“BC Grants Authority to Euthanize Sheep for Wild Population Protection”

The government of British Columbia has adjusted its regulations to grant wildlife officers enhanced authority to euthanize escaped or deserted domestic sheep in order to safeguard wild sheep populations. The province has modified the classification of 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 infectious agents, but their immune systems and disease resistance capabilities vary. A bacterium called M. ovi, or Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, is commonly present in domestic sheep and goats, typically causing no harm, but posing a risk of fatal pneumonia in wild sheep. The Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship stated that this bacterium can be transmitted through shared grazing areas, water sources, or salt licks, rapidly infecting wild populations once introduced. The regulatory adjustments now deem abandoning sheep on Crown land as a punishable offense, allowing the government to take ownership of the animals.