In response to a Guardians lawsuit, a federal court has blocked domestic sheep grazing on Idaho’s Caribou-Targhee National Forest. Contact with domestic sheep can transfer deadly pathogens to wild bighorn sheep that live in the area; nevertheless, the government operated a sheep grazing station in known bighorn territory until we stepped in.
The sheep station has long outlived its usefulness, existing to support an industry that has been declining for years due to lack of demand. The U.S. Department of Agriculture—under both Democratic and Republican administrations—has attempted to close the station multiple times, but regional politicians misguidedly kept it running.
A single nose-to-nose contact between domestic sheep and wild bighorn can wipe out entire bighorn herds. Moreover, that contact is surprisingly frequent; bighorn are curious about their domestic counterparts, and domestic sheep can wander. For these reasons and many others, we’re glad the court recognized the irresponsibility and catastrophic consequences of domestic sheep grazing on the forest.
Read the press release.
