The New Mexico Department of Game & Fish in cooperation with the San Andres National Wildlife Refuge (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service), White Sands Missile Range (U.S. Army), Bureau of Land Management, Foundation for North American Wild Sheep, MN-WI Chapter of the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep , and the NM Chapter of the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep successfully captured and transplanted 27 desert bighorn sheep rams from the captive breeding facility at Red Rock, New Mexico.  The transplant took place November 19-21, 1999.  Nearly 50 persons were involved in this operation. All rams were radio collared and processed for health screening prior to being released into 5 different mountain ranges.  

Six rams were fitted with satellite radio collars and released in the San Andres Mountains to initiate a 2-year sentinel ram study designed to monitor these rams as they move throughout the San Andres.   Twelve rams were released at 4 different locations in the Peloncillo Mountains to enhance our ability to census this population.  Three rams were released into the Little Hatchet Mountains and 3 into the Alamo Hueco Mountains where no radio collars are currently functioning.  The final 3 rams were released into the Ladron Mountains where just 2 functional radio collars exist.  All radio collared rams will be monitored from the ground, during monthly fixed-wing flights, and during the annual helicopter surveys.