Wild Bighorn sheep near a B.C. border town are dying of a disease that's rare in Canada, say conservationists
A disease caused by the Bluetongue virus is ravaging the wild Bighorn sheep population near a border town in B.C.’s Interior.
According to the Wild Sheep Society of BC, at least 20 Bighorns have been found dead in an area just east of Grand Forks.
Society director Peter Gutsche said the heartbreaking discovery was made about a week and a half ago, after specialists received a notification from GPS tags on some of the sheep that showed they hadn’t moved in many hours.
“We funded the purchase of GPS collars to track Bighorns in that area to assess the herd and the habitat that they live in,” he said.
When the sheep don’t move for more than eight hours, it sets off a “mortality signal.” In this instance, the locals who help track the sheep received numerous mortality signals in a short period.
“They raced down there when they had a number of at least three or four mortality signals go off within a couple hours of each other,” Gutsche said.
Bluetongue is a virus with no specific treatment, and it’s spread by small flies and midges.
Photos from out in the field show the grey, Bighorn sheep lying dead in rocky areas, sometimes on top of each other. Some were found dead next to a fence that had been erected to keep the local sheep population off of the highway.
Lab results found they’d been infected by the Bluetongue virus, which causes high fever and a swelling of the lips of tongues.
The exact number of sheep who’ve died from the disease is not yet known, Gutsche said. Twelve sheep in a population of about 250 are collared with GPS tags. Nine of those 12 sheep have been found dead.
“If we transfer that over to the population of 250, we're looking at potentially a loss of 200 of those animals or so,” Gutsche said. “It could be devastating.”
The hot summer has resulted in a higher population of midges, the insects that spread the virus from one animal to the next.
“The circumstances of the climate this summer, what we've seen here in B.C. … it's caused this to happen, they're seeing similar things with White-tailed deer down in Washington state as well.”
Gutsche said that although the virus commonly circulates among sheep in the U.S., it’s rare in Canada. However, in the past couple of decades, it’s been hitting sheep populations farther north.
”It's found in Australia and Asia and throughout North America – it's not uncommon by any stretch – but up in B.C., it's not something we see.”
For the Bluetongue virus to stop spreading among the Bighorn, we’ll need cold weather, he said.
“At this point all we can really do is wait for a frost. 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.”
Anyone in the area who sees the dead animals is asked to leave them alone and warned that the dead carcasses may attract predators to the area.
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Angela Jung
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.
DEVELOPING Israel says Hamas deal is 'far' from meeting its demands as Rafah offensive looms
Israel said the terms of a ceasefire deal Hamas accepted on Monday remained 'far from' meeting its demands and warned its military operations in Rafah would continue, even as it sent negotiators to talk to mediators.