A herd of bighorn sheep in at Sun Rivers Resort Community in Kamloops.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Sandy Horner

A Kamloops resident got a surprise a few days ago when her vehicle was suddenly surrounded by a herd of running bighorn sheep.

Sandy Horner was driving in the Sun Rivers neighbourhood with a friend when she spotted three of the sheep standing on the side of the road and slowed down to get a better look at them.

“All of a sudden this whole herd ran out in front and behind us,” she said. “It scared the crap out of us.”

Horner took some photos of the roughly 20 lively sheep, all of them ewes. Sun Rivers Resort Community backs onto grasslands that are part of the sheep’s range and it is common to spot them in the area. Horner has a friend who lives there and said she’s in the community a few times a week, but she’s never been in the middle of a whole herd before.

“There was a lot of hoof noises on the road, and they were not afraid of the vehicle,” she said. “I guess the herd is known as the Sun Rivers traffic jam. I kept taking photos as more kept arriving, it was so funny to be surrounded by them.”

READ MORE: iN VIDEO: Herd of bighorn sheep caught on camera in Penticton

Thompson River bighorn sheep populations have been declining over the past several years, specifically the Kamloops Lake and South Thompson herds, according to the Wild Sheep Society BC website.

The cause is unknown but data suggests lamb survival is a big factor, with predation of lambs and adult ewes, health factors and the conditions of their habitat such as overgrazing and invasive plants. An alliance of conservationists are studying the problem.

READ MORE: iN PHOTOS: Kamloops wildlife photographer captures amazing bighorn sheep images

Something unique about bighorn sheep is their ability to adapt to diverse environmental conditions, from the snowy Canadian Rockies to deserts in Death Valley and northern Mexico, according to the provincial government.

They are named for the ram’s massive, spiralling horns that continue to grow and form rings each year that indicate their age. The ewes, seen in Horner’s photos, have smaller, slightly curved horns.

Bighorn sheep at Sun Rivers Resort Community in Kamloops.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Sandy Horner

Bighorn sheep in Kamloops.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Sandy Horner

Bighorn sheep in Kamloops.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Sandy Horner

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