GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK — Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) is requesting help from visitors as its dedicated ungulate team tracks the park’s populations of bighorn sheep and mountain goats.
Visitors to the park are encouraged to report any sightings of bighorn sheep or mountain goats to a GTNP ranger. The park says this will assist its research team with monitoring its bighorn sheep herd, which is in jeopardy.
“Bighorn sheep have occupied the Teton Mountain Range for thousands of years,” GTNP posted to Facebook. “The Teton herd, though, is under threat. Less than 100 individuals remain, and the population is at risk of extinction because of its small size, genetic isolation and habitat loss. Invasive mountain goats may also compete against and spread diseases to the bighorns.”
To better understand the park’s sheep, visitors are asked to note how many sheep they saw, where exactly they were (using GPS points if possible), the date and time of the sighting and any details that help determine age and/or sex. Photos and videos are even more helpful. Fill out a Rare Animal Sighting form at any of the park’s visitor centers, and/or contact Sarah Dewey at sarah_dewey@nps.gov.
