A recent news release by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game reported two Dall rams had been “euthanized” (shot and killed) in the Salcha area. Some folks thought this harsh and unnecessary. I argue ADF&G did the right thing to prevent a possible disease catastrophe.

Dall sheep are amazingly loyal to established home ranges. That makes them appear to be disturbance-tolerant. In my career as a Dall sheep biologist, my partners and I “disturbed” Dall sheep in every possible way. We counted them using fixed wing airplanes and helicopters. We captured them in nets from the ground and the air. We took their blood, poked holes in their ears for ear tags, hung markers around their necks, milked lactating ewes, took fecal pellets from their rectums, walked among them throughout the year, and e

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