Why are the bighorn sheep dying

I was years-old when we did the first transplant and all the hard work. Read more: B. Bluetongue is an infectious, non-contagious, vector-borne viral disease that affects wild and domestic ruminants that is transmitted by insects, particularly biting midges.

In highly-susceptible sheep, morbidity can be as high as per cent, Mortality averages from per cent but can be as high as 70 per cent, according to the World Organization for Animal Health. On Thursday, Global News talked to a hunter who confirmed there were two other hunters hunting for bighorn sheep in the backcountry of Grand Forks. The hunting guides are asking the government for another transplant of bighorn sheep for the area as they depend on out-of-town hunters for their livelihood.

The father and son duo did cancel their hunts this year due to the massive loss to the population. Bluetongue is usually fatal in bighorn sheep and it can also affect other ruminants like white-tailed deer, says B. Caeley Thacker. It's not a particularly common disease in British Columbia, although it has affected herds south of the border.

The flies arrive through a change of environmental conditions or wind, she said. Thacker says once an animal is infected, the disease course takes place and the animals will likely die. The hot summer has resulted in a higher population of midges, the insects that spread the virus from one animal to the next. Gutsche said that although the virus commonly circulates among sheep in the U. When temperature hits zero those midges that are transferring the disease, they all die.

And at that point, the disease — the disease event — is over. The disease causes extensive internal bleeding, causing infected animals to lose their balance. Death usually follows within two to three days of the onset of symptoms.