[Source: James Gilbert, Yuma Sun] -- Wildlife officials now have a plan for restoring the historically low population of bighorn sheep to the area. According to a triennial survey of the Kofa bighorn sheep herd that was completed in November by two wildlife agencies, there has been a more than 50 percent decline in the sheep population estimate. Six years ago, the estimate was 812 of the animals; now the estimate is a historic low of 390. "This is the lowest herd estimate we have ever recorded and is well below that of what is considered a healthy herd," said Gary Hovatter, information and education program manager for the Yuma Arizona Game and Fish Department. As part of an intensive and coordinated effort over the past several months by the Arizona Game and Fish Department and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the agencies have jointly completed "The Investigative Report and Recommendations on the Kofa Bighorn Sheep Herd" to address the herd's recent decline. "The report is very important because it makes some very specific recommendations about what actions we are going to take to restore that herd," Hovatter said. "It allowed us the opportunity to put our biologists together to take a fresh look at the approaches we have been taking and make new decisions, based on the biological data, that are best for the herd." [Note: To read the full article, click here.]
