The government of British Columbia has modified its rules to grant wildlife officers increased authority to euthanize escaped or deserted domestic sheep to safeguard wild sheep populations. According to a provincial announcement, the reclassification of domestic sheep under the Wildlife Act aims to prevent the spread of diseases that could result in substantial losses among wild herds. While domestic and wild sheep can both contract various infectious agents, their immune responses and disease resistance differ. One such bacterium, M. ovi or Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, commonly present in domestic sheep and goats, typically causes no harm but can trigger fatal pneumonia in wild sheep. The Ministry of Water, Land, and Resource Stewardship highlighted that the bacterium can spread rapidly among wild populations through activities like grazing, sharing water sources, or salt licks. Additionally, the regulatory revisions now deem abandoning sheep on Crown land as an offense, enabling the government to take ownership of the animals.