Morgan O'Hanlon 00:01

You're listening to better outside a Texas Parks and Wildlife production this season was brought to you by Whole Earth Provision Company. I'm your host, Morgan O'Hanlon.

David Yoskowitz 00:11

And I'm David Yoskowitz, Executive Director of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Morgan O'Hanlon 00:16

Today we're taking you to Elephant Mountain Wildlife Management Area in West Texas, just outside Big Bend State Park. Meet you there just after this break. Whole Earth Provision Company has been helping Texans roam wild and free since 1970. Whether you're road tripping through the Hill Country, catching a sunrise at Enchanted Rock or planning a summer park hop. They've got what you need to do it right. Think sun protective shirts, trail tested sandals, packable hats and water bottles that actually keep your drinks cold. Traveling light? They've got carry ons, duffels and gear bags from the names you trust. And if you forgot your shades or backup charger, well, they've got those too. Visit one of their six Texas stores or shop 24/7 at wholeearthprovision.com

David Yoskowitz 01:17

Back in December, TPWD helped relocate 77 bighorn sheep from Elephant Mountain Wildlife Management Area to the Franklin Mountains State Park in El Paso. This operation was the culmination of years worth of effort from hundreds of dedicated individuals and dozens of organizations.

Morgan O'Hanlon 01:36

We're going to give you the inside scope — from the history, to the action and all the suspense in between. So hang tight, because we're about to take you outside. If you were to try and pick an animal most symbolic of the American West, you might think of the bison, the grizzly bear, or perhaps it would be the bighorn sheep. This mighty animal has been revered as a symbol of strength and vigor for 1000s of years, making it the subject of myth and lore for both Native Americans and wildlife frontiersmen. For me, personally, I recognize the animal from the label on a bottle of Shiner Bock. Turns out that bock, a Bavarian style of dark beer, also means ram in German. Last year, I was surprised when I learned that bighorn sheep aren't confined to the Rocky Mountains and are actually native to Texas. 200 years ago, you could point at random to any mountain on the West Texas horizon and know that big horns were bouncing across its rocky face. At their peak population, desert bighorn sheep, the subspecies that lives in Texas, numbered upwards of 1500 in the Lone Star State. But in the 1800s, as the railroad blazed its way across the desert, so spread unregulated hunting and domesticated sheep that carried diseases. In 1903, the Texas Legislature banned the hunting of bighorns to curb their rapid decline. But populations continued to plummet, and in 1958 the state's last known native desert bighorn was spotted at the Sierra Diablo Wildlife Management Area north of Van Horn. Even though bighorns are still found in abundance throughout the western states, they've struggled to regain a foothold in Texas. Thanks to repopulation efforts over the last 50 years, the current tally of desert bighorns in Texas is about 700. But it's been a constant struggle to maintain, let alone grow, that population because of disease events over the years. And that about brings us to where we are today. Did I about sum that up, David?

David Yoskowitz 04:01

I think so.

Morgan O'Hanlon 04:02

So then tell me, what's the latest development in the effort to repopulate Texas with bighorns.

David Yoskowitz 04:08

Since the first big horns were brought to Elephant Mountain in February of 1987 it served as a source of disease-free sheep that we can use to repopulate many of the mountain ranges in West Texas. With this latest capture, we had two goals: bringing Elephant Mountain population back down to a sustainable level, a healthy level, and then planning a new, clean herd at the 26,000-acre State Park in El Paso. In early December, the department, TPWD, was among numerous organizations that gathered at Elephant Mountain Wildlife Management Area to put that plan into action.

Morgan O'Hanlon 04:46

And how do you accomplish bringing bighorn sheep off the mountain?

David Yoskowitz 04:50

It is a team effort. There are capture companies that take their helicopters up and shoot the net guns and capture the animals. There are wranglers that pull the animals down, they hook them back up to the helicopter, and they bring them into the headquarters area. And then there's a whole team that grabs the sheep at that point, and for us, it was putting them on the tables and making sure we got great data for our science that we do on bighorn sheep, making sure they were healthy and clean.

Morgan O'Hanlon 05:19

And you know, David, I saw you there at Elephant Mountain, at the capture you're wearing a cowboy hat and a leather jacket. It looked good. It was a nice little get up. What did you get up to while we were out there?

