Barbary Sheep in Walnut Canyon - Carlsbad Caverns National Park

According to an article by Donna Laing in Issue No. 31 of Carlsbad Caverns National Park newsletter Canyons & Caves dated Winter 2003:

The Barbary sheep (Ammotragus lervia), a.k.a. aoudad, is native to North Africa. Their indigenous environment ranges from the Atlas Mountains in northwestern Africa eastwards across the arid mountains and canyons of the Sahara Desert to Egypt.

In general, the park service attempts to eradicate non-native or exotic species on its lands. First observed in 1959, as of 2003 there was an estimated herd of about 50 Barbary Sheep in the park. A research report by Novack A and Others: Distribution and abundance of Barbary sheep and other ungulates in Carlsbad Caverns National Park dated 3 November 2009 and originally published at https://www.nature.nps.gov, but now at https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/DownloadFile/615994 and also posted online on ResearchGate.net estimated the size of the herd in 2009 at 40 to 50 animals.

The long-term stated goal of the park service is to reintroduce desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) to both Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe Mountains National Parks. One step along the path to that goal is to remove the Barbary sheep. However, efforts to eradicate the animals in the past 60 years seem to have been sporadic and were definitely ineffective. Quoting from the research paper: 

Complete eradication of Barbary sheep from Carlsbad Caverns National Park is perhaps not possible because source populations exist in close proximity, and these sheep are able to disperse long distances.

On our most recent visit to the park in September 2021, we saw our first Barbary sheep on the the slopes of Walnut Canyon above Carlsbad Cavern Highway, the paved park access road. I counted twenty sheep in the next to last picture below.

Entrance to Carlsbad Caverns National Park is free for all surface activities. An entry fee of $15 per person is valid for three consecutive days to enter the cavern, but visitors must also have a valid reservation (available at recreation.gov). Other fee payment options for up to four people include the America the Beautiful - National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands passes including the Annual Pass ($80), Senior Pass ($80 for a lifetime), Access Pass (free with a documented disability), Fourth Grade Pass (free with documentation) and Military Annual Pass (free for active-duty personnel). Ranger-led underground tours have additional fees.

The Carlsbad Caverns  National Park website is https://www.nps.gov/cave/index.htm.