SITKA: Fraser River Sheep Capture

M. ovi (Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae) is a strain of bacteria that is carried by domestic sheep and can easily spread to wild sheep populations—it's the most significant conservation concern for wild sheep. Once infected with M. ovi, the wild herd population is catastrophically affected and between 60-90% of an entire herd can be killed off.

The Fraser River Project is taking swift and decisive action to minimize the spread of this devastating bacteria by capturing, testing, and monitoring 100% of the ewes and culling all clearly positive sheep for the safety of future generations. Now after 5 years of hard work, the herd is recovering with greatly increased lamb survival rates, and the future is looking up for wild sheep in the Fraser River area.