Niabi beats PETA to punch: Zoo requested investigation in wolf’s death

By Kurt Allemeier, kallemeier@qconline.com

A request for an investigation into the death of an escaped Niabi Zoo wolf made by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is a day late, the zoo's director said Wednesday.

Onya, a 7-year-old gray wolf, was shot and killed by a Rock Island County sheriff's deputy early Saturday morning about a mile west of the zoo, after escaping from its enclosure, eluding searchers for a day and a half, and getting past Niabi's perimeter fence.

On Monday, zoo director Tom Stalf contacted the U.S. Department of Agriculture and also the American Zoological Association about the wolf's death. A USDA inspector visited the zoo Tuesday and a report on the incident is expected as early as today.

"We are a pro-active zoo," Mr. Stalf said, "not reactive."

PETA sent out a press release dated Wednesday calling for an investigation by the USDA.

"When animals like Onya — who have been denied their basic needs — see an opportunity to escape their dreary lives, they often take it," Debbie Leahy, PETA director, said in a release. "The zoo didn't do its job and Onya wound up paying with her life."

The release also notes the death of a lion cub at the zoo in September 2005 that was also investigated by the USDA.

Mr. Stalf thinks PETA undermines the importance of zoos in education, conservation, research, and recreation.

"We have animals in captivity so we can learn how to protect wild animals in wild places," he said. "PETA doesn't believe in that, and it is unfortunate."

The USDA inspection following the wolf's death included an examination of the perimeter fence surrounding 70 acres of zoo property. Zoo employees have been unable to find where the wolf got off zoo property, and the USDA inspector was unable to locate an escape path either, Mr. Stalf said.

A fence contractor has been hired to do some general repair to the perimeter fence, but no significant holes that could allow an animal to escape are evident, Mr. Stalf said.

Mr. Stalf has made it known to other zoos that Onya's companion, Nanook, is available. The zoo director has said he won't reopen the exhibit as it is.

Both wolves were discovered missing Aug. 24, and officials kept the zoo closed the following day as employees searched for them. Nanook was captured the morning of Aug. 25. He also escaped from the exhibit in March 2000.

The exhibit is popular and the wolves have been popular as part of Naibi's "adopt an animal" program. Mr. Stalf has scheduled a meeting with contractors to discuss changes in the exhibit. Possible changes include expanding the enclosure and adding a foundation that will not allow the wolves to dig under the fence.

Quad Cities Online

Hunting: Wolf threat hits home in Marinette County

Sturgeon Bay man's hound killed during bear training

By Kevin Naze - Press-Gazette correspondent

Dick Baudhuin of Sturgeon Bay has been hunting black bears in the vast forests of northern Wisconsin for more than 40 years, but what he saw Saturday in Marinette County reinforced his belief that animal rights activists need to check out the wilderness. Baudhuin, 70, was with four of his eight bluetick and redtick hounds, taking advantage of the final weekend of bear dog training before the Sept. 13 season opener.

Even though no one in his party has a Zone B kill permit this year, Baudhuin knows it's only a matter of time before they get wind of someone who does. "We're always looking to get out there," Baudhuin said. "The thrill isn't necessarily in the kill, it's in the hunt."

Baudhuin's 3-year-old bluetick hound, Dixie, was trailing a black bear early that afternoon west of Athelstane, not far from McClintock Park on Parkway Road. When three of his other dogs returned to the truck — and Dixie's radio-tracking collar showed no signs of movement — Baudhuin and another hunter walked in. Baudhin found Dixie mutilated, her hide stripped off, and partly eaten.

"It wasn't a total surprise, because I've seen pictures," Baudhuin said. "As soon as I saw it, I knew what it was." It was a wolf kill, confirmed later by a U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services employee.

"It was a letdown," Baudhuin said. "It's an unfortunate situation that has happened to a number of friends of mine, and now it hit home."

A Green Bay-area hunter, along to get a taste of what hound hunting for bears was like, was shocked at what he saw. "He had no clue that this kind of thing happens," Baudhuin said. After reporting the loss, Baudhuin waited while another hunter went in to check out the scene. The wolves had been back, leaving little uneaten.

Dixie wore a bell, something that was believed would help deter wolf attacks.

"A lot of people would like you to think the wolves are protecting young ones, but (the pups) are born in March," Baudhuin said. "As far as I'm concerned, they're already in the hunting mode, and probably a player in the kill."

Adrian Wydeven, a state Department of Natural Resources wolf expert, said wolves have killed 12 bear hounds and injured six others in Wisconsin this year. While Baudhuin's loss was the first confirmed wolf kill on a dog in Marinette County history, seven of the 12 bear hound deaths were caused by the same pack in western Bayfield County, near Drummond. Two years ago, a different pack in Ashland County, near Glidden, killed nine dogs.

"It's always an upsetting situation," Wydeven said. "It seems to vary so much year to year, and pack to pack." The state's gray wolf population was estimated by wildlife biologists to be close to 500 animals before pups were born this spring, with some 115 packs and at least 12 loners.

"I think it's good to have wolves, but now we've got an overpopulation, with no method of control," Baudhuin said. "I think it's just a matter of time before we have problems right here in Door County."

Hunters are reimbursed at the current market value for their hounds, up to $2,500. "I projected Dixie was a $5,000 dog," Baudhuin said. "I say that based on a good bloodline and because from start to finish, whether bear, bobcat or coyote, she was head and shoulders above your average hound."

Wolves are listed as a protected wild animal by the state. However, the federal government lists wolves as an endangered species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced in March its intent to remove wolves from the endangered list in Wisconsin and adjacent states and return all management authority to the states. Once that's done, likely early next year, special permits from USFWS for lethal controls on wolves will not be needed.

Green Bay Press-Gazette

Wolves complicate Navy's airfield plans

by Wade Rawlins, Staff Writer

Endangered red wolves prowl the pine bogs and farm fields of Washington and Beaufort counties where the Navy wants to build a jet landing strip, according to federal tracking data released Wednesday by an environmental advocacy group.
The Southern Environmental Law Center, which is challenging the Navy's plan to build the airfield near a national wildlife refuge, said eight wolves in several packs have moved onto the refuge and surrounding private farmland near the proposed landing field site in the three years since the Navy studied the area.

The presence of red wolves, an endangered species that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been trying to reintroduce in the wild for two decades, could further complicate the Navy's plans to locate an airfield near the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge.

"It's another strong reason backed up by the Endangered Species Act that the Navy should look for an alternative site," said Derb Carter, senior attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center.

The Navy wants to acquire 30,000 acres in Washington and Beaufort counties and build a $230 million runway for jet pilots to practice landing on aircraft carriers.

A spokesman for the Navy's Fleet Forces Command in Norfolk, Va., said Wednesday evening that the Navy had not seen the Southern Environmental Law Center study.

"It would be inappropriate to respond to information that has not been received," Lt. Cmdr. K.C. Marshall said. "The Navy continues to work with agencies to update information in the supplemental environmental impact statement."

Navy's ideal site

Navy officials say the sparse population and lack of development make the Washington-Beaufort county site ideal for its planes, which will be based at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia and at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in Havelock.

Environmentalists have long argued that the site's proximity to a wildlife refuge, home in winter to more than 100,000 tundra swans and snow geese, conflicts with the mission of the refuge and poses a severe risk of bird-aircraft collisions.

The environmental group sued, and federal courts found deficiencies in the Navy's original environmental studies. As a result, the Navy is conducting additional environmental assessments.

Mike Bryant, manager of the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, where the Red Wolf Recovery Program is housed, confirmed the environmentalists' assertion that red wolves roam the area where the airstrip is planned.

"There are wolves that use the area regularly, as I understand it," Bryant said. "Obviously, the red wolves are highly mobile but they are territorial. They generally work a particular area."

On endangered list

Red wolves were declared extinct in the wild in 1980. The national red wolf recovery effort has been under way since 1987, when Fish and Wildlife released a pair in the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in Dare County.

Their recovery is considered important because they help keep the populations of deer, raccoons and small rodents in check.

Now, the wild population in Eastern North Carolina stands at about 100 animals that move in packs through a five-county area. About 70 wolves are outfitted with radio collars, allowing wildlife biologists to track their movements.

"We would have concerns about any impacts on wolves in the recovery area," Bryant said.

Because the reintroduced wolves carry the classification of an experimental population, Bryant said the protection of individual wolves might not be required for the survival of the species. But he added: "It's important for the recovery of the species that they do well in this county."

Law center's letter

The Southern Environmental Law Center obtained the radio-tracking data on the wolves from the Fish and Wildlife Service.

In a Wednesday letter to the Navy, the environmental group said eight red wolves used the proposed landing field site near the refuge. One red wolf den with three pups was directly off the north end of the proposed runway.

Carter said the radio-tracking studies show that 12 red wolves inhabit another proposed Navy site in Hyde County. He said construction and operation of a landing field at either site would harm the red wolf and reduce the likelihood of recovery of the species.

Because the reintroduced red wolf population is found on a national wildlife refuge, Carter said, it has the full protection of the Endangered Species Act, which bars federal agencies from taking actions that would jeopardize continued existence of the species.

News & Observer

Complete Yellowstone wolf update

Ralph Maughan presents a thorough update of the status of 13 Yellowstone wolf packs at his comprehensive website:

Ralph Maughan's Wildlife Reports

Wolves return to eastern Germany as people leave

By Erik Kirschbaum

BERLIN (Reuters) - A century after they were wiped out by hunters and a burgeoning population, wolves have returned to parts of eastern Germany as factories close down, businesses fail and people move out. A few dozen wolves have formed a beachhead in Germany's Brandenburg state just west of the border with Poland and enjoy special protection from authorities delighted by the return of the shy animals so deeply entrenched in German folklore.

