Reno Gazette Journal  4-2-10

Pneumonia continues to kill Nevada bighorn sheep

The Nevada Department of Wildlife says biologists continue to find bighorn sheep that have died of complications of pneumonia.

The department says 102 dead sheep have been found over the last four months — 74 in the East Humboldt Range and 28 in the Ruby Mountains.

Department big game biologist Caleb McAdoo says the department is concerned that as many as 80 percent of each herd may die. It's also worried about the survival of lambs born this spring. In the past lambs apparently have been exposed to pneumonia still present in adults and have died within a couple of months after birth because they lack natural defenses.

Biologists and veterinarians are gathering data on the sheep to try to find out more about whether minerals, forage quality and even genetics play a role in determining the animals' survival.