Bay Photos by Donna

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This is the last in my series sharing the Badlands National Park from our recent visit, with this gallery of photos of bighorn sheep, specifically female (ewes) and lambs.  (Get ready for super-cuteness a little further down!)

We did see a herd of males (rams) at a great distance; but by the time we reached the area on the scenic drive loop, they were gone.

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Bighorn sheep (four ewes, two lambs)

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There were about 2 million bighorn sheep before their decline due to European expansion into the American West, causing bighorn populations to plummet to just 20,000 by 1940.

Conservationists stepped in to defend and protect the species.

In 1964, the Badlands received 22 bighorn sheep translocated from Pike’s Peak in Colorado.  The park later received a second population in 2004 from Wheeler Peak in New Mexico.  The Badlands National Park now serves as home to about 250 bighorn out of the 80,000 which exist in the United States today.

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Bighorn sheep feeding

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Bighorn sheep are grazers, eating grasses and shrubs.

After descending to grasslands to quickly eat large amounts of vegetation, bighorn sheep will then retreat to cliffs away from predators.

Once safe on the cliffs, bighorn sheep regurgitate their food and chew it as cud before digesting it fully.

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Bighorn ewe feeding

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Badlands NP have fitted many bighorn sheep with numbers and GPS collars so that park rangers can monitor their positions.

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Bighorn ewe #50 fitted with a GPS collar

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Bighorn ewe fitted with GPS collar (# tag on other side)

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Bighorn ewes give birth during the spring, and hide their lambs on narrow, rocky ledges at higher elevations in order to protect them from almost all predators.

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Bighorn ewes and lambs

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After breeding, the ewes and lambs live together in large herds.  Lambs nurse until they’re about six months old.

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Young lamb nursing

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If the lamb is female, it will stay with its mother’s herd throughout its life.

However, if the lamb is male, it will leave its mother’s herd at about 2-4 years old and seek out to live with a bachelor group led by a dominant ram.

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Momma with her little lambs

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When we came upon the location where most of these photos were taken, there was a pair of lambs exploring the cliffs.  I think my heart skipped a beat quite a few times!

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Two lambs exploring their home of cliffs

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“Follow me!”

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Lamb climbing up side of cliff with ease

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“Hey, let’s go down there!”

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The little lambs really did look like they were having fun.  I could have watched them and this herd for hours.

A few more of my favorites….

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Bighorn ewe keeping watch

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Young bighorn down below with others

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Bighorn ewe close-up

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Bighorn ewe high up above the herd, keeping watch

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Little lamb sweetness

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If you missed any of the series, here are direct links:
Badlands National Park – Landscapes
Badlands National Park – Birds
Badlands National Park – American Bison Part 1
Badlands National Park – American Bison Part 2
Badlands National Park – Prairie Dogs
Badlands National Park – Pronghorn

I highly recommend the Badlands NP in the spring time with all the young wildlife activity and plant growth taking place.  And, if you love to bump along dusty unpaved roads, I can only imagine the additional wildlife to be seen.

We relocated over a week ago to the west side of South Dakota, now camping near the Black Hills National Forest.  There’s lots to see and do in this area, and we’re here until the end of June.  Plenty of time to explore…..and chill!

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