Category

Desert Bighorn Sheep

The desert bighorn sheep is native to the rugged highlands of west Texas, but was largely lost in the first half of the 1900s due to overhunting to supply meat to mining and railroad work crews, and on account of diseases contracted from domestic sheep herds. A restocking effort, begun in the mid-1950s, combined with hunting limits and habitat acquisition, has been remarkably successful in restoring the animal to the state.

Interviews

Narrator: Billy Pat McKinneyTitle: Die OutDuration: 00:01:17Date: April 5, 2001Billy Pat McKinney, a former Texas Parks and Wildlife wildlife technician, was involved in the reintroduction of desert bighorn sheep to the Trans Pecos. Here he explains how the wild sheep had died out due to disease brought in by domestic herds, and on account of overhunting to supply mining and railroad work crews.