‘It’s going to be Shangri-La’: Muddy Mountain bighorn sheep captured, relocated to Utah

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - A couple dozen bighorn sheep in the Muddy Mountains are moving across state lines to help regrow the population in Utah. Nevada Department of Wildlife officials say the move is equally as beneficial for the sheep left behind.

NDOW’s Wildlife Staff Specialist, Joe Bennett, explains how the roughly 25 bighorn sheep were captured from the Muddy Mountains Tuesday, before starting their journey to a desert nursery in Northern Utah.

He says the sheep are caught using a helicopter and a netgun. They’re sedated and blindfolded to stay calm.

“If they could see their surroundings, see the chaos, they do tend to react differently,” Bennett says. “We don’t want these animals to be in distress. “

Next, the captured sheep are weighed and given a series of tests to ensure they are healthy and aren’t infected with bacterial pneumonia. The population in the Muddy Mountains is the only disease-free population in the state.

“All we want is a happy, healthy sheep making it to Utah,” Bennett says.

Bennett says early-June is the perfect time for the capture. The sheep’s summer coats ensure they won’t overheat during the strenuous move, and because they’re heading to a colder area, a move in the winter could be detrimental.

“It’s a latitude of Salt Lake City, Elko. It’d be like throwing me in Canada in January,” Bennett says.

Moving these sheep will decrease competition for food and water on the ground for the sheep left behind. FOX5 has told you about NDOW hauling in thousands of gallons of water to help support the sheep living in the Muddy Mountains.

Bennett says the move is also best for the sheep they’re moving.

“They’re going to be in belly high grass and not know what to do with themselves,” he says.

Utah’s Division of Wildlife’s Rusty Robinson says the sheep captured Tuesday are heading to an over 1000-acre desert nursery on the shore of the Great Salt Lake.

“It’s going to be Shangri-La for these sheep,” Robinson says. “We can fence the facility, keep them safe from foreign pathogens, safe from disease, keep them healthy.”

Robinson explains, once the herd there has grown in size, it’ll help repopulate the bighorn sheep population throughout the state of Utah.

“It’s a huge deal for us,” he says.

Bennett says this is the third year in a row that Bighorn sheep in the Muddy Mountains have been moved to Utah’s nursery.

Over the next couple weeks, 150 sheep will be captured from the Muddys and moved to three different release sites: including the nursery in Utah and two locations in Northern Nevada.

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