In August, the Wild Sheep Society of BC launched their province wide campaign – Save Our Sheep. See our FULL PRESS RELEASE HERE.
We have now entered Phase II of Save Our Sheep. We are asking for our members to contact the Premier of BC’s office, the Minister of Agriculture’s Office and if you have not done so already your local MLA.
Phase II – Call To Action
We are asking you to do five simple things
- Call the Premier’s office and share your concerns using the talking points below.
- Call the Minister of Agriculture’s office and share your concerns using the talking points below.
- Call your local MLA’s office and share your concerns using the talking points below.
- Meet with your MLA
- Report back to us that these items have been completed.
Below under “Talking Points” there are points that can be raised when contacting the elected officials listed:
Thanks to the overwhelming efforts of our members we are having an impact on wild sheep in the province. Our Save Our Sheep campaign has had an impact thanks to you. Let’s take the next step in Phase II and ensure that wild sheep will be healthy and abundant for eternity in the wilds of British Columbia.
Talking Points
British Columbia’s wild sheep facing COVID-like pandemic of their own
A pandemic is continuing to ravage wild sheep herds across the province.
Unfortunately this is not a new phenomenon and has been ongoing for decades. Wild sheep are susceptible to disease that is transmitted from domestic sheep.
Domestic sheep carry pathogens which wild sheep have not built an immunity to, and the transmission to one animal can result in all ages die off- effectively wiping out entire herds of mountain sheep.
Most recently in the Southern Okanagan two lambs from the Vaseux herd were found infected with the most notorious disease affecting wild sheep – mycoplasma ovipneumoniae also known as M.ovi.
Photo of a m.ovi infected lamb that was put down to protect other wild sheep populations
Phase I – Call To Action
Do you like seeing wildlife on the road side when out for a drive or in the wilderness for a hike?
If you do, we desperately need your help today.
What can you do to help with this problem?
Contact your local MLA and request a meeting. You can find the directory for provincial MLA’s HERE
Once you have secured a meeting, please contact us at communications@wildsheepsociety.com stating that you have a meeting with your MLA.
Please click HERE FOR TALKING POINTS to discuss while meeting with your MLA.
Download the following three letters and either modify it to suit your needs or if you prefer simply use the letter, however it is important to amend the information to reflect your personal details.Also, be sure to address it to your elected MLA.
We ask that you complete all three versions of the letter – one to your elected MLA, one to Agriculture Minister Lana Popham and one to Premier Horgan.
- Letter to your MLA Click here for your MLA’s contact details
- Letter to the Minister of Agriculture – Lana Popham
- Letter to BC Premier – John Horgan
If able, we would ask that you write a letter to the editor in your local newspaper outlining your concerns about how wild sheep are dying and our provincial government is not taking appropriate action to address the issue.You can use the same talking points that we have outlined in the document provided.
If you are interested in learning more about m.ovi and the destruction it causes on wild sheep, the Wild Sheep Society of BC has provided the following resources.
Talk is Sheep Zoomcast – M.ovi on the Landscape
Wild BC Sheep Facing Pandemic – Breakfast TV – Vancouver
Pandemic in bighorn sheep – Castanet
Lethal bacterial disease found in bighorn sheep herd in B.C.’s South Okanagan – CBC
Wild sheep in South Okanagan also facing pandemic, says B.C. animal society – Global
M.ovi on the Landscape – WSSBC Trailer
