INDIO, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 29: An endangered desert bighorn ram urges another to compete to establish size and strength dominance over the other and increase chances of mating during the rut, or mating season, on August 29, 2023 near Indio, California. Nearing extinction with only 280 desert bighorn sheep left from Palm Springs and Mexico, the bighorns of the Peninsular Ranges came under federal protection in 1998 when they were listed as ‘endangered’ under the Endangered Species Act. The population has tripled since nearing extinction in the 1990s and important Important gains have occurred in the northern Santa Rosa and San Jacinto ranges but threats persist. During recent years of record drought where summer temperatures reach up to 117 degrees and higher, crucial water sources across the desert have become dangerously diminished. Much credit for successes in the northern areas has gone to the nonprofit scientific organization, The Bighorn Institute, headed by wildlife biologist Jim DeForge. In establishing a successful captive breeding program, the institute has released more than 125 captive-reared bighorns into areas that some officials had given up on. It also pushes for continuing construction of a “sheep fence” to protect the animals from entering urban developments that abut, or are built on top of, native bighorn habitat where they often eat chemical-laden golf course turf or poisonous oleander bushes, and are killed by cars. In areas without fencing, bighorns also face further drownings in a canal that runs aside golf resorts. A second population of endangered bighorns also occurs in California, the Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis sierrae). Nearly half of the Sierra Nevada bighorn population of 600 was killed by the extreme weather conditions of the record winter of 2022-2023. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
Palms Springs Police Chief Andrew Mills Wednesday urged residents to avoid approaching bighorn sheep that may wander into Palm Springs during mating season.
The police department released a video on social media Wednesday featuring Mills and animal control officers Jeanette Guzman and Stephanie Anderson, who discussed the risks of approaching the animals.
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WATCH HEREAnderson said that from late summer through winter, the herd often roams into the city in search of food and water. While the sheep generally will not harm people unless provoked, officers warned residents to keep their distance.
"These protected animals are a vital part of our desert ecosystem, and keeping a safe distance helps ensure their health and survival,'' the department said.
More information about the Bighorn sheep can be found at bighorninstitute.org.
