34 2019 Annual Report
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Wildlife
B I G H O R N S H E E P R E S E A R C H C O N T I N U E S
South Dakota State University researchers in 2019 gathered another year of information in the effort
to keep Nebraska bighorn sheep populations healthy. Preliminary information from the 2019 lamb crop
indicated higher success rates than in years past. In particular, Pine Ridge herds had nearly doubled
lamb survival rates from 2018 as five out of 15 lambs were well. The researchers and Commission staff
experimentally removed ewes chronically ill with the deadly strain of pneumonia, which had been identified
as influencing poor lamb survival over the last decade. The Wildcat Hills herd saw another banner year
for lamb survival, with 14 of the initial 22 captured in the spring still alive. The study will continue for
another year with hopes of gauging the effectiveness of removing chronically sick adults on lamb survival.
Researchers also hope to understand what is influencing the continued high lamb survival in the Wildcat
Hills, where since 2018, 38 of the 73 lambs observed survived.
A bighorn sheep capture in Scotts Bluff County is helping to identify causes of pneumonia affecting lamb survival.
