As presented in a previous article about Fraser River Bighorn Sheep Disease this discussion will focus on detection, treatment and future actions needed to deal with the ongoing Bighorn Sheep die-off in the Fraser River corridor.
The study area consisted of 17 zones on both sides of the Fraser River starting with the most northerly area west of Williams Lake south to Pavillion as well as the Chasm area.
As in the previous article I have left out the references in the original paper. Residents will likely be familiar with areas west of the Fraser River like Junction, Mary Gulch, Churn / Camelsfoot, Ward and MacKay creek, Gang, Withrow, Blackhills and French bar — Churn, and areas east with names like Staffords, High Bar, Big Bar, Canoe/Dog, Alkali and Deer park as well as Chasm.
The program started by capturing approximately 10 per cent of all groups of sheep using helicopter net-gunning over a two-year period (2019 to 2020). Both rams and ewes were sampled and in total 81 were captured and sampled across both regions following the initial sampling followed by test -and-remove treatments to promote pathogen fade-out along the Fraser River.
This approach seeks to identify individuals carrying M. ovi in their nasal passages and euthanize those individuals to break the chain of transmission to other sheep.
The study focused on adult females specifically to break the annual chain of transmission from adult female bighorn sheep to their young lambs, which is thought to be the primary chain of transmission that allows this disease to persist in sheep populations over time. Removal of carrier females has improved lamb survival in previous research elsewhere so it was anticipated that similar results could be expected here which was the case areas in treated to date.
About half of the areas have been treated mostly west of the Fraser so expectations are high for similar results on the east side.
In spring 2021, a working group was formally established — the Fraser River Bighorn Sheep Working Group (FRBSWG)” — to guide, engage and collaborate on bighorn sheep recovery actions going forward.
The group is made up of representatives from many communities within three Nations (St’at’imc, Tsilhqot’in and Secwepemc), B.C. government Fish & Wildlife Branch, BC Sheep Separation Program, and Wild Sheep Society of BC. The goal of the group is Fraser River bighorn sheep recovery through collaboration and implementation of actions under three primary aspects of bighorn sheep recovery: (1) M.ovi test and remove treatments, (2) domestic sheep policy and legislation, and (3) habitat enhancement in treated areas.
An important outcome from the FRBSWG in summer 2021 was the development of a long-term plan to methodically treat all bands of sheep on the Fraser River. The authors estimate that to effectively address persistent M.ovi infection in this sheep population, approximately 545 sheep across 17 treatment bands will need to be treated using the test-and-remove approach.
Discussions and action addressing other aspects of bighorn sheep recovery (e.g., domestic sheep policy, habitat enhancement, predation) are ongoing through the FRBSWG. The FRBSWG is also developing post-treatment management plans to guide recovery actions following treatment, prioritizing and starting with those bands where small numbers remained following treatment (i.e., Gang Ranch and McEwan Creek).
In a recent discussion with Chris Procter I was informed that the research paper discussed above is not yet available to the public. There is more information available from the Wild Sheep Society of BC (WSSBC) through their 2022 Outcome Statement and Action Plan. The WSSBC has 1,300 members with a mission: to promote and enhance wild sheep and wild sheep habitat throughout British Columbia. From 2018-2022, the WSSBC has provided $1,180,000 for projects including habitat enhancement, and disease research and mitigation in British Columbia.
In November 2022, WSSBC invited First Nations, conservation organizations, guide outfitters, the government, and those with an interest in wild sheep to the 2022 BC Sheep Summit.
The summit’s goal was to seek agreement on methods to re-establish healthy wild sheep populations and maximize their abundance throughout British Columbia.
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