WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The Lee Richardson Zoo in Garden City announced the arrival of five desert bighorn sheep to the zoo.
The sheep arrived on Tuesday. Three came to Garden City from the Los Angeles Zoo, while the other two came from the San Diego Safari Park.
All five sheep now live in their newly renovated habitat, located at the “North American Plains” portion of the zoo, next to the bison and elk habitats. Previously, this habitat was home to pronghorn but has been reconstructed to suit the needs of the bighorn sheep.
The zoo said the desert subspecies of bighorn sheep are native to the North American southwest, including the Grand Canyon, as well as the Mojave and Sonoran deserts.
The sheep are slightly smaller than the Rocky Mountain subspecies and are lighter in color, but the rams (males) share the characteristic curved horn which they use for headbutting in sparring matches. The horns can reach up to 33 inches in length and weigh between 30 and 40 pounds.
Horns don’t reach “full-curl” until 8 years of age, so the new arrivals, ranging in age from 5 years to 7 months old, have some growing to do.
