Three state workers in wildlife in Texas died over the weekend when their helicopter crashed during an aviation investigation for bighorn sheep, officials said Sunday.
The pilot, a private contractor, survived Saturday’s crash in the West Texas’ Black Gap Wildlife Management Area, the state Department of Parks and Wildlife said in a statement.
The pilot, whose condition was not immediately known, was taken to a hospital in El Paso, more than 300 kilometers away, the department said. The department also did not immediately say what caused the crash.
The department identified the dead as Dewey Stockbridge, a wildlife biologist; Brandon White, a fish and wildlife technician; and Bob Dittmar, a wildlife veterinarian.
“No words can begin to express the depth of sadness we feel for the loss of our colleagues in this tragic accident,” department chief executive Carter Smith said in the statement.
“These men were accomplished professionals, deeply loved and highly valued by their peers and partners alike for the enormous passion, dedication and expertise they brought to their important work in wildlife management and veterinary medicine,” he said.
The department said state and federal authorities are investigating the crash.
State protection efforts that began decades ago have produced more than 1,000 free bighorn stores around the state, according to the department. In the Black Gap area, 20 of the animals were introduced in 1995. Thousands more were taken there from other parts of the state by other years.
Wildlife managers conduct air surveys each fall to track population numbers and trends, the department said.