It's a surprising comeback in one of the world's leading industrial nations where 82 million people are squeezed into a country the size of the U.S. state of Montana. The wolves, who arrived from Poland or other neighboring countries, live in a largely vacant area of abandoned strip mines and vacated troop training grounds southeast of Berlin. They serve as a living testament to the profound changes taking place in eastern Germany, once a center of industry and mining, now fallen on hard times. Other species, like the crane and the white-tailed eagle -- have also flourished in the east as the human population decreases - an unintended result of German unification in 1990.

"The wolves were gone for over 100 years and first started coming back a while after the Berlin Wall fell," said Matthias Freude, head of the Brandenburg state environmental office, who estimates there are now about 20 wolves in two packs in Germany. "They swam across the Neise river or walked across the ice in winter," he added. "There are hardly any people left there now. The wolves' biggest predator is hunters. But it's against the law to hunt them in Germany."

SHY CREATURES

More than 1.5 million people have left eastern Germany since the fall of the Berlin Wall -- about one-tenth of the population of the communist state that was proud to be one of the Soviet bloc's leading industrial nations. While Communist East Germany wanted nothing to do with wolves because they did not see any place for them in a modern industrial country, the Brandenburg state government set up after unification welcomed their return to the forests.

"They're following ancient migration routes back to Germany, partly because of the growing numbers in Poland, Slovakia and other parts of Eastern Europe (which) means they have to spread out and go somewhere," said Roland Melisch, head of the species conservation section at the WWF in Germany.

Brandenburg state, which surrounds Berlin, not only made it a crime to shoot wolves but offers farmers cash compensation for any farm animals that fall prey to the wolves. It also provides subsidies to farmers to buy electric fences to keep wolves out.

Freude said that so far only one of the 14 sheep killed in the last six years and reported to authorities by farmers seeking compensation was actually attacked by a wolf. The others were killed by dogs or other animals, he said. "We're all thrilled that the wolves are back," Freude said. "They belong here. The forest is a more exciting place when you know wolves are in it. They're difficult to see because they're very shy."

Wolves have also been returning to other countries where they were nearly extinct, including Italy, Austria, France and Baltic states, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). After a campaign of extermination lasting centuries, Germany shot the last of its wolves near Hoyerswerda in 1904. Wolves were also wiped out in most of the rest of northwestern Europe, although small populations survived in Spain and Italy.

ANCIENT MIGRATION ROUTES

Big, bad wolves feature prominently in European fables and fairy-tales like "Little Red Riding Hood" about a girl's encounter with a wicked wolf disguised as her grandmother. Many of these tales were recorded by Germans Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm in the 19th century. "It was an undeserved rap," said Melisch. "The fact is we can live in harmony with wolves. They're predatory but there are ways to limit dangers to sheep or goats. Wolves have it good in Germany now and their population will surely keep growing."

The WWF said there are in fact no documented cases in Europe of a healthy wolf living in the wild ever intentionally attacking and killing a human.

Wolves might be feared in other countries but Freude said Germans are fascinated by their return. "The main reason they're here is because they are by and large undisturbed in Germany," he said. "They won't be hunted here because so many people have left. Depopulation is certainly an important factor for their return."

Reuters

Ruling hurts control of wolf

WAUSAU, Wis. (AP) — A federal judge’s recent ruling that barred wildlife officials from killing problem wolves in Wisconsin has saved the lives of at least five wolves preying on livestock in northern Wisconsin, the state’s coordinator of the wolf management program said Tuesday.

Since the judge’s decision Aug. 9, wolves killed sheep and calves on four farms in Douglas and Bayfield counties, said Adrian Wydeven of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Until the ruling, wolves causing problems for the farms would have been trapped and euthanized with a permit issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The permit allowed for the killing of 43 such wolves this year. Up to 10 wolves might have been trapped and killed by now, Wydeven said Tuesday in a telephone interview from his office in Park Falls.

That practice was halted after U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in Washington, D.C., sided with animal welfare and environmental groups, including the Humane Society of the United States, in a lawsuit that argued the killing violated the federal Endangered Species Act.

‘‘It has made things a lot more difficult for us,’’ Wydeven said. ‘‘A lot of farmers are concerned and disappointed and fearful that wolf attacks are not going to be slowed down.’’ Eighteen wolves were killed with the permit before the judge issued her ruling, he said.

Eric Koens, a director of the Wisconsin Cattlemen’s Association and a critic of the number of wolves in northern Wisconsin, hinted people may be killing wolves illegally to save their animals. ‘‘Landowners will attempt to resolve the problems themselves, that’s pretty much understood, at least by those of us in the livestock business,’’ Koens said. ‘‘People are going to have less tolerance toward wolves if these problem (wolves) are not controlled.’’

Wolves were wiped out in Wisconsin in the 1950s after decades of bounty hunting. Since the animal was granted protection as an endangered species in the 1970s, wolves migrated back from Minnesota, and about 500 live mostly in northern and central Wisconsin.

Earlier this year, the DNR announced that wolves killed or injured livestock on 25 farms last year — triple the number from four years ago — diminishing public support for wolves in the state. Last year, 29 problem wolves were killed under the special permit.

Wydeven said Tuesday that the trapping of problem wolves planned to resume with a new strategy. A $300 shock collar will be put on the wolves before they are released. When the wolf comes within about 200 yards of a triggering device in a pasture or field, a collar would shock it.

The Mining Journal

Yellowstone wolf update

Kathy Lynch, veteran wolf reporter for Ralph's website, persents her wrapup of the summer in Yellowstone:

Ralph Maughan's Wildlife Reports

Wyoming wolf pack update

Ralph Maughan's website has the latest news about the wolves in the Jackson Hole area, pup counts, and new packs:

Ralph Maughan's Wildlife Reports

Two men charged in wolf killing; slain animal likely not 'Romeo'

Two men were charged Sunday for the killing and disposing of a black wolf found on Thane Road last month.
The Alaska State Troopers received a tip from a confidential informant that led to officials charging Troy A. Portis, 34, and Patrick Peterson, 49, both of Juneau, with crimes associated with the animal's death, said Steve Hall, a sergeant with the troopers' Bureau of Wildlife Enforcement.

Portis is charged with taking a wolf when the season is closed, failing to salvage the animal's hide and unlawful possession and transportation of the animal. Peterson is charged with unlawful possession and transportation of game.

All are misdemeanor charges and can carry a fine of up to $10,000 and a sentence of one year in jail. The two men also can lose their hunting privileges and any firearms used in the incident can be confiscated. Peterson and Portis are scheduled to appear in court Sept. 7.

Both suspects were unreachable by phone. Peterson told local radio station KINY that Portis did not realize the season was closed when he shot the wolf, and out of panic, he discarded the carcass. The shooting occurred on July 16 near Glacier Creek at Taku Inlet, according to state troopers.

Though similar in appearance, officials at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game investigating the case said the slain animal is most likely not "Romeo," a local celebrity wolf often spotted trekking across a frozen Mendenhall Lake in the winter and playing with dogs accompanied by hikers.

The department has received a report of a black wolf sighting in the Mendenhall Valley since the slain animal was found last month, said Doug Larsen, Southeast regional supervisor for the Division of Wildlife Conservation. Hair samples collected from the slain wolf and from the wolf that frequents the Mendenhall Lake area are being analyzed for a DNA match, but results will not be known for several months, Larsen said. "Even without the DNA results, we feel confident that the wolf in Thane was a different animal," he added.

The way the animal was disposed was the most unusual aspect of the case, Larsen said. "Normally, you don't find a dead animal killed by humans lying on the road," he added. The wolf was fatally shot three times and its throat was slit, according to the department.

Alaska Sled Dog Tours and a separate group of Juneau residents were pledging a combined $9,000 for information leading to the prosecution of the wolf-killers. That offer still holds, whether or not the wolf was Romeo. But neither group has heard from troopers about the source of the tip.

"We're a little bit in the dark about it," said Joel Bennett, one of the group members. "We're really pleased if the reward was the catalyst for the person coming forward. "(The pledges) just reflect how much people care about local wildlife here," he said. "I think there was this undercurrent of outrage that something that valuable could be snuffed out by some clueless person."

Juneau Empire

Two groups file lawsuit to stop Alaska aerial wolf control

Associated Press

Two conservation groups filed a lawsuit today asking the state's Superior Court to halt aerial wolf control. Defenders of Wildlife and the Alaska Wildlife Alliance also want a stop to the state's bear killing plans, saying they too are based on faulty science and violate state law.

The state of Alaska resumed aerial wolf control three years ago. Under the program designed to boost moose and caribou numbers in several areas of the state, more than 550 wolves have been killed. The program now is operating in five areas of Alaska.

KTVA-TV

Wolves escape from Moline area zoo

Niabi Zoo in trying to get back to normal in Coal Valley. That's after an escaped female gray wolf, Onya, was shot and killed early Saturday by a sheriff's deputy about a mile from the zoo.

The zoo's two wolves went missing on Thursday. The male, Nanook, was captured Friday morning.

On Sunday, kids of all ages were back to enjoy the animals and activities. The free admission day sponsored by Deere and Company always attracts a big crowd.

But while families find plenty to see and do, it's been a tough few days for zoo staffers. They say it's good to see the guests back but hard to deal with the situation.

"It's in the back of our minds what's going on," said Tom Stalf, zoo director. "Our investigation is still continuing on what we're going to do with the wolf exhibit as well as making sure that it doesn't happen again."

Stalf said he will work to find a new home for the male wolf.

