Conservation officers are searching for the person responsible for shooting a rare California bighorn sheep in the Okanagan.
It was killed on March 20 along Westside Road near Shelter Cove, about 20 kilometres north of Kelowna.
A motorist found the animal by the side of the road.
Killing the sheep, whose herd in the area numbers about 75, is illegal.
They are a blue-listed species in the province, meaning there are concerns about their future due to limited habitat.
“Illegal kills of sheep have serious consequences for legal harvest, game viewing, and genetic quality of herds in the area,” conservation officer Ken Owens said.
He added: “The population has been supplemented with additional animals via translocations on several occasions to help maintain viable numbers.”
Anyone with information related to this killing or any other wildlife crime is asked to call the Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) hotline at 1-877-952-7277.
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