2 more bighorns die in Catalinas

Two more bighorn sheep have been found dead in the Catalina Mountains north of Tucson — bringing the number of bighorn deaths there in the past two weeks to three.

None of the sheep, all of them ewes that were monitored with GPS collars, died as a result of predation, state wildlife officials say. Investigations are continuing into the cause of the deaths.

Following the recent bighorn mortalities — the first since December — 37 bighorns are known to be alive in the Catalinas, said Mark Hart, a spokesman for the Arizona Game and Fish Department. The department is overseeing efforts to reestablish a bighorn herd that disappeared from the range in the 1990s by bringing in sheep from healthy herds elsewhere in the state.

Game and Fish documents say a bighorn ewe died on July 24 as an apparent result of a fall from a cliff on Pontatoc Ridge in the Catalinas.

Another ewe was found dead in the Pusch Ridge Wilderness of the range on July 29, and a third was found dead in the wilderness on Aug. 1, the documents say.

Hart said it’s not known whether the two most recent deaths were the result of natural causes or disease.

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“It would be speculative to talk about the possible reasons for the deaths at this point,” Hart said. “Tissue samples were taken from both animals, and they are being analyzed in a lab. We need test results from the tissue samples before arriving at the cause. It’s apparent from the carcasses that they weren’t killed by a mountain lion.”

Among diseases that could be fatal to bighorns are sinusitis, pneumonia and a condition known as bluetongue disease, Hart said.

BENEFICIAL FIRE

A fire burning this week in an area sometimes occupied by the bighorns could have a beneficial effect on the animals’ survival, Hart said.

The lightning-caused Finger Rock Fire, which has burned some 750 acres, is removing unnaturally dense vegetation in the area — vegetation that could conceal predators as they approach bighorns.

“The fire is clearing that out, and there will be new growth which will be food for bighorn sheep,” Hart said. “As long as people and property are out of harm’s way, we support the Forest Service decision to let the fire burn because it will be beneficial to the ecosystem. It will benefit the bighorn population long-term.”