How does Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) start a new bighorn sheep herd? With plenty of apple pulp, hay, and alfalfa. This month, CPW, along with a team of volunteers, began a capture operation targeting the Rampart bighorn sheep herd in order to start a new herd in the mountains southwest of Pueblo, according to CBS News Colorado. 

The apple pulp, alfalfa, and hay acted as a lure to draw members of the Rampart herd into an old quarry above Colorado Springs. Once there, CPW set up a net to catch 20 bighorn sheep. With 150 members, CPW determined the health and population of this particular herd is perfect to help jumpstart a new one.

Once captured, CPW staff blindfolded the animals, sedating them before collecting information on each animal’s overall health, including signs of disease, before affixing an ear tag and transporting the bighorn sheep to its new home, according to CBS News Colorado.

The capture and relocation efforts are part of an ongoing effort to restore bighorn sheep to their native ranges.