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Sierra the Bighorn Sheep

Meet Sierra the Bighorn Sheep. The name Sierra is a nod to the area these bighorn sheep inhabit. The Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep are a subspecies of bighorn sheep unique to California's Sierra Nevada mountains. Centuries of unregulated hunting, disease outbreaks, and mountain lion predation took a heavy toll on the Sierra bighorn population. However, disease played the most significant role in the decline of the subspecies, with domestic sheep transmitting virulent diseases, particularly pneumonia from Pasteurella, beginning in the 1870s. By the 1970s, about 250 animals remained, occupying only two small areas of their former vast range.

Sierra bighorn sheep were listed as an endangered species on January 3, 2000. Since its listing under the ESA, the Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep population has grown from roughly 125 individuals in 1999 to over 500 in 2020. Of the 16 herd units identified as suitable habitats for Sierra bighorn, 13 are currently occupied.

Aircraft Information

Aircraft Model: Airbus A321-271NeoX

Aircraft Registration: N616FR

Seat Capacity: 240

Engine Type: PW1133GA-JM

First Flight: 04/18/23

Final Assembly Location: USA

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Endangered Animals Initiative

Frontier is dedicated to bringing awareness to the endangered animals within the continental U.S.A. You can learn more about our endangered animal tails here.