Timeline: Bighorn sheep relocation and deaths in the Catalinas
Since 31 bighorn sheep were relocated to the Catalinas Mountains north of Tucson from mountains near Yuma in November, 16 bighorns have died — most of them killed by mountain lions. Two mountain lions have been killed for preying on sheep.
Look through the timeline to view published stories, photos, videos and documents about the bighorn sheep's relocation.
2013
May 29
Bighorn sheep — a species that was practically the symbol of the Catalina Mountains before the herd there died out in the 1990s — will soon ro…
Sep 12
Bighorn sheep — absent from the Catalina Mountains north of Tucson for more than a decade — could be roaming wild in the range again by mid-November.
Nov 07
Drive north of Tucson into Oro Valley, pull over, and peer up at rugged Pusch Ridge towering above you to the east: What you’re seeing is the …
Nov 16
This aerial video by the Arizona Game and Fish Department shows bighorn sheep being captured by means of aerial net guns in the mountains near…
Nov 16
Reporter Doug Kreutz was in Yuma on Saturday, November 16 as wildlife officials captured the first big horn sheep to be released in Tucson.
Nov 17
YUMA — Wildlife officers — swooping out of the sky in helicopters and wielding net guns — snared fleet bighorn sheep in rugged mountains north…
Nov 18
Bighorn sheep captured in Yuma over the weekend were released Monday morning at Catalina State Park. Video by Doug Kreutz / Arizona Daily Star
Nov 18
Bighorn sheep captured in Yuma over the weekend were released Monday morning at Catalina State Park. Video by Doug Kreutz / Arizona Daily Star
Nov 19
Bighorn sheep are roaming wild in the Catalina Mountains once more.
Nov 29
All 31 of the bighorn sheep released into the Catalina Mountains on Nov. 18 apparently have survived so far and are fanning out across the ran…
Nov 30
One of the bighorn sheep released into the wild in the Santa Catalina Mountains has been found dead.
Dec 04
Bighorn sheep and mountain lions are dying in the Catalina Mountains north of Tucson as a result of a “transplant” of 31 sheep into the range …
Dec 13
A new group — Friends of Wild Animals — has been formed in Tucson to protest developments in a recent bighorn sheep reintroduction near the ci…
Dec 14
A new group opposed to the bighorn sheep reintroduction outside of Tucson protested Thursday at the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
Dec 08
The reintroduction of bighorn sheep to the Catalina Mountains has gotten off to a deadly and controversial start — with two bighorns killed by…
Dec 21
A fourth bighorn sheep released into the Santa Catalina Mountains on Nov. 18 has died, killed by a mountain lion, according to a new report fr…
2014
Jan 10
People gather outside a news conference by the Arizona Game and Fish Department to protest the killings of mountain lions that have killed big…
Jan 11
A fifth bighorn sheep has died in the Catalina Mountains — the victim of a mountain lion.
Jan 16
Bighorn sheep roam Romero Canyon north of Tucson, but spotting them is rare. Video by the Star's Doug Kreutz.
Jan 17
State wildlife officials declined Friday to provide current information on a controversial bighorn sheep reintroduction in the Catalina Mounta…
Jan 23
A seventh bighorn sheep apparently has died in the Catalina Mountains, according to state wildlife officials, said a state senator who spoke w…
Jan 25
Eight of the 31 bighorn sheep transplanted to the Catalina Mountains in November are now dead — slashing the size of the group by more than 25…
Feb 08
A ninth bighorn sheep has died in the Catalina Mountains where 31 bighorns were released in November, state wildlife officials reported Friday.
Feb 11
Another bighorn sheep has died in the Catalina Mountains — the 10th bighorn fatality since 31 sheep were released in the range last November, …
Feb 13
Two apparently healthy lambs have been born to bighorn sheep that were released in the Catalina Mountains north of Tucson last November, state…
Feb 15
Another bighorn sheep has died in the Catalina Mountains north of Tucson, state wildlife officials confirmed Saturday.
Feb 21
Another bighorn sheep, a ram, was found dead in the Catalina Mountains north of Tucson on Tuesday, the Arizona Game and Fish Department has co…
Feb 21
The Arizona Game and Fish Department released new photos Friday of another lamb born in the Catalina Mountains north of Tucson.
Feb 22
Mountain lions that kill bighorn sheep in the Catalina Mountains will now be tracked and killed by state-sponsored hunters only in a portion o…
Feb 24
A bighorn sheep was found dead Friday in the Catalina Mountains — marking the 13th bighorn death since 31 sheep were relocated to the range fr…
Mar 05
Two more bighorn sheep have died in the Catalina Mountains and a mountain lion was killed for preying on sheep, state wildlife officials confi…
Feb 07
Latest report on the bighorn sheep re-introduction plan
Jan 24
Updated map showing boundaries of trail restrictions.
Jan 11
Bighorn sheep captured north of Yuma last November were released into the Santa Catalina Mountains from Catalina State Park on Monday. Bighorn…
Jan 11
About 30 Bighorn sheep were captured near Yuma on Saturday, Nov. 16, for relocation to the Santa Catalina Mountains north of Tucson. The opera…
2013
Dec 04
Read the PDF for the "Santa Catalina Adaptive Mountain Lion Management Plan" put out by the Game and Fish Department in advance of the bighorn…
2014
Mar 08
A bighorn sheep reintroduction project that has brought the deaths of 15 bighorns and three mountain lions in the Catalina Mountains is a futi…
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A newborn bighorn sheep lamb was spotted with its mother Friday in the Catalina Mountains no…
