The government of British Columbia has modified regulations to empower wildlife officers to euthanize escaped or deserted domestic sheep to safeguard wild sheep populations. The province has reclassified domestic sheep under the Wildlife Act to prevent disease transmission, potentially averting large-scale deaths in wild herds. Domestic and wild sheep can both contract similar infectious agents, but their disease resistance mechanisms vary. A specific bacterium called M. ovi, or Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, commonly present in domestic sheep and goats, seldom causes sickness but can trigger fatal pneumonia in wild sheep populations. The Ministry of Water, Land, and Resource Stewardship disclosed that the bacteria can spread through grazing, shared water, or salt sources, rapidly disseminating among wild animals. Additionally, the regulatory adjustments now deem abandoning sheep on Crown land as a violation, permitting the government to take ownership of the animals.
“BC Grants Authority to Cull Domestic Sheep for Wild Sheep Protection”
