Bighorns struggling?

The Fort Collins Coloradoan had a story this morning on how the population of bighorn sheep in Colorado has been dwindling for decades, despite conservation efforts. The story reports that scientists in Rocky Mountain National Park are studying whether the decline is due to disease, genetics, or both.

This struggling populations may come as a surprsise to people in Colorado Springs. The local bighorn population, which lives on Queens Canyon Quarry, is thriving to the point where wildlife officers often catch local sheep to release elsewhere.