David Yoskowitz 05:30

Well, it was exciting for me, because, you know, when I joined the department, one of the things that I wanted to make an impact on was big horn sheep. Within the first month of my time here at the department, I visited Elephant Mountain Wildlife Management Area, and I wanted to make this a signature project. And so for me to be there at the capture helping to work those sheep and get them to El Paso, eventually, it was, it was a great opportunity. You know, I did everything that I was told to do, and then I volunteered for some things that I wasn't told to do, but I will tell you, it was a bit of an emotional moment when that first group of bighorn sheep came in off the mountain, I think for a lot of people, not just myself, because finally, we were doing something that we had planned for so many years.

Morgan O'Hanlon 06:17

Take us back to the morning of the capture. What was that like, can you give me the five senses breakdown?

David Yoskowitz 06:23

It was dark, first thing. It was cold. It was windy. There was nervousness and excitement in the air. Everybody was trying to find their place. I mean, we knew what we were going to be doing, but we really hadn't done a capture like this, this big in quite a while. Once that first group of bighorn sheep came in and they were healthy and the team was just working seamlessly — we had over 50 volunteers there, including department staff. It was probably one of the best experiences I've had in my professional career.

Morgan O'Hanlon 07:08

So like you, David, I was also at Elephant Mountain for the sheep capture.

David Yoskowitz 07:12

I saw you.

Morgan O'Hanlon 07:14

It was pretty fun! It was cold! The night before the capture, me and about 20 of our coworkers from the communications team, we were all crammed into the bunkhouse. Have you been there before?

David Yoskowitz 07:23

I have. Yes.

Morgan O'Hanlon 07:24

It was actually pretty comfortable. We were all packed in there, summer camp style, so that we'd be ready to get up early the next morning, and when we woke up at the crack of dawn, we headed out into that bitter winter morning. It was freezing. The mood was pretty tense, but everybody was buzzing with excitement as the large group of volunteers prepared themselves for this high stakes operation. After we got settled at the capture site, I went and found elephant Mountain's resident wildlife biologist, Cody McEntire, to give me an idea of what to expect.

Cody McEntire 07:59

We've got a pretty stiff wind out of the north right now. So as long as they can stay in sheep down low or get back around on the windward side, they ought to be able to keep operations going. I'd say that we're probably going to see two to four animals the entire day with each sling. Generally, you shoot one at a time out of the helicopter, and you're only carrying two guys, a gunner and a mugger.

Morgan O'Hanlon 08:19

The so called gunner wields a net gun that hurls wide, weighted nets through the air to haul agile sheep. Then the pilot will maneuver the helicopter low to the ground to make the mugger's job easier. This person will jump out of the aircraft to grapple with the animal and secure it in a harness and blindfold. As the group of staff and volunteers gets its bearings, the helicopter prepares to take flight.

Pilot 08:40

Everybody clear, back there?

Crew member 08:42

I guess.

Pilot 08:43

Everybody clear.

Crew member 08:44

Yeah, we're clear, we're good to go. Okay.

Morgan O'Hanlon 08:51

The capture crew takes on the first challenge of the day: bringing sheep down from the mountainside and back to operation headquarters to be processed. Fredericksburg-based Tango 82 Aviation specializes in wildlife captures and is up to the job.

Pilot 09:05

Yeah. We got the audio recorder back there too, so keep it PG. Alright, gentlemen. Got everything we need? Let's go do it.

Morgan O'Hanlon 09:20

The pilot steers the helicopter toward the south end of the mountain, where sheep flock to the steep and rocky slopes.

Pilot 09:27

Hey it just never gets old flying out here.

Morgan O'Hanlon 09:33

But as they sweep over the landscape, they see something they don't like. If didn't catch that, the crew is saying that they see an aoudad nearby. Aoudad are an invasive species of sheep from North Africa, and their presence in West Texas is one of the primary reasons why conservationists are relocating the bighorns. That's because aoudad carry mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, M.Ovi for short, a bacteria that causes deadly pneumonia in bighorns. Nine of the current 10 desert bighorn populations in Texas carry the bacteria. Elephant Mountain is the exception as the state's only clean herd. Although biologists have managed to keep aoudad and the bacteria off Elephant Mountain for now, it's a matter of when, not if, the sheep here start to test positive.

