This land was once home to as many as two million Desert Bighorn Sheep, but after the Europeans started colonizing the Southwest in the 1500's, the population decreased dramatically. Hunting, disease and competition for food from domestic livestock, as well as human competition for water sources, all contributed towards their decline.

Fortunately, President Roosevelt had the foresight to protect the Desert Bighorn Sheep, setting desert areas aside for preservation. After shrinking to fewer than 20,000 by the sixties, the Desert Bighorn Sheep population has been growing slowly but steadily ever since. Today their population nears 70,000.

However, climate change is putting the preservation efforts at risk.

Desert Bighorn Sheep travel in small herds, surrounded by dry desert terrain where they may go weeks or months without access to a water supply. They hydrate themselves on water from vegetation and rainfall.

As global warming worsens drought conditions in the Southwest, less rain is available to hydrate Desert Bighorn Sheep, as well as the plants they depend on for food.

To help save them, you can adopt a Desert Bighorn Sheep through the Bighorn Institute, a non-profit organization endorsed by Defenders of Wildlife for its conservation efforts on the Bighorns' behalf.

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