Bighorn sheep

Discover the bighorn sheep in the heart of the Tarn river Canyon

Bighorn sheep in the Tarn river Canyon

Excessively hunted and poached for a long time, the bighorn sheep have benefited from a hunting plan in order to preserve its population. The Hunting Federation is now involved in the species’ management. There are 3 distinct populations of bighorn sheep in Lozère: The first, the most numerous, is located on the Causse de Sauveterre and Causse Méjean plateaus, on both sides of the banks of the Tarn. The second is a little further down the Tarn, on its right bank, straddling the Aveyron and the Lozère. The third is in the Cévennes.


 

 

Spot the bighorn sheep in the Tarn river Canyon

Small and stubby, the bighorn sheep merges in its environment thanks to its fur in shades of fawn. Its legs, snout, rump and belly are white. Adult males wear beautiful coiled horns, while females wear short horns resembling that of goats.

Very discreet in nature, bighorn sheep only move to graze at dawn and late at night. To have the chance to see it, the best is to post up high in the early morning or at dusk, with binoculars, and to be patient...