Bighorn Sheep’s Rooftop Escapade
A bighorn sheep found itself on the roof of a Boulder County home after spending 36 hours at the house, both on the roof and the deck. After a wildlife officer intervened, the adventurous ram finally made his way back to the familiar foothills.
By Beth Snider · December 10, 2023
Colorado is already a state known for diverse wildlife encounters, adding a new chapter to its book of unique animal tales this week. For the first time, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials reported an unusual sighting: a bighorn sheep perched on a roof.
The peculiar incident unfolded in unincorporated Boulder County on a Tuesday. A homeowner was surprised to find a bighorn ram on his roof, according to Kara Van Hoose, a spokesperson for the state wildlife agency, as they were informed about the event, and a wildlife officer was dispatched to the scene. The initial hope was that the healthy, sub-adult ram would descend on his own. However, the two-story home’s roof became the ram’s perch for most of Tuesday.
We really aren't sure how he got up on the roof, they can jump, but I'm not sure if the house backed up to a hill or something like that
The ram eventually made his way off the roof on Wednesday, only to find himself stranded on the home’s raised wooden deck, enclosed by a 4-foot railing. It was only after a wildlife officer cut and removed a section of the wooden railing that the ram finally departed for the surrounding foothills. The ram had spent approximately 36 hours at the house, The ram’s departure was captured by a game camera set up by the agency to monitor his movements.
He was unfamiliar with his surroundings and couldn't figure out how to get out of where he was, tt wasn't until he had a clear line of sight to the ground that he got down
Bighorn sheep, the state animal, do exist in Boulder County, but typically is not found in the area where the house is located. Van Hoose suggested that the end of the bighorn sheep’s mating season might have led the ram to wander into this predicament.
He did seem enamored with his reflection in the window, like a bird does.
Located in the Rocky Mountain foothills, Boulder County and the city of Boulder are no strangers to wildlife encounters. Residents have reported encounters with mountain lions, black bears, and moose. But a bighorn sheep on a roof? That’s a new one, even for them. The bighorn sheep is the mascot of the University of Colorado’s rival, Colorado State University.
We do get some unique wildlife calls, but we think this one was pretty unique. Thankfully it wasn't a buffalo (humorously referring to the University of Colorado's mascot).
The incident has gotten a lot of mileage on social media, the Colorado State Rams has made the Ram on the Roof their new profile picture on their X (formally Twitter). The official account of Colorado Parks and Wildlife — Northeast Region social media accounts have made the Bighorn Sheep’s adventure for several humous posts.