Wolves from a pack involved in “chronic depredation” killed a yearling heifer last weekend on private land in Wallowa County, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The heifer is the fifth livestock loss caused by the Imnaha pack since an Oct. 5 court-ordered stay ended ODFW plans to kill two wolves from the pack.
ODFW wolf coordinator Russ Morgan said the recent depredation marks a significant change in the pack’s behavior.
Previously, the pack killed mostly smaller calves, Morgan said. It now has shifted to larger yearling and adult cows.
“The latest incident reaffirms that the pack is in a pattern of chronic depredation, which we expect to continue,” he said.
In all, 19 cows have been killed by the Imnaha pack since spring of 2010, ODFW said…
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The rancher whose livestock was involved in the most recent attack used several non-lethal measures to deter wolf depredation, including fences with flags and a radio-activated guard device that makes noise when a radio-collared wolf approaches, according to ODFW.
“This is a good example of a situation where the landowner had done everything right,” Morgan said. “I don’t think there are other measures that could have been reasonably taken in this case. It is a very frustrating situation for livestock producers and wildlife managers.”
Via: Capital Press
The agency would like to kill two wolves in the pack of at least five animals but a court-ordered stay halted that plan Oct. 5. Wildlife advocates, who took the agency to court, want the state to focus more preserving gray wolves which are protected in Oregon as an endangered species.
Via: Oregon Live