Bighorn herd rebounds from disease to reach record numbers
by The Associated Press
Last Updated Apr 12, 2021 at 11:14 am EDT
BISMARCK, N.D. Bighorns in western North Dakota have rebounded from an outbreak of bacterial pneumonia seven years ago to reach record numbers, according to the state Game and Fish Department’s survey.
The herd south of Interstate 94, however, continues to struggle and and is at its smallest size in about two decades, the survey showed.
The count shows 322 bighorns, up 11% from 2019 and 13% above the five-year average.
About 40 bighorns in the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park and sheep recently introduced to the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation aren’t included in the count, the Bismarck Tribune reported.