Reward offered in killing of bighorn

Reward offered in killing of bighorn

Nov. 30, 2000

The Division of Wildlife and the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep are each offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons who illegally killed a large desert bighorn sheep during the Thanksgiving holiday.

Todd Malmsbury, spokesman for the DOW, said that other groups have expressed interest in offering a reward as well.

The bighorn was killed on BLM land near the town of Slick Rock in San Miguel County. The sheep was a large mature ram, one of the largest animals in a herd that inhabits the area.

The ram was shot and abandoned a few days prior to, or after Thanksgiving, according to local District Wildlife Manager Dave Harper. The meat from the animal was not salvageable.

Desert bighorns were reintroduced into the Dolores River canyon near Slick Rock during the mid-1980s. The last bighorns had disappeared from the area in the 1950s because of a number of factors, including illegal poaching, predation, introduction of disease from domestic livestock, and habitat and range destruction.

"Desert sheep are one of the most prized and sought-after trophies in North America," Harper said in a press release, "and they’re one of the rarest big-game animals in Colorado."

Hunting for desert sheep rams in Colorado is strictly limited, and tags are difficult to obtain. Only six licenses were issued statewide through the division’s limited license drawing in 2000.

Harper urged anyone with knowledge of someone who was in the area around Thanksgiving to call Operation Game Thief at 1-800-332-4155, or the Durango office of the DOW at (970) 247-0855. Callers may remain anonymous.

"This is really a crime," Harper said. "Not only is a beautiful animal destroyed and wasted, but it will affect the number of licenses I’ll recommend being issued for next year."