Safari Club International’s Arizona Chapter Executive Director Bobby Boido and Chapter President Gilbert Quintana recently presented a check for $5,000 to AZ Game & Fish Department Region V, to help restore the desert bighorn sheep to their traditional habitat in the Santa Catalina Mountains near Tucson.
“This marks the 3rd year we have contributed to this very worthy cause”, said Boido. “This year’s contribution represents a total of $15,000 that SCI Arizona Chapter has donated to show our support of the Catalina Sheep Restoration Project.”
Originally the funds were to purchase radio collars to help state biologists gather vital information on travel and the effects of the inevitable predation. “The success of the project has strengthened our commitment to continuing to support this project,” said Chapter President, Gilbert Quintana, “These funds come from the SCI Arizona Chapter’s annual banquet, and represent SCI’s commitment to wildlife conservation, both abroad and in our own backyard.”
According to AZFGD Regional Supervisor Raul Vega, desert bighorns disappeared from the Santa Catalina Mountains in the early 1990’s due to causes that are undetermined. The first release of desert bighorns back into the Catalinas was in November of 2013. There are currently 80 sheep that now call the Catalinas home.