On July 16 two of us were canoeing on the Arrow Lake below the bridge on the cliffs west of Syringa Camp Ground. It was a perfect day.
The sun was shining, bighorn sheep were grazing on a rock ledge high above us and birds were singing. In an instant the sheep were charging down a cliff towards us and one was falling, upside down, onto rocks below.
Probably two sheep collided in their panic to escape a dog that was rushing towards them from above. The dog's owner called it back but it was too late to avoid a tragedy. The fallen sheep got up, tried to walk and fell to it's knees.
It was unable to follow it's companions that disappeared in the direction of Deer Park. We returned to the site of the fall on July 18. Five bald eagles, two vultures and several ravens were lining up to consume the remains of the poor young sheep. Although this was a freak accident it shows the importance of controlling dogs in wildlife areas.
Ed Beynon,
Castlegar