One of the bighorn sheep that was to be released into the Santa Catalina Mountains earlier in the week has been euthanized because of a fractured leg, officials said.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department said in an update Friday that the ram was apparently injured while being captured Nov. 15 in the Yuma area for transport to Tucson.
The injury wasn't apparent at the time until wildlife officials tried to release the ram on Monday, Nov. 16, with 29 other bighorns into the Catalinas north of Tucson. The bighorns are being released to replace a herd that died out in the mountains.
When the ram could not exit the trailer he was transported in a decision was made to take him to the department's Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center to be examined by a health specialist, the agency said in a news release.
The ram experienced trouble standing, which could have been caused by muscle damage that sometimes occurs at capture.
On Nov. 17, health officials determined the ram had suffered a femoral fracture close to the hip, the department said.
After consulting with veterinarians at the Phoenix Zoo it was decided the animal had to be euthanized. The bighorn would have to have been confined for up to eight weeks to allow the bone to heal, which was not realistic, Game and Fish said.
Game and Fish officials said deaths occur in about 2 percent of bighorns during capture operations, where they are trapped with a net fired from an aircraft.
As of Nov. 18, 60 collared bighorns were known to be alive in the Catalinas. GPS trackers placed on many of the newly released animals show that they are in the same areas as the previously released bighorns.
