Photo courtesy of Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Just a few months ago, we celebrated the discovery of Washington State’s eighth wolf pack, called the Wedge pack. This pack is particularly important because it’s a border pack that helps maintain a link between wolves in Washington and Canada. In a small population like this, genetic exchange between these populations is very important.
Recently, wolves have been accused of killing livestock in the Colville National Forest on the northeastern boundary of the state’s border with Canada. Under the state’s wolf management plan, if wolves repeatedly prey on livestock, and nonlethal deterrents fail, the state can choose to kill wolves to protect livestock. However, in this case, there is no solid evidence that wolves did kill livestock and no details provided of any nonlethal deterrents being tried.
Several wolf depredation experts, including myself have reviewed the state’s investigation reports and found that none of the injuries are characteristic of wolf predation on livestock. Though I’m not a field investigator, I have personally evaluated more than one million dollars of livestock depredations due to wolves, and managed Defenders’ wolf compensation program from 1999 to 2011. We would have rejected these reports and considered them unrelated to wolf predation. Just because wolves are in the area does not mean they are killing livestock, and scavenging from dead livestock left in the national forest is not a crime punishable under the Washington State wolf plan. These reports fail to prove that wolves killed or injured livestock, and the majority of the injuries — most of which are not even close to life threatening — can be easily classified as those commonly sustained by cattle ranging on national forest lands, inflicted by barbed wire, trees or bushes, moving debris during storms, and a host of other possibilities, including animals other than wolves.
Photo courtesy of Didier Lindsey
Despite the mountain of evidence to the contrary, the state has already used the complaints as a basis to kill a female wolf from the pack, and now has issued a kill order on the rest of the pack’s adult wolves. Since one of the adults has been fitted with a GPS collar, the state’s sharpshooters will find it all too easy to locate the pack and carry out this unjustified sentence, and they have been given the go-ahead to do so as soon as possible. It will mean the deaths of four adult wolves, and likely the death or forced captivity of the pack’s several pups as well. An entire pack wiped out based on circumstantial evidence that they were in the area and therefore responsible for the depredations.
Unless we act now, it appears that the Wedge pack could be eliminated this week — as early as tomorrow. That’s why we’re asking our members and supporters to contact Governor Christine Gregoire (360-902-4111); Phil Anderson, Director of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (360-902-2200 Assistant Director Nate Pamplin (360-902-2693); and the Washington Fish & Wildlife Commission (360-902-2267 or commission@dfw.wa.gov) today and respectfully tell them that this was the wrong decision. Tell them:
1) Stop: Rescind the kill order! Don’t sentence an entire pack to death.
2) Prove it: Conduct an independent review of the evidence to determine that wolves were at fault for the injuries, and publish the review’s findings. If the wolves are at fault, there should be no problem in proving it publicly.
3) Start slow: If the review finds that the wolves are at fault, use non-lethal deterrents first. Sending sharpshooters after wolves should be the absolute last resort, not the go-to option.
Ask these officials to stand up for responsible wildlife management, not give in to fear and false information. If Washington starts down this path of killing wolves based on misidentification and speculation, no pack in the state will be safe.
Defenders of Wildlife leads the pack when it comes to protecting wild animals and plants in their natural communities.
Great Work! I am delighted to hear the news.
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wolves they have to eat right ???? thats why they kill.do u eat ?? u kill to eat rite ???? so set up feeding grounds for the animals to eat. it only makes sence. so try it you waste money on everything else. what do u think a helicopter read to kill costs ???? think think not KILL.
