Wildlife officials in Nebraska are ‘very concerned’ about the impact mountain lions are having on the state’s bighorn sheep population. Nebraska Game and Parks (NGP) suspect that lions killed five bighorns in western Nebraska between June 2016 and March 2017. They also maintain lions took nine bighorn sheep since 2015.
“We’re very concerned about this,’’ Sam Wilson, NGP carnivore program manager, told gooutdoorsne.com.
NGPC is conducting a five-year study to estimate a mountain lion population and the effect it has on elk, deer and bighorn sheep.
Reintroduced into the Wildcat Hills and Pine Ridge areas in 1981, bighorn sheep currently number around 350. Mountain lions are protected in Nebraska.Bighorn sheep photo source: Brent Stettler
Mountain lion photo source: CA Dept of Fish & Wildlife