Pilot 10:23

They were somewhere over there to your left.

Morgan O'Hanlon 10:26

The stakes are high, and this is a very serious job. The crew is trying to get in the zone. So one of the members, Monty, asks for an aux cord to crank some tunes.

Monty 10:39

This thing have an aux cord in it?

Crew member 10:41

For?

Monty 10:42

To play a little rock and roll.

Crew member 10:46

You got enough rocks rolling in your head, Monty.

Morgan O'Hanlon 10:52

As the helicopter climbs into the air, they scan the mountain for bighorns to pursue.

Pilot 10:57

All right, the big group went to our left.

Crew member 11:03

They got the good sheep down here. Yeah they do See that jump? Far right looks like a little ram? Isn't it? Possibly, yeah. Get him

Morgan O'Hanlon 11:14

With their first target in sight, the gunner takes aim and fires.

Crew member 11:20

Thank you sir.

Morgan O'Hanlon 11:21

After the gunner meets his mark, the pilot searches for a safe spot to get closer to the ground.

Pilot 11:27

Yeah if I can get you in there.

Monty 11:29

You can drop me up high me and I can come down on him.

Pilot 11:32

Alright give me a second. We'll get back around there.

Morgan O'Hanlon 11:34

The pilot is hovering low above cactus and rocks.

Pilot 11:37

Alright, Monty, get out.

Monty 11:38

Okay.

Crew member 11:40

He's out. He's good. All good in the hood.

Morgan O'Hanlon 11:44

Now, Monty's job as the mugger begins. Even though the sheep is caught in a net, he's still in for a tough fight. Most bighorns weigh between 160 and 250 pounds, with the biggest rams tipping the scales at 350.

Crew member 11:58

He's running with it, but it'll catch him. Oh, he might get him good. Good hold up. You got him a bag and everything, good boy. There you go, grab that rope, Monty. Grab the rope Monty and pull him towards you. Don't grab the sheep grab the net.

Morgan O'Hanlon 12:15

With the sheep secured to the helicopter, they take off. It dangles below the aircraft like a pendant from a rearview mirror.

Pilot 12:21

How you doing?

Monty 12:22

I'm ready when you are.

Pilot 12:23

Alright, headed your way. How was it?

Morgan O'Hanlon 12:28

Back on the ground, the vets and a large group of volunteers anxiously await the arrival of the first sheep.

UNKNOWN 12:34

Good?

Dr. Sara Wyckoff 12:35

Yes. I'm cold. Make the wind stop.

Morgan O'Hanlon 12:39

That's Dr Sarah Wyckoff, she's one of four veterinarians here to process the sheep.

Dr. Sara Wyckoff 12:44

But at least it helps with the temperatures of the animals.

Morgan O'Hanlon 12:48

During the capture, sheep are prone to overheating, and if sheep's temperature climbs too high for too long, it can cause permanent damage or even death.

Dr. Sara Wyckoff 12:57

The helicopter crews know when to stop chasing an animal, and when an animal's getting there. They pull back from a lot of animals when they know they've been chasing them too much.

Morgan O'Hanlon 13:06

After the sheep reach the ground, the primary job of the vets and volunteers is to cool them down. Then it's a rush to collect samples and to tag and collar the animals as quickly as possible to minimize stress.

Dr. Sara Wyckoff 13:18

Should get some here. Three or four. They just came over the ridge. Alright everybody feeling good? Cool. Is everybody here? Okay, all right. Did you hear this one's coming in hot already? So we'll work fast on this one.

Morgan O'Hanlon 13:33

As I watch the sheep come in, I'm just amazed how gently the helicopter crew lowers that first sheep to the ground. There's four men decked out in cowboy hats and western apparel waiting to carry it to the processing tables. I think someone might have told them that there would be cameras here today.

Dr. Sara Wyckoff 13:47

What's our temperature? Please.

Morgan O'Hanlon 13:48

The volunteers spray the sheep with water and apply ice to cool it down.

Dr. Sara Wyckoff 13:52

Okay. Can we get water? Yeah, spray it down a spray it in here. Yeah.

