The B.C. government has recently adjusted its regulations to grant wildlife officers increased authority to euthanize escaped or deserted domestic sheep in a bid to safeguard wild sheep populations. This modification in the classification of domestic sheep under the Wildlife Act aims to avert disease transmission that could result in extensive fatalities among wild herds.
Both domestic and wild sheep are susceptible to similar infectious agents, although their disease resistance mechanisms vary. One particular bacterium, M. ovi or Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, commonly present in domestic sheep and goats, seldom causes illness in them but can trigger fatal cases of pneumonia in wild sheep.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Water, Land, and Resource Stewardship, the bacteria can spread through wild populations rapidly via grazing, as well as sharing water or salt sources once introduced. The regulatory adjustments now classify abandoning sheep on Crown land as an offense and empower the ministry to take ownership of such animals.
