Federal official says wolves killed more livestock this year
chatnoir
Federal official says wolves killed more livestock this year
Sheep losses to wolves increased 76 percent in 2009
By CAROL RYAN DUMAS
Capital Press
Idaho's increasing wolf population means more livestock are being lost
on their summer ranges.
"As the wolf population increases, wolf depredation to sheep has
increased," said Mark Collinge, state director of APHIS Wildlife
Services. Collinge presented a wolf and livestock depredation update
at the Idaho Wool Growers Association's annual convention in Sun
Valley on Nov. 6.
While cattle losses were only up 3 percent this year from the 2008
fiscal year, sheep losses increased 76 percent, he said. The fiscal
year runs Oct.1 through Sept. 30, and most kills take place from July
to September, when livestock are on summer range.
The agency determined 498 sheep deaths and 112 cattle deaths in fiscal
2009 were confirmed or probable wolf kills.
The changing atmosphere and growing number of livestock depredations
is causing a real shift in the agency's duties and is pinching its
budget, Collinge said.
"As the number of wolf packs in Idaho increase, investigations
increase," he said.
The money spent on investigations in 2009 was about double what it was
in 2005, he said.
Wildlife Services conducted 220 depredation investigations related to
wolf complaints in 2009. Of those, 157 were confirmed depredations, 41
were probable depredations, 15 were possible depredations, and seven
were deemed other causes.
In fiscal year 2008 Wildlife Services spent more that $500,000
investigating depredation. Collinge expects this year's costs to
exceed that amount.
All told, there were more wolf complaints, confirmed losses and more
control actions in fiscal 2009 than in any previous year. Custer
County led in confirmed or probable livestock kills, followed by
Boise, Lemhi, Valley, Adams and Elmore counties.
Before licensed wolf hunts began in September, Idaho Fish and Game
pegged Idaho's wolf population at 1,020. Wildlife Services puts the
count now at 800 to 850.
That's a thorn in the side of Jeff Siddoway, a Terreton sheep producer
and state senator. He lost nearly $40,000 when wolves took out more
than 100 of his stock this summer and another 15 to 20 were lost to
other predators after wolves killed some of his guard dogs.
"I'm thinking we've got twice as many wolves as what we're allowed to
count," he said in an earlier interview. "It grows by about 20 percent
a year."
There is some good news on the horizon.
Earlier this year, Congress passed legislation to compensate producers
for livestock losses due to wolves and provide federal funding for non-
lethal actions to prevent depredation, Collinge said.
The $5 million appropriated to the Department of Interior would
provide $1 million a year for five years to Indian tribes and states,
half for compensation and half for non-lethal control. The money
funding the Wolf Livestock Loss Demonstration Project would be divided
equally and must be matched by the state.
Details are being worked out, but it's possible compensation
disbursement could be handled through the Idaho Governor's Office of
Species Conservation, Collinge said. One possible non-lethal action
would be to surgically sterilize wolves, but Fish and Game would have
to approve the measure, and it would likely be challenged by wolf
advocates.
FY2009 livestock depredations due to wolves
http://www.capitalpress.com/images/clear.gif
Confirmed
76 calves (killed) 8 calves (injured
12 cows (killed) 1 bull (injured)
342 sheep (killed) 20 sheep (injured)
17 dogs (killed) 6 dogs (injured)
Probable
23 calves (killed) 3 calves (injured)
1 cow (killed)
156 sheep (killed)
4dogs (killed) 2 dogs (injured)
SOURCE: Idaho Wildlife Services
chatnoir
Cause of cattle losses 2005:
Cause of Sheep losses 2005:
http://tinyurl.com/yep9zs3
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http://tinyurl.com/ch4mka
headline:
Wolf Predation and Livestock Losses
Wolf Predation Plays Small Role in Livestock Losses in 2005
In the continental U.S., health issues such as respiratory problems,
digestive problems, calving complications and disease were
overwhelmingly the most significant causes of cattle death in 2005.
Only 0.11% of all cattle losses were due to wolf predation in 2005.
Coyotes killed more than 22 times more cattle than wolves killed that
year.
Domestic dogs killed almost 5 times as many cattle, and vultures
killed almost twice as many cattle as wolves did in 2005.
Theft was responsible for almost 5 times as many cattle losses as were
lost by wolf predation.
Predation by coyotes was the largest cause of sheep loss in 2005,
accounting for 23% of all losses, followed by health problems &
weather-related issues.
In states with wolf populations, an average of less than 2.5% of sheep
loss was due to predation by wolves in 2005. ... (cont)