Bighorn Sheep Causes Traffic Jam in La Quinta

A bighorn sheep ran into traffic lanes on Highway 111 in La Quinta Tuesday, causing some excitement for motorists before being chased back into a nearby mountain range.

The sheriff’s department at 11:49 a.m. got a report that the animal was in the street near the intersection of Washington Street and Highway 111, Sgt. Robert Bishop said.

“Several officers from La Quinta Police joined with La Quinta Animal Control, a U.S. Park Ranger and the Bighorn Institute to locate and save the sheep,” he said.

Deputies arrived to the find the sheep on the northern Point Happy ridgeline, near the Cliffhouse restaurant, and directed it back across Highway 111, into the mountains to the south, Bishop said.

The sheep was not injured and no crashes were reported.

– City News Service contributed to this report. Image via the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.