Bighorn sheep are elusive animals to begin with. To make matters worse, humans who come too close will cause them to disappear into remote parts for weeks at a time; or, humans can frighten the animals to the point of heart damage making them more susceptible to disease.
As a result, the park rangers at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado are very protective of the bighorns, seldom giving accurate information of their locations. If you come in the east entrance, all recent sightings have been on the west side; come in the west side and the opposite information is given.
We were stubbornly determined, however, to find full-curl rams and take some of the classic pictures seen in park ads or on postcards. So we kept asking and gradually, from townspeople and the occasional talkative ranger, we began collecting useful tidbits of information. Finally the pieces began falling together. We found out November was the best time of year and learned of an accessible spot where our chances should be reasonable for good viewing.
Then came our break. Since November was the off-season, we had our pick of accommodations. We stopped at a lodge that should give us good access to the target area; but before checking in, we asked if any sheep had been around. The answer thrilled us; a few days earlier, the staff had seen some beautiful rams walking near the back of their cabins. The herd was roaming a three-mile stretch of mountain within view.
The next day we started off with camera and big hopes; we were not to be disappointed. Within 30 minutes, we climbed over a ridge and there they were — 130 sheep with about a dozen magnificent full-curl rams among them. We snapped off one roll of pictures and then another from every angle we could get.
Then it occurred to us that the professional pictures we had admired were taken with a higher power telephoto lens than our 105mm zoom lens. So into town we went to rent a 300mm lens and camera outfit and then back out for more pictures.
Early the following day, we were at the camera shop for their 1-hour developing service. To our dismay, every one of the telephoto shots was out of focus. We had become so accustomed to auto focus cameras that we had failed to make the necessary adjustments critical for close-in pictures.
No herd could be found that day but the third day was a winner. We took magnificent shots of rams in every position with some good action photos of preliminary head-butting as they practiced for the rut.
Back we went to the camera store to check out how we were doing. Focus was great, but there was something wrong with the lighting, all of the close shots were too dark.
The next day was to be our last opportunity. Again we found the herd and again we had wonderful photo opportunities. Since we were to start home early next morning, we went to the camera shop to return the rented equipment but not to process any film. That could wait until we arrived home. We did buy the lens, however, as we had a camera it would fit and planned to make good use of it on future trips, Lord willing.
When the last batch of pictures were developed, we were again disappointed. Not one of them was the shot we were looking for — poor lighting, bad composition, fuzzy focus, jerky camera — if it wasn’t one problem, it was another. But, not to worry, we had discovered “our” herd. They are creatures of habit so they’d likely be there in the spring, if we wanted to make another trip, or we could go back the following November and have the thrill all over again.
Just to see how things were going, we called the lodge in March. Were the sheep still in the area? We couldn’t believe the answer: “They’re nearly all dead!”
How could that be? The herd had a full span of ages all the way up to over 12 years old. They couldn’t all die off in three months. But they had! Pneumonia had ravished the herd; there were only 17 left and none of the big rams.
We called park headquarters and heard the sorry tale confirmed by the chief biologist. In spite of their ability to handle mountain weather in the most rugged areas, sheep are highly susceptible to certain diseases that, once started, will decimate a herd. “Our” herd was virtually gone. We’d have to start all over again looking for some magnificent specimens.
As we were lamenting our plight, it occurred to us as to what a testimony the events were to the extent of the curse on all living things. These magnificent animals, many of which had weathered 10 or more years in rugged and hostile conditions, were virtually wiped out overnight by an enemy they could not see and could not fight.
It is surely true that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together to this present time. What a blessing it will be when the Millennium dawns upon the earth. That day will not only bring great blessings to the human race but to all living things of the creation of God.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One