WQAD-TV

Wolf Comeback in Scandinavia Stifled by Public Outcry

James Owen for National Geographic News

The call of the wild can once again be heard in forests in Sweden and Norway, heralding the recovery of the gray wolf. The wolf had been driven to extinction during the last century, and the animals' comeback since the 1980s has the elements for a conservation success story. But the growing presence of wolves in Scandinavia has polarized residents there and put the mammal's long-term future in the region in doubt.

Many rural communities have brought strong opposition to wolf conservation, saying the wild predators kill their livestock and hunting dogs. Public opinion in Norway, which has a large rural population, has tended to side against the wolf, and in Sweden the carnivore also appears to be losing support. Increasing numbers of gray wolves are being killed illegally, researchers say. At the same time the population has been isolated and, as a result, weakened by inbreeding.

With the Swedish countryside seen as a key battleground in what's expected to be a close-run general election in September, the wolf debate is at the top of the political agenda. "All the political parties are now saying you must listen to the people living with the wolves," said wolf researcher Olof Liberg of the Grimsö Wildlife Research Station in Riddarhyttan, Sweden.

According to Stockholm-based ecologist and commentator Petter Hedberg, the wolf in Sweden has become "a symbol for the way the political power in Stockholm dictates the way people live in rural areas, without [the politicians] having to face the consequences of their decision."

Controversial Conviction

Gray wolves were thought to be extinct in Sweden and Norway by the 1960s following centuries of persecution. Unexpectedly in the 1980s a single breeding pack was discovered in south-central Sweden.Studies suggest the pack came to the area naturally from the Finnish-Russian border region more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) away.

The wolves had been granted government protections since the 1960s in Sweden and the 1970s in Norway that made it illegal to shoot wolves in the wild. The latest surveys by Swedish and Norwegian researchers with Skandulv (the Scandinavian Wolf Research Project) indicate that the wolf population is currently growing at a rate of about 20 percent annually. Latest estimates suggest there are around 125 gray wolves living wild in Sweden and about 25 in Norway.

The population's stronghold is the densely forested central southern region of the Scandinavian peninsula (map of Sweden). But as wolf numbers increase, the animals are moving closer to human territory, and conflicts are on the rise.

Last year a sheep farmer from Dalsland in central Sweden was sentenced to six months' imprisonment for illegally shooting a wolf that he claimed had recently attacked his flock. The conviction was followed by a successful campaign by the farming and hunting lobby to allow farmers to kill wolves that pose an immediate threat to fenced livestock. "Before, you had to wait until the wolf had actually put its teeth in the animal," Liberg said.

This month Swedish media reported that rural campaigners are seeking to petition the Swedish Parliament for a further relaxation of wolf protection measures. Their proposal would allow wolves that attack hunting dogs or livestock outside of fenced areas to be shot.

Maximum Number

Governments already place limits on the number of breeding packs or individuals that can exist within their borders. Norway, which has around two million free-grazing sheep, wants just three reproducing packs. The government there has established a wolf zone next to the Swedish border outside of which wolves may be shot.

Sweden has a preliminary population target of 200 wolves. Liberg, coordinator of Skandulv, is now doubtful whether this figure will be increased. "If you had asked me five years ago, I would certainly have said, Yes," the researcher added. "Now I'm not so sure, because the wolf issue has become hotter politically." If the Swedish wolf population continues to grow at the current rate, he says, this will probably mean licensed culling.

According to a new Skandulv study yet to be published, fatalities of radio-tagged wolves suggest that up to 20 percent of the Scandinavian population is killed illegally each year. "That's about 25 to 30 wolves," Liberg added. "It's a very heavy drain on the population." Wolf researchers are also worried about the health of a population founded by just a few individuals. Such packs have little genetic diversity and are vulnerable to inbreeding. As result, Skandulv says, litter sizes are decreasing.

And further wolf migrants from the north are being prevented from coming to the rescue, Liberg says. "The northern third of Sweden [part of Lapland] is a reindeer husbandry area, and the Saami herders say they cannot tolerate any wolves at all," he explained.

Proposals to import new blood from Finland or Russia are seen as too controversial, Liberg adds. "The politicians are not ready for that," he said. "In the long run we need new wolves," he added, "Sooner or later the litter sizes will be so small they will not compensate for mortality."

National Geographic

Interview: Doug Smith on Making Room for Wolves

NOW on PBS-TV

Doug Smith has worked with the Yellowstone Wolf Project, which he heads, since its inception in 1994. A biologist, Smith has studied wolves for 27 years. David Brancaccio sat down with Smith to talk about his experiences reintroducing wolves to Yellowstone National Park. This is an edited transcript of their conversation.

BRANCACCIO: What challenges did you face in bringing wolves back to Yellowstone?

SMITH: Wolves were eradicated from this area, and a lot of people felt that was for a good reason. Many people have grandparents that were doing some of the eradication, and they felt that the West was settled on the idea of eradicating predators; primarily, wolves. That was in the twenties, and the thirties, and the forties. The idea of bringing wolves back was an insult to many people.

BRANCACCIO: So, there was lots of pushback on this notion of, "What should we do about, perhaps, reintroducing them?"

SMITH: A lot of pushback. I don't think this is an overstatement. Given the mythology of wolves; the stories of wolves; the culture of animosity that goes back, not hundreds, but thousands of years, I would say that wolves are one of the most controversial wildlife species in the world ... To some, wolves symbolize waste and destruction, and killing. To others, they symbolize wilderness and a healthy ecosystem.

And wolves just want to be wolves, like other wildlife. So, their biggest problem is the baggage that comes along with them. The further I travel; the more I read; the more I talk to people, the more that's apparent to me. The distribution of wolves goes across the top of the globe, the Northern Hemisphere. So, they are a lot of places where people are. And almost every place where they co-exist there are problems. And so, you cannot overestimate or overstate the problem that we faced trying to bring this animal back.

BRANCACCIO: What is the argument for bringing them back, given that kind of animosity?

SMITH: The argument for bringing them back is rooted in the Endangered Species Act ... That states, simply, we don't have the right to, through our human actions, to completely destroy, eradicate, eliminate, another plant or animal species. In other words, it is trying to strike a balance between human activities, and other life forms.

Wolves were literally eradicated and they roamed all of the U.S., except a few places in deserts, and the tip of Florida. They were eradicated from everywhere except the extreme northern portion of northern Minnesota. The population went from millions to 500. The Endangered Species Act ... gave us the teeth to bring back wolves in a suitable habitat.

BRANCACCIO: What is the role of wolves in the ecosystem?

SMITH: Wolves are a top carnivore. They sit atop of this food web, or chain, that we learned about in grade school. And scientists believe that ecosystems are structured by forces at the top, like predators. [They believe] that their influence trickles down to the bottom. Others feel that ecosystems are structured by the food at the bottom and that it flows up. Still others feel that it's both. And some others, yet, feel that it can switch back and forth; or operate simultaneously. Regardless of whose right, wolves have something to do with that ... They're the top carnivore in North American ecosystems. We wiped them out and it has to have had an influence.

BRANCACCIO: What was involved in getting them reintroduced?

SMITH: Wolves are actually really easy [to reintroduce]. They adapt very well and are opportunists. We brought in wild wolves, not captive ones, from Canada. Other programs that have used captive stock have had trouble. Our wolves were masters at life in the wild. We acclimated them a brief period; then turned them loose. Yellowstone provides a great core habitat [as] we don't have poaching in the park. That got the population established solidly. From there, they could move out and establish in other areas and that's what they've done.

BRANCACCIO: And how has it worked?

SMITH: It's worked extremely well. We are in the twelfth year and have more wolves than we thought we would. They are here in enough numbers that they are being integrated into the ecosystem. They interact with the other animals. We didn't think we'd be here ten years into it. We thought post-five years we would even be struggling, getting the population established.

BRANCACCIO: Can we say that it's now a permanent thing, that the wolves have reestablished their presence in the U.S?

SMITH: I think so. There are about 3500 wolves now in the [contiguous] U.S. Thirty years ago, there were about 500. That's a tremendous success story. That's excluding Alaska where there are probably seven to nine thousand wolves. Wolves have increased their numbers and range. Wolves are in Michigan, Wisconsin, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Arizona and New Mexico. Red wolves are in North Carolina. Those are all great success stories. So that's the good news.

The bad news is, every one of those places I mentioned, wolves are still a struggle for humanity. We can't seem to accept them fully and embrace them like other wildlife ... Wolves raise the emotions of people like no other animal does.

BRANCACCIO: That's one of the challenges here. Is that the wolves can't read the sign, as to where the park boundary is. And so, they go out of the park boundary. And increasingly, they're mixing with ranches, and other populations, who do not want them around.

SMITH: That's true. And the reintroduction was designed to be boundary-less. We did not expect the wolves to pay attention to the boundary. And we told everybody that. And that's a point of contention. Because many, many people have said to me, "I have no problem with wolves in Yellowstone Park. But, when they come out of it, I want them moved back in, or killed."

BRANCACCIO: You have a lot of experience talking to ranchers, some of whom just hate these wolves. What do you tell them? They have a point that wolves do kill some of their cattle, which costs them money.

SMITH: The ranchers do have a point as wolves do occasionally prey on livestock. There are a couple of things that I tell them. For one, I acknowledge their problems. One of their biggest problems is not what the wolves kill, but just having wolves around. The sleepless nights. The stress on the cows. The stress on the families. The extra money it costs to spend more time with your livestock, because the wolves are around. You need to guard them more. All those are intangibles that the compensation system doesn't pay for.