Morgan O'Hanlon 13:58

The vet administers a dose of midazolam, a sedative to calm the sheep and reduce the stress of the capture.

Dr. Sara Wyckoff 14:05

The midazolam is in, and I'm about to give Banamine as well. So let's move fast. Okay, Banamine is going in. What's the temperature?

Morgan O'Hanlon 14:14

If the spray isn't enough, the vets administer Banamine, an anti-inflammatory, to reduce fever. If its temperature reaches 105, it gets an enema too.

Dr. Sara Wyckoff 14:23

Can we get the water bottle for the enema, please?

Morgan O'Hanlon 14:26

Meanwhile, volunteers work fast to collect samples, tag the animal and put on a tracking collar.

Dr. Sara Wyckoff 14:32

Nasal swabs are done? Okay. Tonsil swabs? Okay, you can go ahead and start tagging. Whoever's collar, can we get the collar on, please? Is the blindfold off?

Morgan O'Hanlon 14:46

Now that Sarah's team has finished its work, it's time for the cowboys. They pick up the sheep and carry it to the nearby trailers, where it'll wait until all the sheep are ready for transport.

Dr. Sara Wyckoff 14:55

How did you guys feel about that first chaos? I.

15:00

Get these,

Morgan O'Hanlon 15:02

yeah, okay, on that ear. Snippet,

Dr. Sara Wyckoff 15:04

Okay, cool, good job, everybody.

Morgan O'Hanlon 15:07

Now that that first sheep is processed, it's time to wait for the next delivery. The vets and volunteers make small talk.

Volunteer 15:12

And I was like, sir, you do realize I got so much new blood on my jacket?

Dr. Sara Wyckoff 15:18

I know I have somehow got poop in my fanny pack already. Gross!

Morgan O'Hanlon 15:23

I'm fidgeting with my recorder when I hear the chopper return. I'm surprised they're back after only half an hour.

Dr. Sara Wyckoff 15:29

Three ewes, so everybody will be getting a scan. Okay. Where's my ultrasound? Thank you.

Morgan O'Hanlon 15:43

When the vets get a female bighorn, also called an ewe, they use an ultrasound to check for pregnancy.

Volunteer 15:49

The first one?

Dr. Sara Wyckoff 15:50

Yeah, at least that one. I don't know if the other one's a ewe yet. Is this a ram or a ewe? Two ewes? Okay. She's pregnant. So press freeze. Save.

Morgan O'Hanlon 16:05

Wyckoff takes a screenshot on the ultrasound monitor, which looks like a super rugged computer, the kind of war reporter might use way out in the desert.

Dr. Sara Wyckoff 16:13

Okay, and then press back. Yeah, that looks like a little spine right there. Okay, cool. So now we'll go to the other one. Excuse me. And then we just want to clean the probe in between animals and change gloves. Okay, so now, patient — what is this patient's number? 0-2-0. I just need gloves. Okay, pregnant, freeze. Save.

Morgan O'Hanlon 16:45

To check for pregnancy, Wyckoff looks for one of two things. The first is the presence of something called cotyledons.

Dr. Sara Wyckoff 16:52

Basically, you look for c's and donuts, and they are like, give nutrition to the baby. So once I see those, I know she's pregnant.

Morgan O'Hanlon 17:00

The other thing she looks for is, of course, a fetus. But sometimes they can be pretty hard to see.

Dr. Sara Wyckoff 17:06

It's hard to tell here, but yeah, that's the spine, and that's some of the rib cages right there. So if you look on the screen, so that's its head. Do you see its little face? Yeah, and it's pretty far along. It's the biggest one we've seen so far. Kicking, saying, 'stop poking me, please. I would like to go to my new home.' There's little bones, the spine, the heart.

Morgan O'Hanlon 17:30

In this first batch of ewes, all of the sheep are pregnant, and Wyckoff expects pretty much every ewe older than a year to be pregnant, which bodes well for the future of the herd.