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These wolves are coming closer and closer to our communities. We should have the right to manage them, I live near these wolves and our community has to deal with them. I am sure everyone on here lives in a large city where these creatures are no threat. Yes they are beautiful but they are also killing machines that will eat themselves out of house and home. Let’s keep there numbers healthy, a wolf pack will use such a large range and cover so many mountains. Our area will be devastated if the number continues to grow at there current rate. Think about it, if we don’t manage there numbers they will eat more than there carrying capacity and die off. This will take awhile but that’s how mother nature works. From one extreme to another. I think a lot of people on here are uneducated but I’m sure that’s what you’ll all say about me. Who cares when it comes down to it, I don’t need anyone to tell me what I can and can’t manage on my land. Have a good day
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Laura Perkinson Reply:
September 21st, 2012 at 8:58 pm
PS Steve I live in the Country. I keep my animals safe from wildlife. they have as much right as we do here, in fact more.mankind has killed off more then his share yet no one goes out to kill off those who do? but then this is all about what one man wants.
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Julie W. Reply:
September 26th, 2012 at 7:30 pm
Steve – this is such a disappointing (if not well-articulated) reply. Of course they are coming closer to our communities…because we are trying to turn their (and other wildlife’s) homes into our own! They have no where else to go. And if rancher’s are not being responsible to protect their own “inventory”, that is not the wolves’ fault. I am all for mother nature working through these issues, but that is for NATURE to do, not us. We have to stop this attitude of altering land and creature populations based on our whims or inconveniences. It is just immoral in the grand scheme of things to live this way. I like to practice the Golden Rule and that applies to all earthlings, not just people. We have to respect predators too — afterall, that is the way God created them and they are only living as He intended.
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Millie Sheen Reply:
November 17th, 2012 at 5:08 pm
I know what your saying and I agree in fact the reason they are coming closer is because A. they need food and in winter months it may be hard to find with smaller easy to catch prey hibernating and B. we are taking over their land with our buildings and road… They can’t help eating its how nature works.(like you say) one day Steve you never know the pack may grow too big and they could quite possible kill themselves it has been done before I sure hope it doesn’t happen But it could. I love wolves and I can’t stand what we are doing to them. Killing them off i mean. As you may have seen me comment before when an animal is gone it’s gone forever and is never coming back. We must stop killing them!
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Andrea Reply:
October 22nd, 2012 at 5:36 pm
Steve,
Thats a myth that those who support wolves are all urbanites. I too live in the deep country and make an effort to prevent predation. A little effort goes a long way. You should try it sometime.
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Malcolm Burns Reply:
December 7th, 2012 at 7:41 pm
I grew up in Montana, so no I am not one of the big city people you talk about. My father was a federal biologist and was responsible for several hundred thousand acres of land. I saw him shut down grazing on federal land because the livestock were causing extreme damage to the land. I also saw him try to get hunting laws and quotas for big game changed. The wolves are not the problem. It is ignorant people like yourself that are to blame for the wildlife problems. Every year, we found several large bull elk that were gut shot and left to die because some lazy creep did not want to track what he shot! As far as cattle go, if you want them on federal land, you need to realize that bears and wolves and cougars will kill cattle. Also, they will eat poisonous plants or fall and get killed. Many of the attacks carried out in Montana are by dog packs, not wolves. Wolves will eat what they kill, not torture it.
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This makes me sick! only 3 weeks ago they were going to work it out with this ONE Rancher who is grazing cattle on OUR land. not his but OUR land and he expects the wolfs to know or say ” oh look that is a cow. lets leave it alone!
This makes me furious!
Make the Rancher bring his damn cattle in!
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Linda Way Reply:
September 29th, 2012 at 1:54 am
I cannot agree with you more. One rancher makes a little noise and the whole pack gets wiped out….. WTF?
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Millie Sheen Reply:
December 31st, 2012 at 1:06 pm
Exactly!
You can’t expect a wolf to sit there and watch some cattle graze. They were probably going to get killed anyway! If the whole pack gets wiped out I will be furious, because if it were us we would kill it! It’s easy prey and for a hungry pack it must be like gold dust! And it was only 1 rancher that’s all it takes 1 rancher to make a fuss and a whole pack is in jeopardy! If you don’t want the cattle to be eaten by innocent creatures MOVE THE CATTLE!!!
