British Columbia’s government has modified regulations to grant wildlife officers expanded authority to euthanize escaped or neglected domestic sheep to safeguard wild sheep populations. The province’s decision to reclassify domestic sheep under the Wildlife Act aims to prevent the spread of diseases that could potentially trigger widespread fatalities among wild herds. Both domestic and wild sheep are susceptible to similar infectious agents, but their immune responses and disease resilience vary. One such bacterium, M. ovi (Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae), commonly found in domestic sheep and goats, typically does not cause illness but can be fatal for wild sheep, leading to severe cases of pneumonia.
The Ministry of Water, Land, and Resource Stewardship highlighted that the bacteria can be transmitted through shared grazing areas, water sources, or salt licks, rapidly disseminating within wild populations once introduced. Additionally, the regulatory adjustments now classify abandoning sheep on Crown land as a punishable offense, enabling the ministry to take ownership of these animals.