In areas that are heavily 'agriculturalized,' we shouldn't have wolves. They should just be killed. And on the flip side, in wild land areas, like national forests, wilderness parks, wildlife refuges, we should vigorously protect wolves and other carnivores. The tough part becomes an attention zone in between.

NOW on PBS-TV

Blaming wolves: Ranchers' claims need further proof

Salt Lake Tribune Editorial

Most ranchers and sheepherders don't like wolves. You might even say they are the predators' natural enemies. That, of course, is because wolves occasionally dine on a calf or lamb and sometimes even on an adult animal, and that means a financial loss to the rancher.

Advocates for the reintroduction of wolves in the West don't dispute that ranchers can prove some wolf depredation. But their claims that range animals are failing to gain weight because wolves are lurking seem implausible and in need of further study.

Ingrained and often overblown animosity toward wolves resulted in their eradication from the West by cattlemen, sheepmen and their hired guns, who trapped the animals, shot them and poisoned them until the last wolf was killed off in the early 20th century.

More than a decade ago, wolves were reintroduced to rebalance the ecosystems that were upset when the species at the top of the food chain was eliminated. Conservationists and biologists predicted that wolves would reorder natural, beneficial relationships among plants and animals. Studies have proven them right.

The reintroduced wolves have thrived and spread into Wyoming, Idaho, Montana. But their prosperity has fostered a renewed hostility among ranchers, despite private and federal programs to compensate them when they can verify livestock lost to wolf attacks.

The Idaho Office of Species Conservation has agreed to pay for financial losses from animals becoming so nervous they can't eat because they sense the presence of wolves. The nonprofit Defenders of Wildlife rightly says much more research is needed to confirm wolves are to blame since there are many other factors affecting livestock weights.

Biologists point out that sheep and cattle aren't apt to stop grazing when wolves are merely roaming. It makes more sense that livestock would react when a wolf pack is hunting them but revert to normal behavior when there is no threat.

Wolves are a natural component of a healthy West and rightly protected by law. Compensation is due ranchers only when they can prove wolves responsible for a financial loss.

Salt Lake Tribune

Who's afraid of the big bad wolf? Western cattle scared skinny

BY JESSE HARLAN ALDERMAN

BOISE, Idaho -- Since wolves returned to roaming the Northern Rockies more than a decade ago, ranchers say they've observed a trend: Fear of the predators is causing sheep and cattle to be scared skinny. The wolf jitters could mean skimpier lamb chops and porterhouse steaks that show more bone than beef on dinner tables across the country.

''When the cows are scared, they bunch together, they don't spread out like they're used to. They don't eat and drink -- you can just tell they're losing weight,'' said Lloyd Knight, head of the Idaho Cattle Association.

Wildlife officials reintroduced endangered gray wolves into Yellowstone National Park and the central Idaho mountains in 1995. Though cattle ranchers and wool growers first fretted that the wolves would kill cows and sheep, a decade later, they say their presence wreaks as much havoc as their bite.

Calves fetch $1.45 a pound on the market. So if the howl of wolves inspires just a few lost pounds on each head of cattle, that quickly mounts into large financial losses, Knight said.

Efforts are being made to measure the extent of the problem. In Idaho, the Office of Species Conservation, an agency that compensates ranchers for wolf-related losses, has agreed to pay any rancher who can demonstrate weight loss through record-keeping.

Not everyone agrees. Proving that animal weight loss stems from wolf jitters, and not some other factor such as rangeland health or migration patterns, is difficult if not impossible, said Curt Mack, a biologist with the Nez Perce Indian tribe that has a hand in Idaho's wolf oversight.

AP

Sun-Times

Howling with the wolves on their own territory

By Diane Daniel, Globe Correspondent

MANTEO, N.C. -- Zacary Hunter, 8, was dressed for the occasion. His red T-shirt was adorned with an embroidered face of a red wolf and the lettering SAVE ME! His mother, Tricia, had made the shirt for him as part of a school project back home in Telford, Pa.

"It was a project on endangered species, and he got assigned the red wolf," Tricia explained. "We went online for his report and learned that a lot of red wolves are in North Carolina."

So when she, Zacary, and his brother Jacob, 5, came to the Outer Banks in late June on vacation, they immediately signed up for a Red Wolf Howling Safari, a two-hour educational program at the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. Although visitors usually do not see the wolves (few people ever do), with a little luck and some human-produced howls, the wolves will howl back.

The refuge, on about 152,000 acres of forested wetland just east of Manteo and west of Columbia, is home to an abundance of wildlife, including bears, deer, otters, alligators, and at least 200 species of birds. But the most famous animal here is the red wolf, an endangered species that was declared extinct in the wild in 1980. In a reintroduction program, the US Fish and Wildlife Service captured the few remaining red wolves to breed them in captivity and reestablish the species in the wild. Though there are 38 spots in the country that conduct captive breeding programs, the only place in the world where red wolves roam wild is here in eastern North Carolina, across 1.7 million acres in five counties.

Wild, however, does not mean without human intervention. As part of the Red Wolf Recovery Program headquartered at the Alligator River refuge, more than half the wolves wear radio transmitter collars that emit frequencies so biologists can study their movement and behavior. Scientists do aerial tracking as well. And when they trap wolves to attach the collars, they inoculate them against heartworm and other diseases.

In 1987 the Fish and Wildlife Service released four pairs of captive-bred red wolves in the refuge, and today nearly 20 packs comprising 100 wolves roam the area. (There are places in New England to see red wolves in captivity: Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence and Beardsley Zoological Gardens in Bridgeport, Conn.)

Before Zacary and Jacob went off to howl with the 100 or so other visitors, they visited a table staffed by Diane Hendry, recovery outreach coordinator, who showed them pelts from a red wolf and a coyote. Red wolves, about 4 feet long and weighing 53 to 84 pounds, are larger. Despite their name, they are mostly brown and buff, sometimes with a reddish color on their ears, head, and legs.

The boys next zipped over to the table staffed by Kim Wheeler , executive director of the Red Wolf Coalition, a nonprofit organization founded in 1997. With their own money, Zacary bought a coalition hat and T-shirt and Jacob bought a T-shirt, and they both made a cash donation. The coalition, which opened an office in Columbia last year, advocates for the long-term survival of red wolf populations by running educational and public-involvement programs. The weekly summer howlings, which started nine years ago and routinely fill up with more than 100 people, have boosted public awareness.

The howlings are located near a holding facility, where usually fewer than a dozen wolves are being held for a number of reasons, such as recuperation from an injury, making a transition to or from a captive facility, or genetic testing. The animals that howl back could be these wolves or members of th e packs.

With darkness descended and everyone gathered, Wheeler walked ahead of the group to start initial contact. Hendry, meanwhile, rounded up the couple of dozen children and had them practice their technique silently. "Cup your hands and raise your head," she said, and they did, taking their instructions seriously and not making a sound.

On this night, Wheeler's howling skills were put to the test. She started with one long "Ah-rooooooooo," followed by a shorter, then a longer one. Nothing. The group, about a football field away from her, listened intently while quietly swatting away bugs. Meanwhile, crickets, bullfrogs, and occasional airplanes supplied the noise.

Wheeler repeated her trio of howls, and, finally, in the distance, there were some garbled yelps and perhaps a howl. Wheeler returned to the crowd, asking Hendry, "Did they hear anything?" No one was sure.

The kids got their chance, followed by 80 or so howling adults. Surprisingly, from a different direction than Wheeler had been facing, came several lone howls. Relief replaced anxiety on the howlers' faces. Their mission had been accomplished.

Boston Globe

Federal court blocks state from killing wolves

Judge says lethal controls conflict with Endangered Species Act

Ryan Stutzman - THE-BEE

A federal judge has blocked the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources' authority to kill wolves. U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly issued a preliminary injunction last week against a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) permit, which allowed the DNR to kill as many as 43 wolves in the state this year.

The DNR uses the permit to eliminate animals in packs suspected of preying on pets or livestock. Eighteen wolves had been killed under the authority of the permit this year when the injunction was issued Aug. 9, including one in southern Price County just two weeks ago.

Kollar-Kotelly – who is also the presiding judge on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, the secret court that oversees warrant requests for surveillance activities on suspected foreign intelligence agents inside the United States – reasoned that the USFWS permit conflicts with the Endangered Species Act.

"Simply put, the recovery of the grey wolf is not supported by killing 43 grey wolves," the judge wrote in her decision.

An animal-protection consortium led by the Humane Society of the United States brought the suit against the federal government, arguing that the USFWS was undermining federal wildlife protections. On its Web site, the Humane Society called the permit a "back-door attempt to authorize the killing" of wolves.

The order is expected to stoke passions locally, where wolves are often blamed for livestock disappearance and perceived declines in game populations, such as white-tailed deer. Hushed anecdotes about wolf poaching are fairly common in the area.

Shooting a wolf without proper authorization is a crime in Wisconsin and the other Great Lakes states with wolf populations. A Michigan man was sentenced to jail time and ordered to pay nearly $2,500 in fines and restitution last year after he was convicted of killing a wolf during the 2004 deer firearm season in the Upper Peninsula's Iron County.

THE-BEE

Feds seek comment on Oregon wolf plan

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is beginning an environmental review of the state of Oregon's request for a federal permit to manage gray wolves in the state, where wolves are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act as an endangered species. The Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking public comments on the permit application and the environmental review until September 11.

The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted a Wolf Conservation and Management Plan in December 2005 that was designed to meet the Oregon Endangered Species Act conservation mandate while at the same time providing practical and flexible approaches for dealing with problem wolves, or those involved in chronic depredation of livestock. Oregon officials requested the permit, known as a recovery permit, because some of the actions the state may take under its plan could harm or kill these problem wolves, which would be a violation of the Endangered Species Act.

