Wolves in Imnaha pack kill rancher's cow in Wallowa County (OR)

The Oregonian ^ | December 13, 2011 | Lynne Terry

[jazusamo]

Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife

The alpha wolf in the Imnaha pack was collared

in May and is being tracked by state biologists.

A pack of wolves roaming grasslands in Eastern Oregon killed another cow over the weekend.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said a yearling heifer was found dead on a ranch east of Joseph in Wallowa County. ODFW officials said the rancher had coraled his 700 cattle Sunday night in a pasture near his home and that the wolves broke in and chased them out, killing a heifer. The wolves returned the next night to the same ranch but no cows were killed.

Russ Morgan, ODFE’s wolf coordinator, said the Imnaha pack has killed 19 cows since spring 2010. Usually wolves go after calves, which are the easiest prey, but the past three cows killed were adults or adult-sized, Morgan said.

“It’s worrying for livestock producers,” he said. “It’s an alarming trend.”

The agency would like to kill two wolves in the pack of at least five animals but a court-ordered stay halted that plan Oct. 5 . Wildlife advocates, who took the agency to court, want the state to focus more preserving gray wolves which are protected in Oregon as an endangered species.

Rob Klavins of Oregon Wild said that the number of livestock killed by gray wolves is miniscule compared with the numbers that die being born, in severe weather or from disease. Ranchers also lose cows to thieves.

“Wolves are not a threat to the livestock industry,” Klavins said, emphasizing the need for the state to balance the needs of ranchers with conservation.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture is creating a wolf compensation program which should be in effect by early 2012. The program will pay ranchers, including the latest one, whose cattle are killed by the wolves.

[Jack Hydrazine]

Irish Wolfhounds were bred to hunt down and kill wolves but I don’t know about lions.

I think a legal way to get rid of these wolves is to take three to five (or more) of your best wolfhounds (with the best hunting and fighting skills) on hikes into areas where the wolves are known to be. Keep a .45 or .44 pistol on you at all times and keep one wolfhound with you in case one tries to sneak up on you while the other wolfhounds are dealing with wolves. Your dogs take care of bidness and you take them home and fix them up.

When the eco-nuts find the wolves’ carcasses all over the place all they will able to tell is that another animal tore them to shreds.

All you know is that you went on a hike with your dogs, the wolves tried to attack you, your dogs protected you - end of story. Wink-Wink!

I wouldn’t mind being hired to take lots of long nature hikes with Irish Wolfhounds! And I’m sure those that would hire me wouldn’t mind it a bit either.

[girlangler]

A Mexican Gray Wolf was shot on a ranch here in N.M. last week. The wolf was on the porch where a woman and her children were alone. The wolf was very aggressive, they think trying to breed with domestic dogs. She had already had one little of hybrids.

[george76]

Then a neighbor came speeding up the driveway, shouting out the window, she wrote.

“He yelled for me to take the girls inside while pointing to the dogs who were roughhousing with a collared wolf no farther than 35 feet from my 2-year-old daughter. I grabbed my girls and ran inside, slamming the door behind us.”

http://azstarnet.com/news/science/environment/gray-wolf-killed-while-lurking-near-nm-ranch/article_00e00b4c-4f18-5d4a-a0a9-7491f9d8751e.html

[girlangler]

I meant litter. Sheeesh.

[jazusamo]

Hiya, Girl.

I missed your post yesterday. I imagine the wolf lovers weren’t too happy about that but that’s tough, when they’re not afraid of man that’s what they deserve.

Have a MERRY CHRISTMAS and GREAT NEW YEAR!

[girlangler]

Merry Christmas to you and yours Jaz, and wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.

New post and ping coming.