FOR DECADES, A PATTERN HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED IN THE HEALTH OF BRITISH COLUMBIA’S BIGHORN SHEEP…
Sudden outbreaks of pneumonia or lung infection have caused huge losses of animals in herds in the East Kootenay and Okanagan regions, with less obvious but significant losses in herds along the Fraser River.
The causes of pneumonia have been identified through disease diagnostic processes that have evolved over time as new expertise and new tools have been developed in BC and elsewhere.
Management solutions have also changed, but they have always depended on people willing to work together, ask tough questions, build sometimes unlikely partnerships, and stay committed to problems that do not have simple solutions.
As the understanding of the complexities of bighorn pneumonia has improved, the partnerships surrounding the issue have evolved as well. In 2026, Together For Sheep Society (T4SS) was created to help carry the search for comprehensive solutions forward.
Incorporated as a British Columbia non-profit society in March 2026, T4SS is new as an organization, but the experience behind it is anything but new. At its foundation are decades of knowledge and firsthand experience in wild and domestic sheep health, disease prevention, testing, research, and relationship-building, particularly through the work of Dr. Helen Schwantje and Jeremy Ayotte.
Their work has helped form how we understand one of the most significant disease challenges facing wild sheep today: the transmission of pathogens, particularly one bacterial species, among domestic and wild sheep.
To educate, connect, and empower individuals, organizations, and communities to protect the long-term health of wild and domestic sheep through collaboration, effective separation strategies, research, and best management practices
Education ∙ Awareness ∙ Testing
NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION
PRINCIPLES THAT GUIDE OUR VISION AND WORK
EDUCATION
Education gives people the information they need before there is a crisis. A producer who understands the risks of disease transmission and the importance of separation can become one of wild sheep’s strongest allies.
AWARENESS
Awareness takes the conversation beyond the conservation community. Many British Columbians have never heard of M. ovi or other equally complex health challenges facing wild sheep. If we want people to care about protecting these animals, we first have to help them understand the risks and what is at stake.
TESTING
Testing gives us information. Science-based testing of domestic and wild sheep populations can help identify risks, inform management decisions, and provide a clearer picture of what is happening in the landscape.
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