The goal of Oregon's plan is to promote wolf recovery objectives and enhance the survival of wolves in the wild. Chronic wolf-livestock conflicts are detrimental to the long-term survival of gray wolves because relying on livestock for food keeps the wolves from hunting their natural prey and functioning in their natural environment. Continued depredation of domestic livestock also discourages public acceptance of wolves' presence in Oregon.

Oregon's wolf plan (available at www.dfw.state.or.us/wolves/) provides guidelines for responses to situations that may arise as gray wolves migrate into Oregon from adjacent states and outlines specific criteria that must be met in order to delist wolves from the State Endangered Species Act. Under the plan, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (0DFW) proposes to conduct non-lethal actions to reduce or resolve wolf-livestock conflicts and human safety concerns. If non-lethal efforts are unsuccessful and livestock depredations continue, ODFW requests authorization to conduct lethal control of wolves. No lethal measures by private landowners would be authorized by this permit.

The Service will conduct its environmental review of ODFW's permit request in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Under this law, a range of alternatives to a proposed project must be developed and considered in an environmental review. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the potential impact of alternatives for managing conflicts with wolves in Oregon. An alternative will be selected and a decision made on permit issuance after comments are considered and analysis is complete.

Currently, ODFW is authorized through a cooperative agreement known as a Section 6 permit to conduct non-lethal gray wolf management actions in Oregon. These actions include trapping, collaring, taking blood and hair samples, harassing, and other actions that are not reasonably expected to result in the death or permanent disabling of a wolf.

Publication of this notice in today's Federal Register opens a 30-day public comment period. Comments on this permit application and environmental review must be received on or before September 11, 2006. Written data or comments should be submitted to the Chief of Endangered Species, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ecological Services, 911 N.E. 11th Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97232-4181 (fax: 503-231-6243). Please refer to the ODFW Wolf Permit when submitting comments. All comments received, including names and addresses, will become part of the official administrative record and may be made available to the public.

The state's application is available at: http://www.fws.gov/pacific/ecoservices/endangered/recovery/default.htm. Other information relevant to wolf permits is available for review, subject to the requirements of the Privacy Act and Freedom of Information Act, by any party who submits a request for a copy of such documents to the address above or calls 503-231-2063.

Additional information about wolf recovery and conservation in the northwestern United States, including control of problem wolves, can be found in various reports at: http://westerngraywolf.fws.gov/.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System.

KTVZ

Turnaround at Wolf Haven- Controversy of 2005 gives way to new director, goals

By Megan Wochnick

TENINO - A year-and-a-half after a controversy surrounding Wolf Haven International, Executive Director John Blankenship has plans to turn the sanctuary around, providing more education to the public on the wolves. Blankenship was hired a year ago after Susan Sergojan resigned as executive director in February 2005. Sergojan reportedly interfered with a veterinarian's decision to euthanize Akela, a 15-year-old terminally ill wolf.

Even though it prompted an investigation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, no instances of animal cruelty were found, and the research and care center maintained its operating license. "It's a 180 (degrees) from what it was a year ago," Blankenship said of the changes. "It's not because of one individual; it's because of the staff."

The nonprofit Wolf Haven organization has 12 staff members and more than 50 volunteers. The majority came on after Blankenship took over. "Internally, the staff has worked around the clock to basically get all the memberships and adoptions up to date, and that was part of the old problem," said Mison Bowden, vice president of the board. "John has personally called donors and members, just acknowledging their existence and to let them know we appreciate their support in the past and the fact we are still here and thriving."

Wolf Haven relies mainly on private funding, with two grants from the Fish and Wildlife Service and Department of Agriculture. The organization plans to go to different businesses in and around the community to develop partnerships and offer them opportunities to see what Wolf Haven does, Blankenship said.

"We're trying to make connections through Rotaries, meetings with educators and a lot of other conservation groups," Blankenship said. "We want to show them we are reliable, we are cleaned up and the wolves are in great shape. We're responsible and scientifically sound."

The animal rescue and sanctuary is home to 47 wolves, four hybrids and three coyotes from all over the nation. Wolf Haven plans to breed Mexican gray wolves this winter, as it's one of two facilities nationwide authorized to do so. Mexican gray wolves are native to the Southwestern United States, and their numbers are dwindling, with only 40 left in the country.

"(Wolves) are a strong part of the ecosystem," said Kate Joki, director of development at Wolf Haven. "If you eliminate them, it's a domino effect. It's a wild animal (and) deserves the right to survive."

Known as one of the top wolf sanctuaries in the country, Wolf Haven puts a strong emphasis on informing the public, especially children, about the wolves' habitat. "We want kids to understand what (wolves') roles are in habitat," Blankenship said. "It's a long ways we'll have to go before we get there."

One of the main programs offered is Howl-In, which received more than 200 visitors Aug. 5. The family-oriented event includes scavenger hunts for kids, making paw plaster casts, American Indian storytelling and howling contests.

"Wolf Haven started nearly 25 years ago just as a sanctuary," Blankenship said. "Emphasis is about education, just as it is on the sanctuary."

The Olympian

Judge blocks state from killing problem wolves

But some cattle ranchers might kill them illegally, group says

By LEE BERGQUIST - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A federal judge on Thursday stopped authorities in Wisconsin from killing problem wolves after animal welfare advocates said the practice violated the Endangered Species Act. The decision could spur the illegal shooting of wolves, a spokesman for cattle ranchers in Wisconsin said.

Meanwhile, authorities said they will stop killing wolves starting today on three farms in Burnett and Bayfield counties that are believed to be threatening livestock. So far this year, federal authorities have killed 18 gray wolves in Wisconsin under a special permit system approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The agency had allowed authorities to kill up to 43 wolves.

But Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly sided with the Humane Society of the United States and other animal-rights groups by ruling that authorities could not kill wolves because of federal protections. "Simply put," she wrote in her decision, "the recovery of the gray wolf is not supported by killing 43 gray wolves."

The Humane Society applauded the decision. "What they were trying to do was illegal," said Karlyn Berg, a wolf consultant for the Humane Society. "You can't amend things to bypass the Endangered Species Act."

But Eric Koens, a spokesman for the Wisconsin Cattlemen's Association, said the decision means that some farmers will take matters into their own hands and illegally kill wolves. "It's happening already," Koens said. "We are trying to make a living, and we can't have wolves killing our livestock."

Adrian Wydeven, a wolf biologist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, said the agency was disappointed with the ruling. Wydeven agreed with Koens that the ruling would prompt some people who are frustrated with the Endangered Species Act to illegally shoot wolves.

The agency will try non-lethal methods to stop wolves that are believed to be killing and harassing livestock. Those methods include loud noises, placing flagging on fences to keep wolves from entering property and possibly firing rubber bullets at the animals.

The gray wolf was hunted and trapped out of existence by the 1950s but began wandering over from Minnesota in the mid-1970s, and since then slowly has rebounded. The estimated wolf population in Wisconsin conducted in late winter was 502 to 564 - the highest population since wolves returned to Wisconsin.

As numbers have risen, the DNR and the Fish and Wildlife Service have proposed removing protections for the wolf. State officials said the wolf could be removed from the list in early 2007. The chief rationale: Biologists believe that wolves have reached a point in Wisconsin where protections are no longer needed.

But Berg said the Humane Society is opposed to removing all protections for the wolf. "We have to find a better way to co-exist with the wolf," she said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Wolf trapped and killed in Price County, Wisconsin

Ryan Stutzman - THE-BEE

Wildlife authorities trapped and killed a wolf in the town of Spirit on Aug. 2, the first such authorized killing in Price County this year. The wolf is suspected to be from the pack that marauded a chicken coop on the Paul and Ilmi Nelson property on State Highway 86 south of Brantwood in mid-July. DNR wolf biologist Adrian Wydeven said the wolf probably belongs to the Spirit Lake pack.

The Spirit Lake pack – named for the general area that it inhabits – was thought to comprise only one or two animals during winter population surveys, but it might have drawn more animals recently from the North Avril Creek pack, Wydeven said.

Trapping was expected to continue in the area of the Nelson property for several more days. The Price County animal is the 18th wolf wildlife authorities have dispatched statewide this year. The fate of the state's federal permit to kill problem wolves is currently hanging in the balance. Under the banner of the Endangered Species Act, an animal-rights consortium is challenging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's authority to grant such permits.

Meanwhile, at the Nelson farm, the family expressed relief that one wolf is dead. But Ilmi Nelson said there is at least one more that has been seen "stalking the farm." Nelson said her grandchildren begged her for an ATV ride around the farm recently, but she refused. "Not until (both) wolves are dead," she said. "I just don't feel safe about that anymore."

Wolves slaughtered nearly 50 chickens on the Nelson farm in a single attack July 15, which the DNR's chief wolf biologist called a "massive surplus killing." More than 40 birds were left dead, and eight were missing, Nelson said. The wolves left twelve chickens alive. The Nelsons quickly processed the birds to avoid further losses.

"They're in the freezer now," Nelson said.

THE-BEE

Museum aims to change wolf's image

Creatures of dark legend are actually very cool, it says

(ANSA) - Pescara, August 10 - A new wolf museum in the mountains of central Italy is aiming to persuade kids that the terrifying animals described by grandma on winter evenings are actually rather cuddly . "It's a scientifically proven fact that wolves don't attack humans and are in fact scared of them," said Walter Mazzitti, head of the Gran Sasso national park in the Abruzzo region .

The park, whose rocky and wooded expanses are inhabited by dozens of wolves, has just created Italy's first Wolf Museum, where children and their parents can learn the 'truth' about the supposedly fierce animals .

