“BC Grants Authority to Euthanize Domestic Sheep to Protect Wild Herds”

The government of British Columbia has modified its rules to grant wildlife officers expanded authority to euthanize escaped or deserted domestic sheep to safeguard wild sheep populations. The province has reclassified domestic sheep under the Wildlife Act to prevent the spread of diseases that could result in significant mortality among wild herds. Domestic and wild sheep are susceptible to many of the same pathogens, but their immune systems and disease resistance levels vary. An organism called M. ovi, or Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, is prevalent in domestic sheep and goats, typically causing no harm; however, it can be fatal to wild sheep, leading to pneumonia. The Ministry of Water, Land, and Resource Stewardship stated that the bacteria can spread through shared grazing areas, water sources, or salt licks, rapidly infecting wild sheep populations once introduced. Additionally, the regulatory adjustments now deem abandoning sheep on Crown land as illegal and authorize the ministry to take possession of such animals.