Truly though:
who tagged these guys?
who tagged these guys?
If you live in Kelowna, you know to be wary of sheep along West Kelowna's lake roads.
Well, in 2024, I was driving up there and I encountered this whole herd. And because I'm constantly afraid of missing something cool to see, I obviously had my camera with me; so, after I very carefully and safely took some shots via my car, I pulled over at one of those rest stops.
The first ones ones I saw were untagged (naked and afraid, I presume). As I followed them around the road, eventually more joined. One had a collar and a yellow tag, another only had a yellow tag (the one with the collar seemed to be the leader; he guided them the whole time) while the rest were undressed.
It was very cool to watch them move together - none of them were particularly afraid of me. Once they disappeared over the cliffside, I thought I should stop because A) I can't follow them up a CLIFF and B) I couldn't really... abandon my car on a highway rest stop for too long. Who knows what'd happen). So I wandered back - hadn't forgotten about the GPS unit and tags situation, though.
Once I got home, I set to investigate.
Well, in 2024, I was driving up there and I encountered this whole herd. And because I'm constantly afraid of missing something cool to see, I obviously had my camera with me; so, after I very carefully and safely took some shots via my car, I pulled over at one of those rest stops.
The first ones ones I saw were untagged (naked and afraid, I presume). As I followed them around the road, eventually more joined. One had a collar and a yellow tag, another only had a yellow tag (the one with the collar seemed to be the leader; he guided them the whole time) while the rest were undressed.
It was very cool to watch them move together - none of them were particularly afraid of me. Once they disappeared over the cliffside, I thought I should stop because A) I can't follow them up a CLIFF and B) I couldn't really... abandon my car on a highway rest stop for too long. Who knows what'd happen). So I wandered back - hadn't forgotten about the GPS unit and tags situation, though.
Once I got home, I set to investigate.
The Leader (2024)
Distribution of Bighorn Sheep in BC, canada
along with subspecies
So I tried. I really did. But after a whole hour of researching, I only found two UBCO articles that could've been the label makers. One in 2019 describing a mite infestation study, and another in 2016 about a woman who created a predictive model on sheep movement for land developers so they could avoid the wildlfe. So that's... fun? (Thhe 2019 researcher concluded no, mites were not the result of their declining population - and, it was published in 2021).
I am definitely stereotyping here, but I highly doubt UBCO personnel would leave their tracking equipment to rot on these creatures 4 years later - but I literally couldn't find anything else other than so many infographics - well, that, and the Wild Sheep Society of BC.
Based on their Google synopsis (and title), this seemed squarely focused on their welfare as a native species to BC.
I thought, "that's pretty cool: I respect that."
But then I explored their website.
When I clicked the site, the landing page was immediately "ENTER OUR 2024 HUNTING RAFFLE!"
Wait. They have HUNTING RAFFLES ?
Where is that in the title?
Nobody reads World Wildlife Fund or The Wilder Institute as namesakes and thinks "Oh, what's the hunting podcast they recommend?"
But they would think if the organization was called the "BC Wildlife Game Preservation."
Anyway, upon further exploration of their site, I also found a Adopt a Sheep Program. Are they... trying to make it kid friendly now? Like, let's explain to little 5 year-old Timmy who happily adopted this ram is now dead. And why, he asks? Well, Timmy, he was actually killed by someone who took your money so they could - with their big gun and big grin - take pictures of themselves with the ram's dead body! Sorry!
Seriously: according to their about page, their only interest in preservation is to kill them later.
Oh, the irony; hedonism knows no bounds.
I decided to mentally pin it on UBCO at that point; I gave up, I didn't want to think of that organization again.
(Okay: so, For the purposes of this hybrid past and present blog post, I decided to take another look to see if it was still going - and YEP. The Hunting Raffle PROUDLY displays hunters with their murder at the murder site. There's a Spotify link to a hunting podcast too. They really can't lose that adrenaline high; how dare they try to fight fairly like a cougar or some predator?)
I am definitely stereotyping here, but I highly doubt UBCO personnel would leave their tracking equipment to rot on these creatures 4 years later - but I literally couldn't find anything else other than so many infographics - well, that, and the Wild Sheep Society of BC.
Based on their Google synopsis (and title), this seemed squarely focused on their welfare as a native species to BC.
I thought, "that's pretty cool: I respect that."
But then I explored their website.
When I clicked the site, the landing page was immediately "ENTER OUR 2024 HUNTING RAFFLE!"
Wait. They have HUNTING RAFFLES ?
