Colorado Parks and Wildlife rescue bighorn sheep that fell through ice near Gunnison

A Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep found itself in a chilling situation after falling through the ice on the Taylor River just outside Gunnison, according to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Southwest Region’s X account.

Parks and wildlife received reports of the stuck ewe on Monday afternoon and sent district wildlife managers Codi Prior and Clayton BonDurant to rescue the female bighorn, according to officials.

The department released footage of the rescue, where the ewe can be seen trapped in a hole in the ice, wiggling around as CPW attempts to bring her to surface.

We got a report late Monday afternoon of a Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep that fell through the ice on the Taylor River. District Wildlife Managers Codi Prior and Clayton BonDurant raced to the scene to try to save her. pic.twitter.com/ZWxlG9CVFJ

— CPW SW Region (@CPW_SW) January 27, 2026

The wildlife managers initially tried slipping a catch pole around her head and body but were unable to get it around her front legs, according to the department. They later used a tow strap and were able to “muscle” her out of the freezing water, the department said.

After successfully rescuing the ewe, the CPW team took her to a warmer location, where she was monitored overnight “to make sure she’d survive the stress and impacts from the time she spent in the freezing water,” the X post said.

CPW released the bighorn Tuesday morning near the mountain where her herd had been spending time.

“She bolted out of the horse trailer in excellent health, a relief to our entire Gunnison area office staff,” officials said on X.