(wind)
>> BEFORE THE SUN RISES, IF YOU
LOOK OFF IN THE DISTANCE THE
MOUNTAINS ARE SILHOUETTED ALMOST
AS IF THEY WERE JUST CUT OUT.
YOU BEGIN TO SEE ALL THE
DETAILS AND ALL THE FINE LINES
AND CANYONS AND IT'S A REAL
BEAUTY A NATURAL BEAUTY.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S MAGIC TO
THIS LAND.
MY NAME IS FROYLAN HERNANDEZ
AND I'M THE DESERT BIGHORN
SHEEP PROGRAM LEADER FOR
TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE.
WHEN I'M UP ON TOP OF ELEPHANT
MOUNTAIN LOOKING FOR THE SHEEP
MY FIRST GLIMPSE OF THEM,
IT'S OVERWHELMING.
EVEN IF IT'S JUST A SINGLE
ANIMAL.
THAT'S REALLY WHAT MAKES
MY JOB VERY INTERESTING.
I LOVE MY JOB.
HISTORICALLY THE NATIVE TEXAS
DESERT BIGHORN SHEEP OCCURRED
IN ABOUT 16 MOUNTAIN RANGES
OUT HERE IN THE TRANS PECOS.
MAINLY DUE TO UNREGULATED
HUNTING, DISEASES ASSOCIATED
WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF
DOMESTIC SHEEP AND GOATS,
AND NET WIRE FENCING, BECAUSE
OF ALL THOSE THREE THINGS THEY
BROUGHT THE DEMISE OF THE DESERT
BIGHORN AND BY THE EARLY 1960'S
THEY WERE GONE, THEY WERE
ALL GONE FROM TEXAS.
THE RESTORATION EFFORT HAS BEEN
GOING ON FOR MORE THAN 50 YEARS.
LUCKILY THE POPULATION IN TEXAS
IS NOW BIG ENOUGH, WE'RE USING
THOSE SOURCES TO TRANSPLANT
ANIMALS TO BIG BEND RANCH
STATE PARK.
(wind)
>> THE CANYONS THAT WE HAVE
HERE, THE HILLTOPS WILL
TAKE YOU AWAY.
MY NAME IS ROD TREVIZO.
I'M THE GENERAL PARK
SUPERINTENDENT FOR BIG BEND
RANCH STATE PARK.
WE'RE NOT CROWDED AND THIS IS
THE PLACE TO BE AND ENJOY THE
VASTNESS OF THIS PARK.
IT'S BEAUTIFUL HERE.
EVERY TRAIL THAT WE HAVE OUT
HERE IS SO UNIQUE IN ITSELF.
ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR HIKES
IS THE CLOSED CANYON.
THE BEAUTY OF THAT PLACE IS
AMAZING FROM BEGINNING TO END.
(bicycles)
AND THEN MOUNTAIN BIKERS,
LOTS OF MILES.
OUR TRAILS ARE WELL MARKED,
COME ENJOY THEM THE PLACE
IS WAITING FOR YOU.
WHEN WE STARTED TALKING ABOUT
THE RELEASE COMING IN,
TO RELEASE THE DESERT BIGHORN
SHEEP AT BIG BEND RANCH I WAS
ALL UP AND THUMBS UP LIKE
YEAH, THAT'S GREAT.
WHY?
BECAUSE WE HAVE SO MUCH TO OFFER
AT BIG BEND RANCH WE WERE
LACKING THE ONE MORE THING
THAT COULD BE.
ANOTHER ADDITION NOW IS GOING
TO BE THE BIGHORN SHEEP.
>> THE MORNING OF THE CAPTURE
THERE'S A SENSE OF EXCITEMENT.
ONCE THEY COME UPON A HERD THEY
TRY AND CAPTURE WHAT WE CALL
FAMILY UNITS.
THAT'S ANOTHER MEASURE TAKEN
TO INCREASE SURVIVABILITY.
THEY FLY UP AND THEY BANK
AND THEY COME BACK AND TURN
AROUND, IT'S ALMOST LIKE A,
LIKE A FAST PACED ROLLER
COASTER RIDE.
IT'S ALL PRECISION WORK REALLY,
ALL WHILE KEEPING THE ANIMALS
WELFARE IN MIND.
WE TRY AND RUSH THESE THINGS
BECAUSE WE TRY AND MINIMIZE THE
STRESS TO THE ANIMALS.
YOU LOOK UP AT THE MOUNTAIN
AND HERE YOU SEE THE BUBBLE OF
THE HELICOPTER AND THEN YOU SEE
THE THING ATTACHED AT THE BOTTOM
AND YOU KNOW THEY'RE SHEEP.
AND AS THEY GET CLOSER
THERE THEY ARE.
