheep first. While it's hard to picture sheep being too hot when snow falls from the sky, Anderson said they're built for the cold and sometimes the stress of being suspended from a helicopter can make them overheat. A sheep's normal temperature is somewhere around 101 degrees Fahrenheit. Anderson said he doesn't get worried unless the animal's heat rises to 105 degrees. If the sheep gets too warm, Anderson is ready with water to help cool them down.

Anderson is also in charge of testing for diseases. He takes blood tests to determine which antibodies sheep have swarming in their bodies; ear swabs to test for ear mites or scabies; and throat swabs to look for bacteria. Specifically, bighorn sheep are sensitive to pneumonia, pasteurella and salmonella — especially pneumonia.

"That's one of the diseases they are most susceptible to," Anderson said. "It's caused widespread die-offs before."

The biologists had to use a bit to pry the animals' teeth open to take the samples.

Anderson also takes fecal samples to test for parasites.

"Particularly, we're looking for lungworm," he said.

The parasites thrive in hosts' respiratory tracts and often cause bronchitis or pneumonia.

The doctors also give the sheep two injections — one antibiotic and one shot of celenium and vitamin E, which boosts immune systems. It also "helps them recover quickly from the capture," said Anderson.

Though the lab test fees are being picked up by the state, Jim Weatherly, representative of the Montana chapter of the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep (FNAWS) said his organization is picking up the tab for transport. According to him, FNAWS is paying about $650 a sheep to finance their helicopter trip. Weatherly said FNAWS gets donations from people all across the nation for the purpose. They're also planning on holding fundraising banquets in Kalispell on Feb. 29 and on Mar 1.

Though the last sheep lift on Wild Horse Island was seven or eight years ago, Fraley said the herd has been growing so strong, he might have to start planning for the next transport soon.

"With the population as it is now, we might be back in another two years," he joked.