Sunday, May 4, 2014

Zion National Park Big Horn Sheep



Big Horn Sheep

What began as a dozen desert bighorn sheep reintroduced into Zion National Park in 1973 has now become a healthy herd of over 500 that freely roam the 70,000 acres of habitat in and around Zion National Park in Utah.

It is a common sight to see them roaming around tourist areas, and they allow humans to get fairly close because they have learned they have no need to fear us.  I stopped along side the road in the early evening where a fairly large herd was looking for dinner.  I stood in front on my car and was able to take the above shots.  Soon they decided 'the grass was greener' on the other side of the road, so one after another they crossed to the other side.

From the look on the driver's face, I don't think he even saw this little guy moving quickly to get out of his way!  Maybe they should be afraid of humans in cars!

5 comments:

Scott Law said...

How fun. I've seen a few there, but very few. You got some really nice shots of them.

Montanagirl said...

Awesome photos! You did good!!

MadSnapper said...

would love to meet these guys in person... beautiful shots and the man in the car looks like he could care less which is dangerous for the goats.

janc@mac.com said...

That second pose is a majestic shot and truly shows the beauty of these animals.

Unknown said...

Karen, aren't they pretty! I wish they weren't so close to the road. People in cars are a dangerous lot! They have a hard time not running into each other, let along little ruminants! But they've learned people will give them lovely apples and such, and in the desert that's a huge treat! Who could resist!