Wolf Report: Wolves Kill Sheep

Federal wolf managers are looking for the wolves that killed 15 sheep and injured two guard dogs on a Sawtooth National Forest grazing allotment. Wolves killed 10 more sheep in the same area over the previous week. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services confirmed the kills on June 3. On June 7, Wildlife Services also confirmed that a wolf killed three lambs on private land near New Meadows. Efforts are under way in response to these incidents to remove the depredating wolves. Representatives of various interests, including livestock owners, outfitters, hunters, environmental and wildlife advocates met with Idaho Fish and Game officials June 14 in Boise to discuss a wolf harvest management plan. Though they have widely ranging perspectives on wolves, they agreed on several points, including that control is needed in areas of conflicts between wolves and livestock. They also agreed that widespread tolerance for wolf control would be higher if wolves are allowed to thrive in some areas; a wolf management plan should meet the needs of livestock owners, hunters and outfitters but also withstand critical national scrutiny. Fish and Game officials are working on plans for proposed hunting seasons on wolves pending their removal from the endangered species list. They expect to have a proposal ready for Idaho Fish and Game Commission review by the fall. Actual delisting could be a year or more away. Any wolf hunting seasons would first have to be approved by the Commission. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considers the wolf recovered in the northern Rocky Mountains and has started the process to remove the wolf from the endangered species list. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's weekly wolf reports as well as annual reports, can be viewed at http://westerngraywolf.fws.gov/.