The latest update from the Santa Catalina Bighorn Sheep Reintroduction Project includes information on the recent death of ewe #37444. The update mentions samples being collected for disease testing – it will be interesting to find out if this death is attributed to Pneumonia since that was identified as a cause in the previous 3 mortalities – from the update:

The carcass of ewe #37444 was discovered by Department biologists on the afternoon of August 24 after they got a VHF mortality signal. The GPS component of her collar had not uploaded her location since August 21, and it did not send a mortality signal. However, Department staff had been monitoring her decreased movement patterns over the preceding days and surmised she was likely sick. Her carcass was found at her last known location from August 21, and there were no signs of predation. Samples were collected from the carcass for disease testing.

Ewe #37444 was captured in the Tonto National Forest in 2014. She had a lamb early this year, but it would have been independent by now.

The update also includes information from recent sightings verifying that 9 of the 16 lambs born in the Santa Catalina Mountains this year are still alive and mentions that the “typical lamb survival in desert bighorn sheep is about 25 percent”.

 

Adam Block – Beautiful shots creating star trails from the UA Sky Center: M11: Concentric Contemplation, Concentric Contemplation (video), Star trails captured from Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter – Tucson News Now.

The Catalina Comet! The credit for this 2013 discovery goes to R. A. Kowalski and the Catalina Sky Survey – this comet was featured as the NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day on August 18, 2015 – more information on the comet can be found here. Look up and see Comet Catalina, discovered right here in Arizona – Tucson News Now.

Man arrested after dog’s paws burned on hike – Arizona Daily Star: A man was “charged with felony cruelty to animals after volunteers from the Southern Arizona Rescue Association had to carry out his dog, Ranger, from three miles up the trail.”