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Annual California bighorn sheep count canceled after death

Craig Bihrle/AP

FILE - This undated photo provided by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department shows a group of bighorn sheep in North Dakota. An outbreak of deadly bacterial pneumonia that has plagued western North Dakota's bighorn sheep population for years is showing signs of waning, though it might still be a few years before the herd is out of the woods. Game and Fish Department biologists counted 283 bighorns in a recent population survey, up 7 percent from the previous year. (Craig Bihrle/North Dakota Game and Fish Department via AP, File)

By: Associated Press

Posted at 10:07 AM, Jul 05, 2021

and last updated 2021-07-05 13:07:09-04

BORREGO SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) — An annual count of bighorn sheep scheduled for this weekend in a Southern California desert was canceled after a volunteer died while preparing for the excursion amid scorching heat.

The Union-Tribune says the tally in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park typically draws dozens of volunteers who collect information for scientists monitoring the health of sheep.

Sixty-eight-year-old Don White died June 19 while hiking in to leave water at his count site. The cause of death is under investigation, but it seems likely overheating played a role.

It was 116 degrees that day.

Officials canceled the count and initiated a review of safety protocols.

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Annual California bighorn sheep count canceled after death

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