ANCHORAGE — State officials will consider a proposal that would require goat and sheep owners to get permits in an effort to prevent the spread of disease between wild and domesticated animals.
Alaska Wild Sheep Foundation’s proposal would require the permits within 15 miles of Dall sheep habitat. The livestock owners would also have to keep their domesticated animals fenced in and test them for diseases, KTUU-TV reported.
“It’s kind of like cutting the brush around your cabin,” said Kevin Kehoe, president of Alaska’s chapter of the Wild Sheep Foundation. “You can wait ‘till a fire burns you out or you can say ‘hmm it could happen to me it’s worth taking preventative actions and get your neighbors to do the same thing.’”
But Suzy Crosby, owner of Cottonwood Creek Farm in Wasilla, said the 15-mile rule is unnecessary.
“In order for there to be co-mingling between our animals or even proximity, that Dall sheep would have to defy all laws of nature and leave its herd which they don’t do and come down out of the mountains, cross bridges, roads, highways, fences, subdivisions, predation,” Crosby said. “It would probably be a three-week trip in order to get to our place.”
Kehoe said the foundation is open to working with domestic animal owners to come up with other preventative measures.
“We fully understand this is an emotional issue and could impact fellow Alaskans and so we’re more than willing to sit down with domestic growers associations and other agencies to discuss potential solutions like testing and other measures people might be able to come up with that would protect wild sheep and at the same time lessen the impact on domestic growers,” Kehoe said.
The Alaska Board of Game will review the proposal March 17. Alaska Department of Fish and Game officials said the board and the department do not have the authority to implement or reject the proposal.
Bruce Dale, director for the Division of Conservation, said it will be up to the state veterinarian to decide on the matter.