>> WHEN THE IDEA CAME THAT THEY
WERE GOING TO CAPTURE ALL THESE
DESERT BIGHORN SHEEP OVER AT THE
ELEPHANT MOUNTAIN I WAS INVITED
OVER THERE BY THE WILDLIFE GUYS
AND I SAID HECK YEAH I WANT TO
BE THERE I WANT TO WITNESS IT
BECAUSE I HAVE NEVER SEEN
ANY OF THIS DONE.
I JUST COULDN'T RESIST,
I FELT THEIR HORNS,
THEY WERE SO ROUGH IN A WAY.
AND THEN THE ANIMAL JUST
BREATHING RIGHT THERE,
HIS HOT AIR BREATHING ON MY
HANDS IT WAS JUST AH, YOU KNOW
IT'S LIKE A RUSH THAT YOU GET.
THEY WEIGH ABOUT WHAT,
115 OR SO?
50?
JUST EXCITING TO SEE THAT
AND FEEL THAT ANIMAL RIGHT
THERE IN MY HANDS.
I JUST COULDN'T BELIEVE IT,
BECAUSE NORMALLY YOU SEE THEM
WAY UP IN THE MOUNTAINS, I HAD
THEM RIGHT THERE IN MY HANDS.
IT WAS BEAUTIFUL.
>> ONCE AT THE PROCESSING
STATION THEY'RE AGED.
YOU TAKE FECAL SAMPLES.
THEY'RE ALSO TAKING BLOOD
SAMPLES, TAKE AH TISSUE SAMPLES,
AND THOSE RADIO COLLARS ARE
THERE TO HELP US MONITOR
THE BIGHORNS.
THAT'S WHERE YOU GET MOVEMENT
AND IDENTIFY OTHER VARIABLES
SUCH AS TRAVEL CORRIDORS.
>> ARE WE GOOD?
LET'S PUT HIM IN THE TRAILER.
>> ONCE THE ANIMAL IS DONE BEING
PROCESSED AND HE'S TAKEN OVER
TO THE TRAILER.
AT THAT POINT HE'S NO LONGER
HOBBLED, AND YOU HAVE TO
WATCH IT, IT'S ALMOST LIKE
A MINI RODEO.
>> THIS IS IT.
AS SOON AS WE GET THOSE TWO
SHEEP ON THE TRAILER WE'RE
GOING TO CALL IT FOR THE DAY.
>> FROM ELEPHANT MOUNTAIN TO THE
BOFECILLOS MOUNTAINS OF BIG BEND
RANCH STATE PARK IT'S ROUGHLY
ABOUT TWO HOURS.
AND THAT'S GOING AT 60, 65
MILES PER HOUR.
WE'LL STOP ONCE OR TWICE TO MAKE
SURE EVERYTHING IS FINE,
IF EVERYTHING IS FINE WE KEEP
ON TRUCKIN'.
(gate latches clang)
>> WE'RE THE ONLY STATE PARK
IN TEXAS WITH THE BIGHORN NOW.
IT'S AMAZING, AND HOW FAST THEY
MOVE THROUGH THE COUNTRY.
THEY'RE RIGHT AT HOME.
THIS IS EXCELLENT, IT WILL BE
ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY, ANOTHER
ACTIVITY THAT OUR VISITORS CAN
COME AND ENJOY HERE.
HOPEFULLY WE'LL GET TO HAVE ALL
THOSE RAMS RUNNING AROUND
AND JUST DOING WELL
AND MULTIPLYING IN NUMBERS
LIKE WE WANT THEM TO.
I'M JUST VERY EXCITED TO
HAVE THEM HERE.
>> THIS IS A BIG DEAL FOR
STATE PARKS.
IT WASN'T A COUPLE OF HOURS AGO
THAT THEY WERE AT ELEPHANT
MOUNTAIN AND NOW HERE THEY ARE
IN THEIR NEW HOME.
NOW THEY'LL BE HERE FOR THE
PUBLIC TO ENJOY.
AND THAT TO ME IS WONDERFUL.
IT'S A SIGNIFICANT HOME COMING
THAT'S TAKEN OVER 50 YEARS TO
MAKE IT HAPPEN.
THE BIGHORNS ARE BACK WHERE
THEY BELONG.
IT'S A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE,
IT'S MY DREAM COME TRUE.
AND WATCHING THEM GO UP THE
SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN IS JUST
ICING ON THE CAKE.
>> VERY IMPRESSIVE JUST SEEING
THOSE LITTLE WHITE RUMPS JUST
JUMP, JUMP, MOVING SO FAST.
THOSE ANIMALS LOOK SO HAPPY TO
BE HOME, RELEASED IN THE COUNTRY
THAT THEY SHOULD BE.
WE'RE HERE, WE'RE SEEING THIS,
IT'S HAPPENING, YOU KNOW RIGHT
IN FRONT OF US.
THEY'RE HOME AGAIN.