Graduate student is radio tagging a bighorn sheep

Bighorn sheep in the West face threats from M. ovi, a pathogen that causes respiratory disease. USGS scientists and graduate students at the Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit in the Wildlife Biology Program at the University of Montana are examining how testing and removal of chronically M. ovi positive animals affect recruitment and survival rates. This strategy is based on the idea that only a small number of animals in the herd chronically carry the disease and infect lambs each year. Identifying and removing these infected individuals may enhance the survival of the lambs. Discover our ongoing partnership with the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the Wildlife Biology Program at the University of Montana as we explore management actions that may improve bighorn sheep health.