The government of British Columbia has modified its regulations to grant additional authority to wildlife officers for the euthanization of escaped or deserted domestic sheep to safeguard wild sheep populations. The province’s recent action involves reclassifying domestic sheep under the Wildlife Act to avert disease transmission that could result in significant mortality among wild herds. While domestic and wild sheep can both acquire similar infectious agents, their immune responses and disease resilience vary.
One such bacterium, M. ovi, also known as Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, is prevalent in domestic sheep and goats but typically remains asymptomatic. However, it poses a severe risk of pneumonia in wild sheep, potentially leading to fatal outcomes. The Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship has emphasized that the bacteria can spread through grazing activities, water or salt source sharing, and once introduced, it can rapidly disseminate within wild populations.
Furthermore, the regulatory adjustments now deem abandoning sheep on Crown land as a punishable offense, granting the ministry the right to take ownership of the animals. This proactive measure aims to mitigate the potential threats posed by disease transmission from domestic to wild sheep populations.