Dr. Sara Wyckoff 17:39

This is telling us what to expect as far as lamb recruitment, once we have the release and spring comes along. But then it also acts as a disease surveillance method, because lamb crops, they can have really high mortality rates when it comes to M.Ovi. So if we see these numbers on here and compare them to what's going on in the spring, that might be a sign for us to say, hey, there could be a disease issue going on. We're not seeing as many as we saw in ultrasound. This capture, it's early enough in their pregnancy where this capture is relatively safe, in the way of the baby shouldn't be affected or the fetus shouldn't be affected. Timing is also really important when it comes to these captures when these ewes are pregnant. Everything's looking great right now, which is awesome.

Morgan O'Hanlon 18:19

In spite of the high stakes job she's doing, Wyckoff is feeling pretty good as the day goes on. On a break between sheep deliveries, she starts daydreaming about what it'll be like once the sheep are in their new home.

Dr. Sara Wyckoff 18:31

It'll be so fun seeing little babies in a few months. Oh my gosh. Bouncing around, yes! That would be great to have little pictures of them all getting the zoomies. They're so precious. They're so bug eyed.

Morgan O'Hanlon 18:46

It's been a long road to get to the point where she can imagine this future.

Dr. Sara Wyckoff 18:50

I've been prepping for this for the last two years essentially with planning, doing our disease surveillance where we were looking at all of these mountain ranges to see which ones were appropriate to release. That started in 2022. Meetings, just getting everybody together. So, it's been a long process, and I'm so happy we're here and we're finally doing it.

Morgan O'Hanlon 19:11

When Wyckoff said this, it reminded me of the bigger picture. Why are we doing this? Why spend all of this time, tremendous effort and money just to move some sheep around. I went and found Froylan Hernandez, TPWD's bighorn sheep program lead, to ask for some answers.

Froylan Hernandez 19:27

It's important that we continue our restoration efforts, because it was because of us that desert bighorns are no longer here, and so I think it's collectively our responsibility to make sure that we get the habitat as close to as it once was, as we can.

Morgan O'Hanlon 19:28

In the late 1950s, the agency that later became TPWD introduced what is now the bighorn's primary threat. The Texas Game and Fish Commission released 42 aoudad into Palo Duro Canyon to study their viability in the LoneStar State. Their intention was to provide more hunting opportunities for private ranchers. But, over the following 10 years, the aoudad population grew to 600 and quickly spread beyond the confines of the park and onto private land where they became harder to track. Now they've become a disease vector for M.Ovi.

Froylan Hernandez 20:19

It's also important for us to give back to the people of Texas. Taking the bighorns to the Franklins gives the people of Texas an opportunity to see a species that is not commonly seen. You see white tails all over and you might see mule deer in lots of places, and you might see pronghorn — in less numbers, but there's still opportunities to see pronghorn. To see bighorn, there are very limited opportunities, and so we're trying to do that to give to the public another viewing opportunity.

Morgan O'Hanlon 20:47

When we come back from the break, I'll take you to the Franklin Mountains on the day of the release, where you'll hear the sounds of El Pasoans as they see their native bighorns finally return home. From Big Bend to Barcelona, Whole Earth Provision Company outfits free spirits and side questers alike in superb quality goods. Find them in store, or onlinem, at wholeearthprovision.com.

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Morgan O'Hanlon 21:37

We're back on the first day of the capture, and about 40 sheep have been pulled down off the mountain, which means the crew has collected enough samples to send to WADDL, the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab, and Pullman, Washington. There, they'll test the samples for M.Ovi.

Froylan Hernandez 21:53

So the next step right now is get these samples taken to the WADDL samples taken to the Alpine airport, and then fly them to the Washington lab. We'll continue to capture, it's just these samples we need to get up there so that we can get results back earlier.

Morgan O'Hanlon 22:09

It'll take about 24 hours for the results to come in. At that point, the sheep will already be on the road to El Paso so they can make it in time for the public release event. But if any of the samples come back positive the trucks will all turn around and head straight back to Elephant Mountain.

Froylan Hernandez 22:25

Luckily, we feel pretty confident. We've had collars on the landscape for over a year, no disease, mortalities, high recruitment. This is just a precautionary measure to make sure that what we release on the Franklins are all clean animals.

Morgan O'Hanlon 22:39

I jumped in a car with Austin Bohannon, a TPWD biologist, to drive the samples to the airport. Is that the box? So now all we have to do is not get in a car crash, right?

Austin Bohannon 22:50

Yes, don't jinx me.

