Another bighorn sheep has been killed by a mountain lion in the Catalina Mountains, and the lion has been tracked down and killed, state wildlife officials reported.
Meanwhile, plans are moving ahead for another translocation of bighorns to the Catalinas north of Tucson in November.
On Oct. 22, the GPS collar for a bighorn ram sent a mortality alert, indicating the animal had died on the night of Oct. 21, says a report on a bighorn project website maintained by the Arizona Game and Fish Department. The department is overseeing an effort to rebuild a bighorn herd that disappeared from the Catalinas in the 1990s.
“Volunteers monitoring by VHF could not locate this ram on Oct. 22,” the report says. “On Oct. 23, the carcass of the ram was found, and the death was attributed to mountain lion predation. On Oct. 24, the adult male lion responsible for this kill was removed.”
Game and Fish officials said a fourth translocation of bighorns — following three previous ones in 2013, 2014 and 2015 — is aimed at helping the herd survive.
Based on data collected during surveys of bighorns in the Catalinas at the end of September, the population was estimated to be 66 animals, according to the Game and Fish report.
“The department and the project’s advisory committee believe that this population of bighorn sheep will have the best chance to thrive with an additional augmentation,” the report says. “Therefore, a fourth translocation of up to 20 animals is planned for this November.”
