Oregon wildlife officials plan antelope roundup

This story was published Thu, Feb 24, 2000

By Terry Hudson
Herald Oregon bureau

PENDLETON - If all goes well today, up to 30 pronghorn antelope living at the Umatilla Chemical Depot will be on their way to new surroundings in Nevada.

Oregon Fish and Wildlife Department officials are conducting a capture and relocation effort as part of an exchange program with their Nevada counterparts for bighorn sheep.

The antelope will be herded toward a large, corral-like trap by helicopter, past teams of volunteers waiting close by in blinds. Once the herded animals pass by, the teams will push them into the trap using large pieces of burlap.

After capture, the health of each animal will be tested before it is placed into transport vehicles.

On Wednesday at the Holiday Inn in Pendleton, wildlife biologist Kevin Blakely briefed those who were involved in the project.

"The critters are going to be in the traps, and that means they're going to be stressed," Blakely said. "Everyone around these critters needs to pay attention. Their hooves are very sharp."

In January, Nevada allowed Oregon Fish and Wildlife to take 15 bighorn sheep for genetic study. Oregon officials will receive another 15 sheep within the next couple of weeks. The bighorn sheep are being relocated to Southeast Oregon.

"(Nevada has) an area outside of Elko where they have pronghorn antelope," said biologist Don Whittaker. "Pronghorn are hard to get your hands on for introductory stock. They wanted pronghorn, and we wanted sheep."

Whittaker said California bighorn were native to Oregon but were hard to find in the state after the 1920s and '30s.

"We have a long history of trying to reintroduce the bighorn sheep," Whittaker said. "We want to document the viability of the California bighorn in this state."

Phil Stevenson, a helicopter pilot who has contracted with Oregon Fish and Wildlife on several similar projects, said Wednesday that he was confident his part of the capture would go well.

"They're using the geography well here," Stevenson said. "It looks like it's going to be a shoo-in thing."

Once inside the trap, individual antelope will be taken out a back gate, where a two-person team will determine the age and sex of the animals, draw blood, take a tissue sample and mark the animals with a tag.

"We're trying to develop some baseline information on the species," Whittaker said. "Blood can be a good indicator of what kind of shape they're in. It's also an opportunity to get some information on the nature of the site.

"Chemical weapons are stored around here, and there is the potential for chemical contamination. We'll see what we find in the blood."

Tissue samples also will be taken using an ear punch, so wildlife officials can study the animals' DNA. Whittaker said they will study for signs of inbreeding.

"There may be a little inbreeding, because it's a closed population," Whittaker said.

The antelope also will be tagged.

"That's for if we come back in six or eight years," Whittaker said. "If we find a marked individual, it's extremely valuable, because we will have some history and information on the animal."

Whittaker said he expects a few antelope injuries and deaths during today's event.

Whittaker emphasized that if any die, the bodies will be used for further study.

"We won't waste any opportunity to learn," he said. "Everything we are doing is for management purposes."

In 1969, 17 pronghorn antelope were reintroduced to the depot by Oregon Fish and Wildlife as part of a transplant program. The intent was to manage the herd to produce surplus animals for relocation off the depot to preserves.

The last time antelope were transplanted from the depot area was in 1988. Whittaker estimates the depot population to be 100 to 120 antelope.

 

Copyright 2002 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.