'Tis A Sad Day

When I woke up this morning and turned on the television I saw where Ted Kennedy had passed away. I immediately went into mourning and even work a black shirt and pants to work, as well as my black clogs. I was so distressed. NOT!

Then when I arrived at work and glanced at the front of the newspaper I'd stuck in my totebag, I discovered the following newspaper article:

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

“Bam Bam” has a new home.

“Bam Bam” the Sinks Canyon State Park Bighorn Sheep ram, who has gained local and internet fame in recent months, was moved to a new home in the Wind River Mountains, far away from roads and, hopefully, people.
The ram had become something of a celebrity because he was so tame. Visitors from around the world saw the animal up close and personal, usually a rarity with Bighorn Sheep. The ram even starred in a “YouTube” video charging a truck.

One of the last surviving animals from the Sinks Canyon herd, the sheep had become habituated to people over the years. People petting and feeding the animal didn’t help and Wyoming Game and Fish Department and Sinks Canyon State Park staff attempts to get him to stay away from roads and other populated areas didn’t work.

“He is still a wild animal and had become more aggressive as the summer went on,” Sinks Canyon State Park Superintendent Darrel Trembly said. “He had started chasing people, cornering them against fences and butting vehicles. It was only a matter of time before someone got hurt or he got hit by a vehicle.”

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department lured him into a trailer early in the morning last week and then transported him to his new home. “It went as smoothly as any transplant could,” said Kent Schmidlin of the Wyoming Game and Fish Lander Region Office. “Now hopefully he can be with other wild sheep and live like he is supposed to.”

Say it ain't so! This is the bighorn sheep that I wrote about in an earlier blog (July 19, 2009 "More Wild Animals"). We saw Bam Bam getting up close and personal with a parked white van and we kept our distance while sitting our car. Now I'm really in mourning! I'm just so glad that Joe and I had the opportunity to meet "Bam Bam" before he was sent away.