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The whole pack ??? Why ? The cows were going to die anyway, they are cows. The rancher should move. He should be in his nice safe little home in the city. this is so wrong. The ranchers let the stupid cows run around the whole public lands and make thousands of dollars when they round them up and take them to slaughter. I am so sick of these fu$*$^g ranchers. They suck
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It’s truly sad that some people still have this fear and hatered of Carnivorous Predators like Wolves isn’t about we stop the hatered for these Predators and learn to live in peace and harmony with them I mean the only Big Bad Wolf that exist is in Fairy Tales, and Folktales I doubt Real Wolves would really attack people here in the Untied States of America, Europe, and Asia would be those with rabies.
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We actually adopted a wolf not knowing she was an alpha wolf pup, thinking she was a Husky or Malamute cross with something…she had been a stray. EVery dog we came up to or came to us would just automatically roll over when she walked up. Amazing. All male and female dogs except pit and sharpei puppies…they were just pups. She was so smart. We learned a lot. They do react to instinct far more than a dog, and I mean by pheromones. And rightly so, their hearts are grand. They are magnificent. We had her doing 33 tricks by nine months at 92 pounds. we took her to Mans Best Friend to see baout training…they kept us waiting for 1 1/2 hours only to return and excitedly say that she was the smartest dog they had ever seen….well we left a little dispapointed because we figured if we had done that much, they wouldn’t be able to do much more than we already were…I won’t disclose my secrets but it is something that costs about a dollar. So…my take on this is these animals are extremely brilliant and trainable. I think the use of deterents more applicable and large dogs like the Boz dog or KAngals or other asian working dogs to protect are worthwhile…there are videos showing the work of these dogs against wolves. There is no comparison. No guns needed…However I think a few gunshots are also appropriate. Fear is a deterrent for every other creature out there and these packs, if new would not have a lot of fear of humans. Or get a couple of mules or other killer animals as pack animals for the herds. Our wolf once chased a man up to no good into his apartment…she loved babies and puppies and would pratically do flips for them…never hurt our cat, etc…never overly agressive to anyone except this man. She was as big as the doorway…that tall at 9 months…he barely made it in the house…she was going for his neck…it was a split second door shut that saved him. I don’t think much would have stopped her…he was a block away when she started after him when he was running. He was a drug dealer. She was a very rightous alpha female. In their world there are no guns. Respect of humans can only be by fear. Killing them may not be necessary. Just Respect. Apparently there were no bulls with the cows….that may have made a big difference, eh? We have been chased by many public land cows…they aren’t nice…dogs, humans..makes you wonder if those cattle were too completely naive to be put out on public land.
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Anomymous Reply:
November 15th, 2012 at 2:33 am
Sometimes when a K9 gets really angered at a person like that it means they have tortured animals before or ate dog. Btw a wild wolf would never attack a human for no reason huh? I mean maybe if you run up to it and start beating it and his/hers puppy’s it would attack to defended itself.
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I can’t see why they are killing them of they have no proof of the wolves killing the livestock and even if they did they were just feeding the pack remembering this pack has several pups to feed as well as four adults.It is unfair on the poor creatures. As you said in this report these are particularly important as they are on the border so why kill them. I don’t agree with any animal being killed needlessly.
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Calls of a larger/stronger pack (Recorded) played at certain times WILL keep another ‘pack’ in their ‘own’ area,
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wolves should be allowed to roam freely but protected from evil men and their plets as well our copuntries great great come back after being wiped out to almost the point of extinction and the newest come backin yellowstone in the 1980s . Now we must start all over again with a stronger law that prevents the republicans from all their dirty work
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Wolves should be allowed to roam freelyand unharmed by evil man and hes quest for pletsAnd shouldnt have to make asecond comeback from the 1980s in yellowstone and else where.afteralmost being wiped off the united states map a thrid time
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Why don’t livestock farmers use Anotolian dogs to keep wolves away in the way farmers in Nambia and South Africa are being encouraged to do rather than shooting and trapping predators – http://www.anatoliandogs.co.za/guarding.html
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Please save the rest of the pack, dont permit hunting and trapping, since there is no evidence that this specific pack atacked to the livestock. Ranchers and farmers always accuse wolves.
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