"These creatures have a strong sense of smell and when they sense a human presence, even several hundred metres away, they run in the opposite direction," Mazzitti said ahead of Thursday's official inauguration .

The three-story museum, sited near the isolated village of Arsita on the edge of the park, will encourage people to "look at the wolf with new eyes", he continued One of the main boasts of the new facility is an internal walkway which attempts, with the help of multimedia technology, to create the impression of walking through a forest at night. Sensitive panels in the floor set off realistic howling sounds, as recreated moonlight picks out images of wolves that keep appearing on the horizon or poking their snouts out from behind trees .

According to organisers, this will not scare children but help to "create a relationship between the visitor and the wolf" . The whole point, park officials say, is to make people realise that wolves are "a precious presence" in Italian forests, a sign among other things that the eco-system is in good health . Helpful information panels inform visitors that wolves are extremely intelligent animals with a great ability to adapt to circumstances and work out solutions to problems .

"Every wolf is inserted into an organised society: each one has a task to perform and it must perform it well, otherwise the leader of the pack will 'complain' energetically," the museum says .

Visitors also learn about the "persecution" that wolves have suffered in Europe over the centuries, right up until the formulation in recent years of EU laws protecting them .

Elsewhere in the museum, you can inspect a selection of wolf-related paraphernalia, such as wolf traps and the sharp-studded collars that local sheep dogs used to wear to protect their necks from a hungry wolf's jaws . There is also a genuine wolf skeleton, covered with an authentic wolf's pelt. This article is designed to allow young hands to touch something roughly approximating a real wolf .

ANSA IT

Dog cancer traced back to wolf roots

200-year-old tumour has mellowed with age.

Narelle Towie

An old wolf's DNA could be living on in a world-wide tumour. A contagious form of dog cancer that is transmitted by sex has been traced back to its probable origins: a single wolf or dog that lived in Asia more than 200 years ago. The disease seems to have been more aggressive in its past, the researchers say. This is unusual — most cancers become worse over time. If we could work out how and why the disease became less deadly, it may help in finding cancer treatments.

Most cancers are formed when an organism's own cells grow out of control. But canine transmissible venereal tumor (CTVT) is spread by tumor cells that move from dog to dog during sex. The disease attacks the face and genitals, but usually clears up within months.

Researchers have suspected that the diseased cells originated in a single animal. The cancer now affects dogs in Japan, the United States, Europe, China, the Far East, the Middle East and parts of Africa.

Claudio Murgia of University College London (UCL) and his colleagues examined the DNA of tumor cells from 16 unrelated dogs being treated for CTVT in Italy, India and Kenya. "We can tell that the tumor didn't belong to the dog because it's genetically different from its host," says team member Robin Weiss, a virologist at UCL.

To find out where the tumours came from, the team analysed more than 400 dogs from 85 different breeds. The cancer's DNA was most similar to modern wolves. There was also a link to Asian dogs such as shitzus.

To calculate when the tumour parted ways from its original host, the researchers counted the genetic differences between wolf and cancer. The tumour turns out to be at least 200 years old. "If it is any older than 250 years than it's the oldest cancer known to mankind," says Weiss. The work is published in Cell1.

Tamed tumour

Examination of dog cancers from the past 30 years, which were frozen and collected from seven different countries, showed that the tumour was once much more aggressive. If we can work out how this happened, says Murgia, we might be able to cause the same transformation in human tumours.

When the current version of CTVT infects a new dog, it secretes a chemical that inhibits the immune system, so that the host cannot fight it off. But after a few months, the dog's immune system can usually oust the intruder.

Other transmissible cancers are nastier. A contagious facial tumour is now ravaging the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) population, killing 90% of some populations. Tasmanian devils are very inbred, so the cancer may be more similar to its hosts than CTVT, making it harder for the immune system to recognise the invader.

Contagion does not seem to be a major source of human tumours. People can catch cancer from tumorous organ transplants if their immune system is weak, and, theoretically, a patient with AIDS could catch cancer through sex, although this has never been shown to happen.

Nature

Wyoming to Sue Over Feds Wolf Management

By BEN NEARY - The Associated Press

CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- The state will sue the federal government for rejecting Wyoming's request to take over management of its gray wolves, which prey on livestock, officials said Wednesday. "So far, their position has been their way or the highway," Gov. Dave Freudenthal said Wednesday of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "We've chosen neither; we're going to court."

Last month, the federal government rejected Wyoming's petition to remove wolves in the state from the federal list of threatened and endangered species. In addition, the federal agency has yet to take action on the state's request to amend regulations.

Freudenthal has said he sees the spread of wolves outside the national parks as a public safety concern. State officials had proposed allowing trophy hunting of the animals in certain areas and classifying them as predators that could be shot on sight elsewhere. The plan would allow the wolves to live undisturbed in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks.

Federal officials said last month that they can't remove protections until the state sets firm limits on how many wolves can be killed and agrees to a minimum population. The state is now home to an estimated 252 wolves.

Freudenthal and state Attorney General Pat Crank sent a letter Wednesday to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne and wildlife service officials notifying them of their intent to sue.

Ed Bangs, coordinator of the wildlife service's gray wolf recovery effort in Helena, Mont., said he was not surprised by Wyoming's action. "They said they would pursue this thing in court, no matter how long it took," Bangs said. "I had hoped we could work out something more productive than litigation."

The Fish and Wildlife Service has already turned management of wolves over to state agencies in Montana and Idaho. About 400 wolves have been killed in those states for preying on livestock and for other reasons since 1987, Bangs said. The federal government continues to manage wolves in Wyoming outside the national parks, Bangs said. Last year, wolves killed at least 54 cattle and 27 sheep, and 41 wolves were killed, he said.

Washington Post

Sun Ranch explains killing of two Wedge Pack wolves

SUN RANCH
Cameron, Montana

Todd Graham – Ranch Manager – Sun Ranch

Dave Sollitt – Director of Communications, Sun Ranch/Papoose Creek Lodge

Sun Ranch officials confirmed today that ranch staff shot and killed two wolves on the ranch after two confirmed wolf attacks on cattle and a third probable wolf attack on the ranch in the past week. The shootings were conducted on the ranch under permits issued by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) and under the supervision of FWP and federal wildlife officials. The wolves were members of the Wedge pack that has been living in and around the ranch for most of the past two years.

One heifer was attacked and injured and a lone wolf was chased away from the herd last week by ranch personnel, Roger Lang, Sun Ranch owner said. The attack was confirmed as a wolf attack by Federal agencies. A heifer carcass, confirmed as a wolf kill, was found July 27th and multiple pack members were seen moving in and around the carcass by ranch staff, along with other signs of wolf activity in the area. A third probable wolf kill was found Saturday morning and ranch staff, under the supervision of FWP officials, shot two wolves that were seen moving in close proximity to the cattle. All of the incidents occurred on ranch property.

“We hated to do this. We’re disappointed, but we must keep the cattle alive” said Lang. “We have lived with the pack for nearly two years. The recent change in behavior has been dramatic, and we’re anxious to see what we can learn about its causes. But clearly, something had to be done to disrupt an increasingly disturbing pattern of behavior.”

Mr. Lang pointed out that ranch staff, FWP and USDA Wildlife Services had been working together closely since the first attack last week, and said he was gratified that a measured, controlled response was used. “In the past, it’s likely that the entire pack would have been destroyed,” Lang said. “Our familiarity with this pack was a critical factor in determining the appropriate, minimal response needed.”

Sun Ranch has utilized a predator management program for several years, emphasizing coexistence between wolves and cattle. The program is directed by Vickie Backus, a wildlife researcher who holds a PhD from the University of Utah. The program’s focus is coexistence between wolves and cattle, but coexistence doesn’t mean that cattle will never be lost, or that problem wolves will never have to be removed.

“Wolves are part of the landscape in the Madison Valley,” said Backus, noting the valley’s proximity to Yellowstone National Park and wintering elk populations. “If we can get along with one pack over the long term, we have a better chance of creating a scenario where the pack and cattle coexist without problems.” Backus pointed out that coexisting with a stable, long-term pack allows ranch management to recognize and understand patterns of wolf behavior. “As the pack grows and matures, you may get aberrant behavior like we have experienced here, but the pack you know is usually better than one you don’t.”

A stable wolf pack also prevents other wolves who may already prey on livestock from moving in, Backus said “Wolves are territorial and will aggressively defend their areas,” Backus noted. “When a pack whose patterns of behavior we can predict defends its territory, they may keep problem wolves away.”

The Sun Ranch program works to deter wolf interaction with cattle. Cattle graze in carefully managed, grouped herds, which are moved regularly. Predators are thought to be less likely to attack tightly grouped cattle, Sun Ranch Manager Todd Graham noted, citing experience both in the US and among Maasai tribesmen in Africa.

In addition to deterring predators, this practice provides better range management. “After cattle graze plants in one pasture they are moved on, allowing grazed plants an opportunity to re-grow. We are restoring rangeland health all over the ranch with this method,” Graham said, adding, “Bunching also helps us watch over the herd.”

“We spend a lot of time with the cattle,” Backus said, outlining a program in which ranch staff, a growing group of volunteers and even occasional guests at the nearby Papoose Creek Lodge camp with the herd overnight, every night, to provide a constant human presence, which is believed to help deter wolf interaction with the cattle. That human presence is reinforced with active ‘hazing’ behavior to keep wolves wary and afraid of humans and their livestock, Backus said. That hazing will be intensified, as needed, in the coming days to encourage the pack to turn to natural game.

