The Arizona Game and Fish Department has reported the first bighorn sheep death in the Santa Catalina Mountains near Tucson since last year.
The female bighorn sheep died last week from a fall off a small cliff on Pontatoc Ridge, the wildlife agency said in a press release. The 8-year-old animal had been relocated to the Catalinas in 2014.
Agency official were notified of the death via a radio transmitter collar the sheep wore. A necropsy will be conducted to determine the ewe’s general health.
The ewe had given birth earlier this year. That lamb was weaned and on its own, the agency said.
This is the first report of a bighorn sheep death since late December 2014 when a ewe was killed by a mountain lion. There are currently 39 collared sheep known to be alive in the Catalina Mountains.