Our Worst Fears Have Been Realized with Gray Thornton

On this show, Adam is joined by the President & CEO of the Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF), Gray Thornton.

Adam and Gray managed to connect in-person while Gray was recently in BC, and on this episode, they tackle the concerning news out of Alaska about a potentially deadly respiratory pathogen being found and documented in multiple Dall sheep and mountain goats. This is a big issue in the wild sheep conservation world as these respiratory pathogens have been implicated in large-scale die-offs in bighorns in the lower 48, BC, and Alberta.

Gray shares the background on these respiratory pathogens, discusses the current situation in Alaska specifically and thinhorn range generally and, perhaps most importantly, brings us up to speed on our options going forward.

It should be added that this is a fluid and dynamic situation. The news originally broke on March 13th, and since then more information has been released suggesting this outbreak is more widespread than initially reported. To say both the extent of the problem and the solution to preventing further infection is a moving target, would be putting it mildly.

That said, the worst fears of many people involved in wild sheep conservation and wildlife veterinary science have become a reality. If you care about wild sheep, this is a must-listen episode.

Web: www.wildsheepfoundation.org

Instagram: @wildsheepfoundation