Ranch staff have been trained in hazing techniques by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and FWP, which include special shells shot in the air from a shotgun that make loud noise and a bright flash and special rubber bullets to deal with wolves that are reluctant to flee.

In addition to protecting wolves, Graham cited the success of the Sun Ranch program in minimizing cattle loss even with an active wolf pack living in close proximity. “Over the past few years, we have had less than one percent death loss to cattle from any cause,” Graham noted, “even with this incident, we’re below one percent.” He said that some ranchers experience a death loss of two to three percent. “We’re proud of this record,” he said.

Roger Lang said this incident highlights the need to continue to learn about wolf-cattle interaction. “The American people have spoken and they have said that they want wolves as part of the total ecosystem of the West. Ranching will continue to play a critical role in sustaining open spaces. We simply have to find ways for wolves and ranching to coexist.”

Mr. Lang recently announced the creation of the Sun Ranch Institute in Cameron, which is being formed to provide research and education to advance sustainable wildlife, rangeland and ranch management techniques throughout the West.

Ralph Maughan's Wildlife Reports

Florida couple face charges for possessing wolves

By Jill Taylor - Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Wildlife officials seized four young wolves from a south Martin County home and charged the couple with illegally importing and possessing wild animals after experts concluded the pups appear to be nearly pure wolf stock. John and Sharon Mock of Ranch Colony, near the Palm Beach County line, insist that the 10- to 20-week-old animals are pets and they will work to earn permits they need to be allowed to keep them.

In the meantime, the three males and one female — they are named Saxon, Romeo, Sandy and Angel — will stay at the Busch Wildlife Sanctuary in Jupiter, where executive director David Hitzig said they are coping, but timid. "These are not friendly, wagging-their-tails, I-want-to-come-over-and-lick-your-face animals," Hitzig said.

The law states they have to be regulated because they are wild and potentially dangerous to people and other animals. People who have them must build extremely secure pens with high fences and double gates. These four animals were living in a bathroom with regular size dog crates, officials said.

Investigator John Humphreys of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said state law distinguishes between wolf-dog hybrids, which often are bred and sold as pets, and wild wolves, which are at least 75 percent wolf. "They tend to be far more aggressive that domestic dogs," Humphreys said Wednesday. "They have a lot of wild tendencies.... They are more curious and more likely to attempt to escape."

A Jacksonville man who bought wolves from the same Texas breeder as the Mocks told Humphreys his wolf bit his hand and broke a bone and bit his face, leaving a gash that required more than 30 stitches.

But Mock, 49, and his wife, Sharon, 47, said they have raised wolf mixed breeds before and consider them to be pets. Sharon Mock said they have owned several and still hope to win permission to raise these four on their 6-acre property on Ranch Acres Circle off Mack Dairy Road. "We're just trying to reestablish our family," she said.

Possessing and importing wolves are misdemeanors, and the Mocks also are charged with improperly confining them. A bag of marijuana found in last week's search of the house prompted a felony drug possession charge against John Mock.

Humphreys said it will be up to the state to decide whether the couple can get a license to keep the animals, but he hopes the allegations that they broke the law to bring them here will be considered.

Neighbor Alan Palmer said Mock has owned wolf dogs before and they didn't cause any problems other than late-night howling. "That bothered us a little," he said. "He's got the property fenced pretty well.... I'm not really concerned."

Palm Beach Post

Wolf pack that harassed livestock near Sula being killed

By The Associated Press

BUTTE (AP) — Federal trappers shot and killed eight wolves last week as part of an effort to eliminate a pack of wolves that repeatedly chased and killed livestock near Sula, state wildlife officials said. An adult wolf, two yearlings and five pups from the Sleeping Child pack that roamed the East Fork of the Bitterroot River were killed Friday by agents from Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services, said Carolyn Sime, wolf program coordinator for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

Throughout the summer, FWP and ranchers in the area have hazed the wolves, had people around livestock and even killed three that were causing problems, but the wolves continued to cause trouble. ‘‘It’s one of those unfortunate situations where our best efforts to get it turned around has been unsuccessful,’’ she said. ‘‘We have seen an escalating behavior of getting into livestock.’’

Two weeks ago, a rancher spotted the pack chasing five horses in a pasture. A calf was found dead last Tuesday. FWP biologists picked up the signal from a collared female that was on the carcass and found numerous wolf tracks at the scene. Pups had been spotted chasing horses, indicating they were learning that livestock is prey from the adults, Sime said.

The pack had attacked several other domestic animals throughout the summer, including killing two yearling steers, a calf and a dog. The continuing attacks, and the fact that the wolves hadn’t followed deer and elk to higher ground, gave FWP no choice but to have the pack eliminated, Sime said.

‘‘By the time they begin to recognize livestock as a food source, they do teach that to other wolves in the pack,’’ Sime said. The remaining two adults and two pups will be killed, Sime said. A collared female will be shot last to ensure that no pups are left.

Helena Independent Record

Stone Zoo helps reintroduce wolves into the wild

Stone Zoo helps reintroduce wolves into the wild
By John Linehan

Southwestern mountains have not heard the howl of the Mexican gray wolf for more than 30 years. Now, in a unique partnership between the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Arizona Game and Fish, New Mexico Game and Fish, many Association of Zoos and Aquariums accredited zoos, and a number of other partners, Zoo New England is participating in a reintroduction program to release captive-reared Mexican gray wolves. Forests and fields, including some Native American tribal lands, in remote parts of Arizona and New Mexico are once again alive with the sounds of wolves.

The Mexican gray wolf weighs 50 to 80 pounds and measures about 5 1/2 feet in length, with a buff, gray, and rust coat. With a complex social behavior - living in packs (family groups) and communicating through vocalizations, body posturing and scent marking - these animals have a tightly organized group structure that enables them to work together and to adapt to most environments as long as there is prey.

Their important role in the ecosystem is not filled by other predators; in fact there have been localized overabundances of elk in some areas leading to environmental degradation. Black bears and cougars roam these areas, but they don't fill the wolf's niche. Elk comprise the bulk of the wolves' diet and keeping a balance is crucial to the environment's health.

This month the 2006 Mexican Wolf Species Survival Plan (SSP) Annual Meeting took place in Alpine, AZ. This region is the heart of the wolf release area. Beyond the usual work associated with management of the captive population, the management committee was able to experience first hand the complexities managing the wild population. Some area residents, particularly ranchers, have great concerns about this program for the reintroduction of predators. The committee also got to experience the challenges facing the state and federal biologists charged with carrying out this program, including the challenges of finding radio-collared wolves in this often steep terrain.

Once common throughout western Texas, southern New Mexico, central Arizona and Northern Mexico, the population of the Mexican gray wolf, or lobo, rarest and most genetically distinct subspecies of the North American grey wolves, was exterminated before scientists were able to compile a complete study of their natural history. Today, with approximately 300 Mexican gray wolves in existence - most born in zoos and wildlife sanctuaries in the United States and Mexico, but more being born in the wild each year - international wolf experts rate the recovery of these animals with the highest priority.

In 1976, the Mexican gray wolf was listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), requiring the implementation of plans for conservation and survival of the species. The Mexican Wolf Recovery Team was formed and a plan was established in 1979. Zoo New England began participating in the Mexican Wolf SSP in 1998. The SSP is a consortium of institutions working together to breed captive Mexican gray wolves for continuing reintroduction and recovery in the southwestern US. Last year our breeding pair of wolves at Stone Zoo produced eight pups - all of which are thriving. The SSP has now reached its captive population goals and soon we will be translocating some members of our pack to other zoos and conservation partners.

Using the experience gained from other wolf recovery programs, scientists are very optimistic about Mexican gray wolf recovery. The captive-raised wolves have learned to survive in the wild and to successfully form groups, reproduce, and raise their pups. They are also forming new pairs on their own, indicating a healthy wolf population. We are fortunate to once again be able to hear the howl of wild wolves in our American southwest. This would not have been possible without the collaborative and collective efforts of our zoos.

John Linehan is president and CEO of Zoo New England

Stoneham Sun

Wolf captured by group of Thai villagers

By Phoojadkarn Daily

The Canadian gray wolf that escaped from Chiang Mai Night Safari six weeks ago now sits in a cage after being captured by local villagers Saturday night. The Canadian grey wolf that escaped from Chiang Mai Night Safari a month ago and wreaked havoc across the countryside was captured late Saturday night.

A group of 10 amateur hunters, headed by village leader Pornthip Uttama, finally found the wolf walking out of a grove in the foothills of Doi Suthep in Muang district on Saturday night. The group had kept up a close watch for the animal in that area, where they believed the it had been hiding for days. The wolf was shot with tranquilizer guns before being captured and returned to the zoo.

Zoo Director Plodprasop Suraswadi yesterday rewarded the hunters with 10,000 baht cash for bringing the animal back to the zoo. “We hunted it to ensure the safety of our villagers, not for the cash reward,” said Pornthip.

Meanwhile, the zoo’s director said yesterday that the animal had been captured and asked those he thought wanted to discredit him to stop talking about the issue. “We, as a human beings, can make mistakes. But if you want me to promise that there will be no more animals breaking out of the zoo, I can’t,” Plodprasop said.

