Headbanging sheep descend on sleepy B.C. village

Big horns, not big hair, are at the heart of the annual Headbanger Festival in Radium Hot Springs, B.C.

The sleepy mountain town just outside Kootenay National Park is home to just under 800 people,buteach fall about 160 bighorn sheep can also be found milling around the community.

In November the bighorn rams begin to rut and haveloud head butting contests with one another to see who will mate with the ewes of the herd.

The mating season usually lasts a month or two and following the rut, the sound of horns knocking together may die down, but many of the bighorns stick around the village throughout the winter.

Once spring returns the herd migrates back into the surrounding mountains to lamb.

To celebrate the annual mating ritual and educate the public about bighorn sheep, the village of Radium holdsits HeadbangerFestival.

"Not many communities can say that they have 160 headbangers," says organizer Roberta Hall, who adds that the unique festival draws tourists during the slow fall season. "To see the action and to have the sheep right here in the village is amazing."

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Hall says the battles between rams can last a full day and that the animalscan reach speeds of up to 30 kilometres per hour before slamming their heads into one another.

That speedis a big reason whypeople who come to the HeadbangerFestival should keep their distance from the main attraction, saysAndreaSmillieof conservation group Wild Safe B.C.

"Best to give them lots of space. Lots of people are here to take pictures of the sheep and that is great. Just do it with a long lens."

Despite the shared name, the bighorn sheep who come to Radiumeach fall have little in common with human headbangers, who are fans of heavy metal music, not actually butting heads.

"You would both walk away with a headache at the end of the weekend," Smillie says.