Morgan O'Hanlon 22:54

We start up his truck and make the 45-minute drive to the Alpine Municipal Airport. I knew the samples would be flown by plane, but I still wasn't expecting the private jet that was waiting for us by the runway.

Pilot 23:06

Precious cargo right there. Are you sure they're all in here?

Morgan O'Hanlon 23:14

Are you taking off right now?

Pilot 23:15

Yeah, we're ready to turn the bird.

Morgan O'Hanlon 23:21

With the sample, sent off to WADDL, and more than half the sheep quota already met. I head back to the bunkhouse to get some rest. The next day, the capture continues until about 2 p.m. We still don't have the results back from the lab, but we should head to El Paso soon. Otherwise we won't make it in time for the public bighorn release event. I go ask Froylan for an update. How many sheep did they get? And are they stopping?

Froylan Hernandez 23:43

Oh, we'll get a total here pretty quick, right now. I think the standing count is 78.

Morgan O'Hanlon 23:48

It was 77 actually. But with all the sheep processed and loaded into trailers, it was time to hit the road. But if we got news that any of the sheep are positive for M.Ovi, we'll have to call off the release, turn around and head back. In all, six trailers would make the three-hour drive to the Franklin Mountains. I jump in trailer number five with TPWD biologists, Josh Cross and Julie Myers.

Josh Cross 24:12

You got room Morgan?

Morgan O'Hanlon 24:13

Yeah, I got plenty. So Froylan's is gonna call y'all with the results a three?

Josh Cross 24:19

Yes, I think that's the plan.

Julie Myeers 24:21

Or when he gets them.

Josh Cross 24:23

He'll let us know and we're corring our fingers it's good news and that we can kick all the sheep out.

Morgan O'Hanlon 24:27

And that we don't have to drive right back here. About halfway to El Paso, I hear Froylan's voice over the radio.

Froylan Hernandez 24:33

We're all negative. We need to punch it.

Morgan O'Hanlon 24:37

Good news

Josh Cross 24:38

Good news. Very good news.

Froylan Hernandez 24:39

Woo hoo!

Morgan O'Hanlon 24:43

It's another hour and a half until we get to El Paso. As we approach the city, buildings along the I-10 corridor grow closer and closer together. We hit some traffic. As we're waiting, I see the mountains in the distance.

Josh Cross 24:56

These are really pretty mountains.

Julie Myeers 24:58

Prettier than the Sierra Diablos.

Josh Cross 25:00

I don't know about that.

Morgan O'Hanlon 25:01

As we drive up to the park, I start to see the reason why it was chosen for relocation. The 26,000-acre property ranks among the largest urban parks in the country. For decades, it was disregarded as a potential site for bighorn reintroduction because it's surrounded by highways and houses on three sides. But what conservationists once saw as of flaw became the property's biggest asset, as they sought a secure and aoudad-free home for bighorns.The Franklin Mountains provide a virtual quarantine zone against M.Ovi. Minutes later, we pass the park entrance.

UNKNOWN 25:36

Trailer one has and two has arrived at the park. Trailer three and four have arrived at the park.

Julie Myeers 25:44

Are you excited?

Josh Cross 25:45

Yes.

Julie Myeers 25:45

Is this everything you ever hoped and dreamed?

Josh Cross 25:48

Excited to kick them out of the trailer and watch them go.

Morgan O'Hanlon 25:53

as we drive up to the release site, the parking lot is packed, and there's a line of cars waiting to get in.

Julie Myeers 25:58

It is cool that this many people came. I kind of want to go up there. Don't miss me too much.

Josh Cross 26:04

I'll try my best. I'm used to crying alone in my truck.

Morgan O'Hanlon 26:09

Julie and I walk up to the spot where TPWD staff is backing in the first trailer. The metal creaks and groans as staff adjusts the partitions inside the trailer. Another person tries to calm the sheep with ps-ps-ps noises like it was a cat. Finally, the men lift the gates and a dozen sheep bounce into the desert, leaping over yucca, candelila and cacti, before disappearing behind the closest peak. This continues until there's only one trailer left. I head into the crowd to hear how people react.

UNKNOWN 27:01

All rams, all the big dudes.

Morgan O'Hanlon 27:04

The team opens the gates for the last time, and the sheep run off into the mountains.

