California bighorn sheep were first reintroduced into the lower Owyhee River area in 1965. The herd now numbers about 200 animals. It costs about $1,200 per head to transplant a bighorn sheep, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, so illegally killed animals represent a significant financial loss to the state as well as reduced future hunting opportunities.
There is a $10,000 reward for info leading to the arrest and conviction of the poacher scum. OHA contributed $5,250 of that cash, with other money coming from the Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep.
1 comment:
I often wonder why we refer to the value of nature as the cost to replace or remove it - with no value placed on the services provided over its lifetime. For example, the value of a tree is the cost to remove or replace it - with no accounting for the services (shade, air quality, erosion control, etc) that the tree may provide over its lifetime. In this case the value of the bighorn is based on the cost to replace it and/or what hunters would pay to remove it. No consideration for the services bighorn provide during their lifetime to our environment.
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