Is disease reducing the Kofa bighorn sheep herd?
A23 Disease is a common element of the Sonoran desert ecosystem and several diseases are known to occur in bighorn. Although current data is insufficient to determine the exact role of disease in the Kofa herd, blood analyses from bighorns handled during transplant operations do not indicate a significant change in disease exposure in this herd. However, one situation that is known to increase disease problems is the concentration of animals whose disease resistance has been lowered by resource stress. Certainly as the drought continues, this becomes a greater concern to the extent drought-stressed Kofa bighorn become concentrated to the point were disease is more easily spread.