The wolf, which had been brought to Chiang Mai Night Safari from the Czech Republic, escaped a month ago, but zoo officials did not alert the public because they believed the animal posed no danger. During the past month, the wolf has reportedly killed 200 chickens, five dogs and several ducks in the Ban Pong Noi, Ban Ramperng and Ban Sanlomjoi villages located near the zo

Thai Day

Wolves maraud chicken coop- Spirit family shaken

DNR urges bear hunters to use caution with their dogs in wolf country

Ryan Stutzman - THE-BEE

Wolves slaughtered nearly 50 chickens in the town of Spirit during the overnight hours July 15-16, according to the family that owns the birds and the property where they were killed. DNR wolf biologist Adrian Wydeven confirmed to THE-BEE last week that wolves were responsible for a "massive surplus killing" on the Paul and Ilmi Nelson property west of Ogema on State Hwy. 86. The wolves took eight chickens from the scene and left 41 dead birds behind, according to Ilmi Nelson. Wildlife Services began trapping for wolves in the area a few days after the depredation incident. None had been caught before press time.

The Nelson-farm incident is the second verified wolf depredation in Price County this year. The other, at Greg Denzine's and Karen Kerner's beef cattle farm north of Phillips, occurred in late June. One calf was killed and left mostly eaten in the pasture near the farm house. Wildlife Services trapped in the area of the Kerner-Denzine farm also, with no results. Trapping activities typically last two weeks.

At least 15 wolves have been trapped and killed by authorities in Wisconsin so far this year, including a number of animals in Bayfield and Burnett counties. An animal rights consortium's lawsuit challenging the state's permit to kill problem wolves is pending in federal court, Wydeven said.

DNR urges caution among bear hunters

Meanwhile, as the dog-training season gets underway for bear hunters in northern Wisconsin, the DNR is promoting caution in wolf country. At least four bear-hunting dogs have been killed so far this training season, including one east of Rib Lake and three in a single incident near Barnes.

"Bear hunters should avoid releasing hounds in areas with wolf sign and near known depredation sites," a July 28 DNR release warns. "Hunters should also stay as close to dogs as possible where wolves are roaming."

The release outlines two "areas of caution" near where the two attacks took place. But wolves are known to range across most of northern Wisconsin, so the DNR is warning all hunters training bear dogs in the region to exercise particular care with their animals. Wolf attacks on bear-hunting dogs have been fairly common in recent years. Wolves see the dogs as a threat to their pups, according to the DNR.

Nevertheless, the overall risk to humans and domestic animals is very small, DNR biologists say.

THE-BEE

Feds aim to kill six more wolves

Control measures sparked by livestock depredations

by STEVE BENSON

With Idaho's wolf population growing and packs expanding into new areas, livestock depredations are on the rise and six more animals have been ordered to their deaths. But the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, which is now partially responsible for wolf management in the state, believes it's closer to assuming full management of the federally protected animals, and future conflicts could be mitigated.

Fourteen federally protected wolves have been killed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services—the federal agency responsible for killing problem animals—in Idaho so far this year. Ranchers, who are now allowed to shoot and kill wolves they witness attacking or harassing their livestock, have killed an additional nine animals in 2006. Since July 22, four wolves have been killed by Wildlife Services in Central Idaho, including one in Copper Basin, in Custer County.

Earlier this week, federal agents were ordered to track and kill six more wolves suspected of attacking cattle and sheep. Three animals are in the Steel Mountain Pack, located near the headwaters of the Boise River. One is located near Mountain Home. Another is just east of Cascade. The last is in Copper Basin, east of Sun Valley.

More than 600 wolves now roam Idaho after 35 were reintroduced to the central part of the state in 1995 and 1996. Steve Nadeau, Idaho Department of Fish and Game's wolf program supervisor, said the current population is "five to six times the number of wolves necessary for de-listing" from the federal Endangered Species List.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service handed over day-to-day management of wolves in Idaho to Fish and Game in January 2006. The state agency can control conflicts but can't reduce populations, which is still handled by federal Wildlife Services agents. Opening wolves to hunting, another population-reducing measure that Nadeau said he favors, also can't be enacted until the animals are removed from the list, a process that is being held up by the state of Wyoming.

State agencies in Idaho and Montana have wolf management plans deemed acceptable by U.S. Fish and Wildlife. Wyoming, however, wants to list the animal as a predatory species, meaning it can be killed on-sight outside wilderness areas—a plan that doesn't gel with federal goals.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been adamant that the animal will remain federally protected until all three states devise acceptable wolf management plans.

But Nadeau said Idaho Fish and Game officials have been meeting with regional and national directors from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to discuss the possibility of de-listing wolves in Idaho and Montana. "There is some positive discussion going on currently with potentially de-listing wolves along state boundaries," Nadeau said. "It could occur if Wyoming doesn't want to come on board. "We know (U.S. Fish and Wildlife) is interested and taking it seriously, but we don't have a time frame yet."

Nadeau said wolf-control measures will continue to rise if the population isn't thinned, which he said could be done effectively via a hunting season. "With wolves increasing in number and distribution, they're showing up in areas they haven't been previously and, as such, are causing problems in new areas," Nadeau said.

The problem isn't limited to livestock depredations, as conflicts between wolf advocates and opponents continue to rise. In early May, cultures clashed in Stanley after a wolf attacked and killed an elk in broad daylight near town. With a crowd of wolf supporters watching, Ron Gillett, chairman of the Idaho Anti-Wolf Coalition, showed up on the scene carrying a rifle.

Gillett is on a mission to rid the state of wolves, which he considers dangerous, bloodthirsty animals that are devouring the state's elk herds and threatening the safety of children. Gillett said he was on private property and was carrying the rifle as protection. The conflict ended peacefully, but Gillett said, "It's going to be a long summer—there will probably be a lot of wolves shot."

Nadeau said Fish and Game has been keeping a close watch on the situation. "The Stanley Basin area is a constant concern for the department," Nadeau said. "We've been involved in non-lethal efforts up there throughout the summer." Those non-lethal efforts include "hazing and scaring wolves to keep them separate from livestock," he said.

Idaho Mountain Express

Montana wolves killed after harassing livestock

By The Associated Press

BOZEMAN - A landowner killed two wolves blamed for killing at least one cow and harassing other livestock in the Madison Valley, state and federal wildlife officials said Wednesday. The state Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks authorized the killings of two adult members of the Wedge Pack.

"We know through our monitoring efforts that the Wedge Pack has been living on and around this ranch for about two years, but this is the first confirmed depredation this year," said Carolyn Sime, the state wildlife agency's wolf program coordinator in Helena. "The landowner monitors livestock very closely and reported harassing wolves found in close proximity to cattle on multiple occasions before the actual depredations occurred," she said.

The wolves were shot by the landowner on July 28 and July 29, the state said.

Federal regulations in the experimental area of southwestern Montana allow the state wildlife agency to issue "shoot-on-sight" permits valid for 45 days after it's confirmed a wolf is responsible for a livestock death.

The agencies did not name the landowner who killed the wolves.

"We are working closely with the landowner to monitor the situation given the ongoing potential for wolf-livestock conflicts," said Pat Flowers, Fish, Wildlife and Parks regional supervisor in Bozeman.

Billings Gazette

4 wolves killed after livestock deaths; more killings authorized

By JOHN MILLER - ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

BOISE, Idaho -- Federal Wildlife Services agents have shoot-to-kill orders for as many as six more wolves in central Idaho, after killing four wolves in the last two weeks. The targeted wolves were suspected of killing or harassing cattle and sheep in the mountainous region.

The latest killings bring the number of federally protected wolves shot by Wildlife Services officers in 2006 to 14, with another nine killed by ranchers through Tuesday. The ranchers have been allowed to shoot the animals under relaxed rules of engagement in place since early 2005, said Steve Nadeau, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game's wolf specialist.

In all of 2005, 27 wolves were killed legally by officers and ranchers.

Nadeau expects the number of wolf control actions this year to rise, as wolf numbers in the state have grown to 600 since the reintroduction of 35 animals in 1995 and 1996. Idaho and Montana want the animals cleared from Endangered Species Act protections, but the effort has been stymied because neighboring Wyoming's plan to manage wolves hasn't won federal approval.

"We're finding wolves in new areas now, where we haven't had them previously. They're taking sheep or cattle, so we're having to address that," Nadeau said. "The number of wolves being taken seems to be increasing, and this year will be no exception to that."

Since January, Idaho has had day-to-day management over central Idaho wolves, listed as "experimental, nonessential." The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service still manages wolves north of U.S. Interstate 90, where the animals are listed as "endangered."

On July 22, Wildlife Services, the division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that kills problem wolves for Fish and Game, shot a black sub-adult wolf from the Steel Mountain pack, located near the headwaters of the Boise River. Traps remain, with the aim of removing another three wolves suspected in nearby livestock deaths, Nadeau said.

On July 27, Wildlife Services agents shot another black wolf from the air that had been suspected of stalking livestock in Custer County's Copper Basin.

That same day, officers shot one female wolf from the Blue Bunch pack that roams near the Salmon River after it approached them while they were outfitting the pack's alpha female with a radio collar. And July 28, a young male wolf was shot by agents about 40 miles from Idaho City, where wolves three days earlier had killed five lambs.

Govs. Jim Risch of Idaho and Brian Schweitzer of Montana met with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Director Dale Hall on July 24, urging him to consider their proposal that would allow wolves in both states to be delisted even before the dispute over Wyoming's plan has been settled.

Idaho's wolves have been reproducing at a rate of 20 percent a year, said Nadeau, which would mean they'd number about 720 after next spring's pups. There are now more than 40 packs here, nearly three times what's called for under the state's 2002 management plan.

Idaho eventually wants to sell licenses to hunt wolves, but can't until after delisting.

"Idaho has met its obligation," Risch, a rancher who says he's lost cattle to wolves, told The Associated Press last week. "They are becoming a nuisance - and then some."

Phone calls to Defenders of Wildlife in Boise, a wolf-advocacy group that fears state Fish and Game officials are too eager to kill wolves to be able to manage them properly, weren't immediately returned for comment.

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER