They are sweet-eyed, naive and trusting. Their curly horns aren’t particularly intimidating; they can, in fact, be a little silly at times. 

Bighorn sheep have always come close to humans; prior to European contact, they were an important food source for many First Nations.

Today? Not so much.

“I never thought about bighorn sheep as a declining food source for First Nations,” B.C. reporter Steph Wood told me. “But it’s a stark example of the effects of colonization that many people don’t think about.”

Last fall, she came across a paper co-authored by wildlife scientist Clayton Lamb about some well-known endangered species — caribou, bison and salmon. During their interview he pointed out an animal that seldom makes headlines: the vanishing Galton Range herd of bighorn sheep in the Rockies, near the Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡi ‘it First Nation, commonly called the Tobacco Plains Indian Band.

These herds thrive in native grasslands and open-canopy forests. As most stories on dwindling species go, colonial settlements and industrialization brought a slew of changes. Natural and cultural burns that would have thinned out forests and supported native plants were suppressed; then came a mystery illness from the herd’s proximity to domestic sheep in the ’80s.
 

“The lack of habitat is probably the biggest thing,” Gary Phillips, a forestry officer for Tobacco Plains, told Steph.

That’s what the nation is tackling in its pilot project that took off this winter. The hope is that clearing trees — to mimic what cultural burns would have done to the landscape — will make the land habitable for bighorn herds again.

While other herds are doing better, scientists told Steph that climate change poses a threat to bighorn sheep. Getting the habitat closer to what it was pre-colonization is key in making the species “as resilient as possible.”

Phillips is optimistic the Galton herd can become strong enough, like it used to be when he was a child, for Tobacco Plains to source sustenance from again.

“I’m eager to see the impacts of their pilot project, even though it will take a while,” Steph said. “I’ll be really invested in hearing how the herd is doing over the years and how well it’s rebuilding.”

Whether it’s bighorn sheep, salmon or an upcoming story on moose, Steph has more coverage of Indigenous food sovereignty in store. As with the Galton herd, these stories remind us of the interconnected nature of people, animals and the lands themselves — protecting one means protecting them all.

Take care and go count sheep,

Karan Saxena
Audience engagement editor

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