Wild Sheep Foundation

The Wild Sheep Foundation’s overarching strategic goal is to ensure that North American Caprinae populations (including wild sheep) and their habitats are effectively managed, accessible, utilized and supported by interested stakeholders. Founded in 1977 with the purpose to “Put Sheep on the Mountain”, the Wild Sheep Foundation (originally known as the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep) is THE conservation organization dedicated to restoring wild sheep populations that dwindled to historical lows in North America in the 1950s and ‘60s. With private funding from its members and proceeds from an annual convention, known as the “Sheep Show”, the Wild Sheep Foundation and its Chapters and Affiliates, actively fund initiatives throughout North America and beyond to accomplish its purpose and mission. Specific population goals for each species/subspecies are identified in the WSF Conservation Strategy 2020, providing measurable targets as milestones in population growth.

In almost 40 years, the Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF) has raised and directed more than $100 million to “put sheep on the mountain” – more than $53 million raised and directed to agencies from special permits and tags alone. This funding has been used to support wild sheep transplants, telemetry studies, disease research, habitat enhancements (e.g. prescribed burning, water development, noxious weed control), predator management, education and a host of related programs. Trap and transplants conducted west-wide initially brought bighorn sheep from Alberta and British Columbia to western states, resulting in a modern day wildlife success story. Rocky Mountain, California and desert sheep numbering +/- 25,000 in the 1950-1960s have been expanded three-fold to more than 85,000 today.

This conservation success is a credit to the more than 10,000 WSF, Chapter, and Affiliate members worldwide and their contribution of thousands of man-hours of labor, dedication and dollars to bring wild sheep back from the brink of extinction. Knowledge gained from the millions of WSF dollars directed to disease research has proven unequivocally that the primary cause of the massive decline in wild sheep populations to their 1950s-1960s lows was respiratory pneumonia contracted from domestic sheep and goats. The primary threat to keeping wild sheep populations on the mountain is ensuring domestic sheep and goats are separated both spatially and temporally from wild sheep. WSF is leading the efforts to protect wild sheep from respiratory bacteria from domestic sheep and goats, while working with the domestic sheep industry to seek collaborative solutions to this deadly problem. WSF and our Chapters and Affiliates have also been deeply engaged for decades with agency managers, university researchers, political leaders (at local, state, provincial, and federal levels), and domestic sheep industry organizations and public land grazing permittees, to arrive at collaborative solutions. WSF recognizes and supports multiple uses of our public lands, while being a strong advocate for wild sheep and their habitats. Educational efforts have informed a diverse spectrum of stakeholders, from school kids to legislators, and from wild sheep conservationists to domestic sheep operators.

From their estimated high of nearly 2 million head prior to European settlement of the West, bighorn sheep numbers plummeted for a variety of reasons. The following chart demonstrates the progress that’s been made in restoring bighorn sheep populations that reached all-time lows in the 1950s-1960s. Dall’s and Stone’s sheep in northern jurisdictions don’t need the same level of intervention in terms of transplants as do bighorn sheep further south; however, “thinhorn sheep” habitats up north need to be actively managed, enhanced, and protected, to ensure long-term population viability. There is still much work to be done to further the Wild Sheep Foundation’s mission and the restoration of wild sheep populations to desired levels - additional translocation of healthy animals, habitat enhancements, continued disease research, advocacy for appropriate separation of wild sheep from domestic sheep and goats, just to name a few. The Wild Sheep Foundation remains committed to its purpose to “Put and Keep Sheep on the Mountain”, and positive trends in wild sheep population levels demonstrate much progress is being made toward achieving our mission.

State 1960 2011

Nevada Remnant 11,000
Colorado 3,000 7,500
Wyoming 2,000 6,500
Arizona 3,500 6,000
Montana 1,700 5,100
Utah Remnant 4,500
California 2,500 4,800
New Mexico Remnant 1,800
Oregon 25 4,200
Idaho 2,800 2,900
Washington Remnant 1,700
Texas Remnant 1,300

*Sources: Buechner Monograph (1960) and Western Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies (2013 data)