Where is that in the title?
Nobody reads World Wildlife Fund or The Wilder Institute as namesakes and thinks "Oh, what's the hunting podcast they recommend?"
But they would think if the organization was called the "BC Wildlife Game Preservation."
Anyway, upon further exploration of their site, I also found a Adopt a Sheep Program. Are they... trying to make it kid friendly now? Like, let's explain to little 5 year-old Timmy who happily adopted this ram is now dead. And why, he asks? Well, Timmy, he was actually killed by someone who took your money so they could - with their big gun and big grin - take pictures of themselves with the ram's dead body! Sorry!
Seriously: according to their about page, their only interest in preservation is to kill them later.
Oh, the irony; hedonism knows no bounds.
I decided to mentally pin it on UBCO at that point; I gave up, I didn't want to think of that organization again.
(Okay: so, For the purposes of this hybrid past and present blog post, I decided to take another look to see if it was still going - and YEP. The Hunting Raffle PROUDLY displays hunters with their murder at the murder site. There's a Spotify link to a hunting podcast too. They really can't lose that adrenaline high; how dare they try to fight fairly like a cougar or some predator?)
BUT NOW?
Well, two years later now, I know someone put them there.
The above is what I posted two years ago and I just... left it at that. But now that I'm revisiting the images (and the attached blog obviously), I was determined to identify these gadget owners.
Well, two years later now, I know someone put them there.
The above is what I posted two years ago and I just... left it at that. But now that I'm revisiting the images (and the attached blog obviously), I was determined to identify these gadget owners.
Like, how the hell do I still not know this?
After repeatedly entering "okanagan bighorn sheep," "bighorn sheep BC", "Sheep Kelowna", "sheep diseased Okanagan", activism wildlife Okanagan" into Google, it finally spat out an answer: the Okanagan Bighorns (albeit after pages upon PAGES of random infographics it produced; stupid algorithm).
When I clicked their Instagram account, I discovered it was created in 2023 (which made me mad that I never found them initially honestly), but upon examining their feed, those tracking devices look identical to the ones I saw.
It looked promising... but, as we saw earlier, looks can be deceiving i.e. do they secretly/not so secretly hunt them?
After repeatedly entering "okanagan bighorn sheep," "bighorn sheep BC", "Sheep Kelowna", "sheep diseased Okanagan", activism wildlife Okanagan" into Google, it finally spat out an answer: the Okanagan Bighorns (albeit after pages upon PAGES of random infographics it produced; stupid algorithm).
When I clicked their Instagram account, I discovered it was created in 2023 (which made me mad that I never found them initially honestly), but upon examining their feed, those tracking devices look identical to the ones I saw.
It looked promising... but, as we saw earlier, looks can be deceiving i.e. do they secretly/not so secretly hunt them?
Click the image for their feed
I also truly don't know why I never found this initially
It's google's fault
Tracked (2024)
The Okanagan big horns goal is:
Test the effectiveness of multiple treatment options for Psoroptes mange, a debilitating disease causing hair loss, infections, and hearing impairment, and;
Test the effectiveness of multiple treatment options for Psoroptes mange, a debilitating disease causing hair loss, infections, and hearing impairment, and;
Monitor recovery rates and assess how long treated sheep can remain disease-free.
-
Okanagan Bighorns
-
Okanagan Bighorns
Thankfully they are exactly what they appear to be: innocent, activist-oriented conservationist who want to heal the species because it's the moral action - not to satisfy their murder lust.
Currently they're collaborating with the Okanagan Nation Alliance (cool people, ngl) and the Wild Sheep Society of BC (not cool people, ew) to launch a whole new treatment program.
Despite my clear distaste for the WSSBC, I hope the treatment goes well for the benefit of the animals.
According to the Okanagan Bighorns, two of the three diseases are from domestic animals - the other is a native-born disease. Unfortunately though, all three are rapidly depleting the Okanagan Bighorn Sheep populations.
I urge you to donate if you can.
I did.
Currently they're collaborating with the Okanagan Nation Alliance (cool people, ngl) and the Wild Sheep Society of BC (not cool people, ew) to launch a whole new treatment program.
Despite my clear distaste for the WSSBC, I hope the treatment goes well for the benefit of the animals.
According to the Okanagan Bighorns, two of the three diseases are from domestic animals - the other is a native-born disease. Unfortunately though, all three are rapidly depleting the Okanagan Bighorn Sheep populations.
I urge you to donate if you can.
I did.
Brethren (2024)
