A 5th bighorn lamb found dead in La Quinta

Another bighorn lamb has died in La Quinta. This is the fifth death since May 6, according to officials at Fish and Wildlife Services.

A spokesperson said Thursday, “Eleven lambs in that group are coming down daily, most appear sick with upper respiratory issues, and very skinny. We expect that there will be more deaths in the coming weeks.”

Officials said last year there were ten lambs coming down into the La Quinta resorts; all but two died.

The most recent lamb death was reported at SilverRock Resort on Thursday around 7 PM. We’re told this was the second of two lambs they had been watching for illness. We reported on the death of the first lamb earlier today after learning it had died yesterday evening.

The third lamb death was reported on Monday, also at SilverRock Resort. The first two deaths were reported at PGA West.

The exact cause of death for the lambs is still being determined. Fish and Wildlife Services suspect a respiratory illness, possibly spread by the wet turf of the golf courses the bighorn sheep come to graze on.

The bighorn sheep is an endangered species that we’re told seeks the free lunch they have found on golf courses, luring them down from the mountains.

The Bighorn Institute tells us the city of La Quinta was given a letter giving them 2 years to construct a fence to keep the sheep from coming down the mountain. That period of time has passed, and the city is currently conducting an environmental impact report to determine the degree of need.

“We’re basically caught between a rock and a hard place because on one hand we have the conservation groups saying we need to protect the sheep and yes they are endangered and they should be protected and on the other hand we have the individual home owners and the HOA’s saying we don’t want a fence in our backyard,” says City Manger, Frank Spevacek.

Spevacek says the process of building a fence could cost up to $10 million and require negotiations with the various property owners.

We’re told fence options are also limited because of the proximity to new hotel construction.

“We will not be putting up a chain link fence at SilverRock because from an aesthetic standpoint it doesn’t compliment what we’re trying to accomplish there,” says Spevacek.

He says the sheep may be better off without a fence.

“People who have inhabited PGA West and Tradition and our experience at SilverRock see the sheep multiply. So there’s one train of thought out there that’s saying we’re helping the problem because we’re creating an environment where the species are growing,” said the City Manager.

Fish and Wildlife Services and the Bighorn Institute disagree.

“That’s a ludicrous assumption. I don’t know what they’re basing that on…I’d be interested in seeing what sort of data they’re supporting that supposition with,” says Kevin Brennan with Fish and Wildlife Services.

“Unless they’re a field biologist I have no idea where they get their data because you can’t tie it to an increase just because the population might have been doing better over the last decade but they’re not doing so good now. You’re going to see a huge decline over the next decade if something’s not done or even the next few years,” says executive director of the Bighorn Institute Jim DeForge.

We’re told the city’s environmental report should be out for circulation through August. It’s expected to go to the Coachella Valley Conservation Commission and the city for final consideration in the fall.