UNKNOWN 27:20

Thank you, TPWD. Wow.

Morgan O'Hanlon 27:23

For the bighorns, the release is the last stop on an epic journey they've endured over the last 36 hours.

Froylan Hernandez 27:30

It's a great feeling. The capture operation, the transplant, the release — that's done, so we get to breathe. But the job is not done. In fact, now the job begins, because now we have to ensure that the bighorns stay here, that they thrive here, and we're able to continue the restoration. So this is just one piece of the very big puzzle.

Morgan O'Hanlon 27:58

David, what was it like to be up close and personal handling the sheep yourself. Was there anything about them that surprised you?

David Yoskowitz 28:05

What surprised me was how calm they were. You had to be careful with them. Obviously, they're in a delicate state. They've been captured. They've been taken off, where the place that's been their home for quite a while, but their eyes were covered, and once their eyes were covered, they became very docile, but we had lots of hands on them, and it was incredible to see how people were working together to get them worked up medically, very quickly, and then get them into the trailers.

Morgan O'Hanlon 28:37

What was your job that day? What were you doing at the capture site?

David Yoskowitz 28:41

Well, I was doing everything from bringing the sheep in from the landing zone to the tables to get worked up. I was, you know, picking up trash on theon the on the site to make sure stuff wasn't blown around when the helicopters came in. I was, yeah, helping take bigger sheep back up to Elephant Mountain that we didn't want to have go to Franklin Mountains.

Morgan O'Hanlon 29:04

So a few weeks ago, I was telling somebody about the bighorn relocation, and they thought it was really cool. But after I got done explaining the helicopters and the planes and the trucks and so on, they asked me, 'Why?' Why spend all this manpower and time and substantial budget to put some sheep on a mountain. So can you put this into perspective for us? Why is it so important for the agency, and why should this matter to somebody who's not so outdoorsy or just lives in a city and is trying to make it through the week?

David Yoskowitz 29:32

Well, I think we're always looking for a sense of place, and for Texas, that sense of place runs from the piney woods in Far East Texas to the Trans Pecos and mountains of West Texas. And so we want things on the landscape that remind us of those places. And so for me and for many Texans, bighorn sheep not being on the landscape were they once were, and now are back, it would be a terrible thing.

Morgan O'Hanlon 30:02

And I know there's been tons of positive reception as well. So what other kinds of reactions have you heard since the release?

David Yoskowitz 30:08

Oh, it's been — it's been huge. I mean, at the release itself, there were several hundred El Pasoans there to celebrate the release of these sheep, to welcome them back home. Because the sheep were at Franklin Mountain State Park before they were extirpated. They've adopted these sheep. They call them their own. They are actively encouraging people to visit El Paso to see these bighorn sheep. And I'm just so happy that they've done that, because now they have ownership in it, and they want to see those bighorn sheep be successful. And that's an important thing.

Morgan O'Hanlon 30:47

So it's been a few months now since we put those sheep back in the mountains. What's happened since then? Can you give us an update?

David Yoskowitz 30:53

Well, some very good things have happened. An overwhelming majority of the ewes or females that were pregnant have given birth, and we have, as of now, about 17 lambs on the mountain, which is a great thing. That's what we're expecting. That's what we want. El Pasoans are happy to see those lambs on the mountain. And unfortunately, we've lost a few sheep. That's not unexpected, but we're glad that it was only a few. But everything is pointing in the right direction, and we're happy that we put this huge effort into moving those sheep. So what's the next big step in the story of the big horns? So our ultimate goal is to bring sheep back to all 17 mountains that historically had them. And if we do that, if we accomplish that, that'll be about 2500 sheep. But it's going to take 15 to 20 years to be able to accomplish that, but we're driven to do that. And then with our partnerships with private landowners, with non-governmental organizations, with stakeholders around the country and in Texas, we can accomplish that.

Morgan O'Hanlon 32:01

Well, after all the work we've done so far, I'm sure the sheep have a bright future ahead of them, but for now, I'm just happy they're ba-a-a-a-ck in the Franklin Mountains.

David Yoskowitz 32:11

That was pretty ba-a-a-a-d.

Morgan O'Hanlon 32:17

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