Historic transplant of Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep
Performance hunting gear company KUIU announced the completion of their historic transplant of Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep. KUIU and its customers purchased, captured, and transplanted 55 sheep from the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation-Chippewa Cree Tribe, located in Montana, to Antelope Island, Utah and to the Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara Nation in North Dakota. The transplants took place from January 28-30th, 2020.
“Hunting and hands-on conservation are inseparable,” said Brendan Burns, who spearheaded the transplant and serves as KUIU’s Conservation Director. “We have focused our conservation goals as a company on tangible projects that have a direct impact on creating future hunting opportunities. With the help of 16 incredible customers and 34 KUIU volunteers, we were able to facilitate the reintroduction of disease-free Bighorn Sheep back to Antelope Island and establish two herds missing from the Badlands of North Dakota.”
In the winter of 2018, the Antelope Island Bighorn Sheep herd suffered a catastrophic, pneumonia-related die-off. The two release sites in North Dakota have been void of Bighorns for more than a century. Re-establishing sheep in these locations will create source herds for future transplants and provide hunting opportunities. With the financial help of KUIU customers and KUIU’s matched contributions, these projects were 100% privately funded and gifted to the receiving organizations.
“This is the first wildlife conservation project of its kind that was funded entirely through the private sector,” says Travis Jenson, President of the Utah Wild Sheep Foundation. “KUIU and KUIU’s customer’s financial support of this project sets a new standard in the hunting and outdoor industry with respect to direct private funding of wildlife conservation projects.”
This unique opportunity for a simultaneous transplant was made possible through the proactive management of the Rocky Boy’s established sheep herd by the Chippewa Cree Fish and Game Department. After their spring sheep counts from the last two years showed that the population was over objective, KUIU was able to purchase the excess 55 sheep and go to work finding suitable recipients. The three release sites were chosen by working directly with Travis Jenson, Jace Taylor with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, and Brett Wiedmann with the North Dakota Department of Game and Fish. The sites were chosen for their iconic habitat and immediate readiness for translocation.
“The generosity of KUIU and its customers in providing North Dakota 30 Bighorn Sheep and funding the entire project made this capture and translocation a unique and gratifying experience.” said Wiedmann. “This project was a great example of how private and public organizations can work together to benefit wildlife.”
These Bighorn Sheep transplants marked the launch of KUIU’s Conservation Direct initiative.
After talking with Brandan Burns of KUIU, below are a few key points on this new initiative:
First-ever 100% company and customer-funded sheep transplant resulting in the creation of THREE new sheep herds, two in North Dakota and one in Utah.
KUIU was not a participant or sponsor. We did the project. Concept-Purchase- Capture and Transplant. The tribe in North Dakota and the State of Utah were the recipients.
The project was a gift from KUIU to the hunters of North America. NO strings attached.
Brendan was able to put this together on behalf of KUIU with 16 KUIU customer donations and 34 KUIU customer volunteers.
Biologically sound and financially transparent — 100% of the money went to the transplant. Not a dime to anything but the project.
