New Mexico's Desert Bighorn Sheep regain population numbers

Animal News News and information at The Animal Rescue Site
Desert Bighorn Sheep regain population numbers
9/5/11 2011

There is cause for celebration as population numbers show that a remarkable recovery has been made by Desert Bighorn Sheep in New Mexico, according to a recent report from KRQE News. The rise is so promising that the Bighorn may soon be taken off of the endangered species list.

Population numbers for the Bighorn have risen from 70 in the 1970s to about 600 sheep today, according to the New Mexico Game and Fish Department. Ten rams were recently released into the Red Rock Wildlife refuge, as part of an exchange with Mexico.

Conservationists are hoping that the ten rams will be able to mate with the ewes and produce more numbers for the sheep population. In 1972, when efforts to save the Bighorn began, there was only one ram and five ewes.

There are roughly 1,400 endangered species across the United States, according to a recent report from the New York Times. More than 200 animal and plant species are currently on the waiting list for federal protection under the Endangered Species Act.