# 1880 - 1981 18c Wildlife of America: Bighorn Sheep

U.S. #1880
1981 18¢ Bighorn Sheep
American Wildlife

• From the first US booklet pane with 10 different stamps
• Photographed by National Geographic photographer specifically for this stamp 

Stamp Category:  Definitive
Set:  American Wildlife
Value:  18¢, first-class rate
First Day of Issue:  May 14, 1981
First Day City:  Boise, Idaho
Printed by:  Bureau of Engraving & Printing
Printing Method:  Engraved
Format:  Booklet panes of 10
Perforations:  11 on 2 or 3 sides
Color:  Dark brown

Why the stamp was issued:  To provide a booklet of stamps, each covering the first-class rate.

About the stamp design:  National Geographic contract photographer Jim Brandenburg took the photo of a bighorn sheep specifically for this stamp design. 

First Day City:  The First Day ceremony for the American Wildlife stamps was held at Boise State University, in Boise, Idaho.  Animals from the Boise City Zoo were on display at the ceremony.  All of the animals in the pane except the harbor seal and polar bear can be found in Idaho.

Unusual fact about the set:  Se-tenant pairs have been found with the animals’ positions reversed.  Imperforate varieties have also been found that are classified as printers’ waste.

About the American Wildlife Set:  The stamps in the left side of the pane picture a bighorn sheep, a harbor seal, a brown bear, an elk, and white-tailed deer.  The right side of the pane has stamps picturing a puma, a bison, a polar bear, a moose, and a prong-horned antelope.  The names of the animals are included on the inside back cover of the booklet.

History the stamp represents:  Since 1869, when a horse and two eagles appeared on the pictorial issues, America’s wildlife has become a popular topic for US postage.  Today, over 200 stamps picture mammals, birds, insects, and fish.  However, it wasn’t until the Postal Service issued the wildlife booklet that any of the stamps focused on endangered species.

During the past 2,000 years, the world has lost over 100 species of mammals alone and two thirds of these losses have occurred since the mid-1800s.  In addition to those that are already extinct, many are slowly vanishing.  Alarmed by the potential of man’s power to destroy the earth’s wildlife, pioneer conservationists began to take action.  Believing they had a responsibility to conserve natural resources for future generations, they established sanctuaries and wrote laws to regulate hunting.

Today, numerous sanctuaries, also called preserves, reserves, and refuges provide protection and space needed for large predators and grass-dwelling herds.  The Endangered Species Act makes it illegal to hunt, trap, or collect those species which are threatened with extinction and also restricts the use of government funds for projects which will adversely affect their environment.

At one time, the animals pictured in this set freely roamed throughout North America.  However, unrestricted hunting pushed their populations to near extinction.  Many, though, have been restored through conservation efforts.

Bighorn Sheep – Found in the remote crags and cliffs of North America’s mountains, the Bighorn Sheep was once sought by trophy hunters for its magnificent curved horns.  Its superb sense of balance allows it to leap from rock to rock and effortlessly climb sheer cliffs.