Conservation officers seek public’s help after bighorn sheep shot on Westside Road

The B.C. Conservation Officer Service is looking for help from the public as it investigates the illegal killing of a California bighorn sheep in the Central Okanagan.

The conservation service says the ram was shot on Friday, March 20, along Westside Road in the Shelter Cove area around 20 kilometres northwest of Kelowna, according to a media release. A motorist found the ram.

Conservation officers attended the scene and a necropsy revealed the animal had been illegally shot.

The ram was part of the Westside sheep herd which consists of approximately 75 animals.

Bighorn sheep are considered a blue list species which means they are a species of concern due to limited habitat options.

Illegal sheep kills can have serious consequences on the legal harvest, game viewing and genetic quality of local herds.

Conservation officers are asking for the public’s help in finding those responsible. They are requesting anyone with information related to this incident to call the Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) hotline at 1-877-952-7277.

A Bighorn ram was illegally shot on Westside Road, Friday, March 20, 2020. | Credit: SUBMITTED / B.C. Conservation Officer Service


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Steve Arstad

I have been looking for news in the South Okanagan - SImilkameen for 20 years, having turned a part time lifelong interest into a full time profession. After five years publishing a local newsletter, several years working as a correspondent / stringer for several local newspapers and seven years as editor of a Similkameen weekly newspaper, I joined iNFOnews.ca in 2014. My goal in the news industry has always been to deliver accurate and interesting articles about local people and places. My interest in the profession is life long - from my earliest memories of grade school, I have enjoyed writing.
As an airborne geophysical surveyor I travelled extensively around the globe, conducting helicopter borne mineral surveys.
I also spent several years at an Okanagan Falls based lumber mill, producing glued-wood laminated products.
As a member of the Kaleden community, I have been involved in the Kaleden Volunteer Fire Department for 22 years, and also serve as a trustee on the Kaleden Irrigation District board.
I am currently married to my wife Judy, of 26 years. We are empty-nesters who enjoy living in Kaleden with our Welsh Terrier, Angus, and cat, Tibbs.
Our two daughters, Meagan and Hayley, reside in Richmond and Victoria, respectively.

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