Domestic sheep suspected in bighorn disease outbreak
By Alex McCuaig
Published: 4 days ago
Matt Mellon, Wild Sheep Foundation Alberta president, said 18 bighorn were found dead or culled because of a confirmed case of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, or Movi.
| Government of Alberta photo
An organization committed to the preservation of Alberta’s bighorn sheep population is calling for better testing of its domestic cousins after an ovis disease outbreak in a wild herd west of Calgary.
Matt Mellon, Wild Sheep Foundation Alberta president, said 18 bighorn were found dead or culled because of a confirmed case of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, or Movi.
“It’s an all ages die-off of our bighorn sheep,” said Mellon, referring to the result of an uncontrolled Movi outbreak. “It can affect up to 95 percent of the sheep and once it gets out into the open population, it’s not stoppable.”
The respiratory disease, which produces pneumonia-like symptoms, is usually fatal to wild sheep but produces more mild symptoms in domestic flocks.
The infection was detected after reports of six dead bighorns were made in the Bluerock Wildland Provincial Park, just west of Turner Valley next to Kananaskis County, with a seventh animal found suffering with symptoms consistent with Movi.
Testing confirmed the disease with another 11 bighorn subsequently culled to prevent disease spread.
Mellon said provincial officials are trying to identify the vector for transmission, but he suspects nearby small domestic flocks may be the source.
“The next step for our bighorn sheep as a whole, which is a big step, is to be working with our agriculture department and our partners in agriculture to promote herd health in domestic sheep,” said Mellon. “We can’t stress that enough.”
Some jurisdictions with bighorn populations have established an exclusion zone that prohibits domestic flocks in areas that may overlap with wild herds, said Mellon.
“We want to avoid the finger pointing right now but I can’t drive home enough how much of a risk there is out there from these domestic sheep to our wild sheep,” he said.
WFSA is working with the province on a voluntary domestic sheep Movi testing program to help ensure the disease is not present in those flocks as well as mitigating risks to wild populations if it is.
The Rocky Mountain bighorn is Alberta’s official mammal and one of several recognized symbols of the province along with the wild rose.
An organization committed to the preservation of Alberta’s bighorn sheep population is calling for better testing of its domestic cousins after an ovis disease outbreak in a wild herd west of Calgary.
Matt Mellon, Wild Sheep Foundation Alberta president, said 18 bighorn were found dead or culled because of a confirmed case of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, or Movi.
“It’s an all ages die-off of our bighorn sheep,” said Mellon, referring to the result of an uncontrolled Movi outbreak. “It can affect up to 95 percent of the sheep and once it gets out into the open population, it’s not stoppable.”
The respiratory disease, which produces pneumonia-like symptoms, is usually fatal to wild sheep but produces more mild symptoms in domestic flocks.
The infection was detected after reports of six dead bighorns were made in the Bluerock Wildland Provincial Park, just west of Turner Valley next to Kananaskis County, with a seventh animal found suffering with symptoms consistent with Movi.
Testing confirmed the disease with another 11 bighorn subsequently culled to prevent disease spread.
Mellon said provincial officials are trying to identify the vector for transmission, but he suspects nearby small domestic flocks may be the source.
“The next step for our bighorn sheep as a whole, which is a big step, is to be working with our agriculture department and our partners in agriculture to promote herd health in domestic sheep,” said Mellon. “We can’t stress that enough.”
Some jurisdictions with bighorn populations have established an exclusion zone that prohibits domestic flocks in areas that may overlap with wild herds, said Mellon.
“We want to avoid the finger pointing right now but I can’t drive home enough how much of a risk there is out there from these domestic sheep to our wild sheep,” he said.
WFSA is working with the province on a voluntary domestic sheep Movi testing program to help ensure the disease is not present in those flocks as well as mitigating risks to wild populations if it is.
The Rocky Mountain bighorn is Alberta’s official mammal and one of several recognized symbols of the province along with the wild rose.
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