A bighorn sheep was found dead Friday in the Catalina Mountains β marking the 13th bighorn death since 31 sheep were relocated to the range from the Yuma area in November, state wildlife officials confirmed Monday.
The ramβs cause of death was determined to be predation by a mountain lion, said Mark Hart, spokesman for the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
βWeβre trying to locate the lion, but some time has elapsed (since the bighorn death) so itβs questionable whether it will be located, Hart said.
Two mountain lions have been killed for preying on sheep since the relocation, which is aimed at rebuilding a bighorn herd that disappeared from the Catalinas north of Tucson in the 1990s. Some hunting and conservation groups support the project, but many Tucson-area residents have voiced strong opposition to it.
