Wolves roaming western forests not yet out of the woods

April 7, 2000
Web posted at: 2:23 PM EDT (1823 GMT)

Idaho's wolves have dodged a bullet -- a court challenge that could have resulted in their being killed or sent back to Canada. But now Rocky Mountain wolves face a fight for survival against many of the same fears and animosities that led to their extinction six decades ago.

Wolf reintroduction began in 1995-96 with the release of about four dozen Canadian Grey wolves in Idaho and Yellowstone National Park. By some estimates their numbers have grown to about 300 in just five years.

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The aim of wolf reintroduction was to restore a balance of nature lost when wolves were virtually wiped out early in the last century. Farmers and ranchers bitterly oppose the wolves' return for the same reason that led to the wolves' eradication: They are a threat to livestock.

Since 1995, more than 300 sheep, 111 cattle, and 14 other animals (including dogs) have become confirmed victims of wolves in the three-state area.

(Source: Defenders of Wildlife)

Wolf battles

The American Farm Bureau Federation says most cases of wolf predation can't be proved and that ranchers' losses were actually 20 times higher. In 1997 the Farm Bureau and other groups sued to have wolf reintroduction declared illegal under the Endangered Species Act.

A U.S. District Court initially agreed, and ordered the wolves' removal. But in January a federal appeals court overturned a lower court ruling. For the time being the wolves appear safe from further court challenge, though the Farm Bureau says an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court is still a possibility. In the meantime, more than 100 wolves have died of various causes since reintroduction began. At least 35 were natural deaths attributed to such things as starvation, drowning, avalanches, and fights with other animals.

Ten of the Rocky Mountain wolves were illegally shot. A dozen were hit by cars or trucks. More than 20 were deliberately killed in "control actions" after they had repeatedly attacked livestock or domestic animals.

Too early to tell

Gary Power, a retired Idaho Fish and Game officer, is in the second year of a study to determine what effect the wolves have had on his state's elk and deer populations.

Hunters and outfitters claim big game stocks are down since the wolves' return. Power says it's too early to tell if the wolves are to blame. He notes that elk numbers have decreased even in areas where the wolf population has declined as well. In an effort to determine exactly how many cattle they're losing to wolves, ranchers in Idaho's Lemhi County outfitted more than 200 calves with radio transmitters. A wildlife biologist monitored each calf's location daily.

When a calf died, the biologist investigated to find out why. In 1999 only two calf losses were determined to be the work of wolves. The Lemhi County study will continue for another year.

No longer endangered?

Managers of the wolf reintroduction program say they're pleased with how well the effort is going. They say if wolf numbers keep increasing the wolf can soon be removed from the Endangered Species list.

When that happens, ranchers will be free to kill any wolf that endangers their livestock. Currently, private citizens may shoot only wolves attacking stock on private property. However, most sheep and cattle grazing occurs on public land where the wolves are protected.

Meanwhile, an undercurrent of bitterness at the wolves' return continues to grow, putting the wolves' future at risk. Some residents of wolf country make no secret of what they'd like to see happen.

Just this month, a sign appeared in a grocery store in Clayton, Idaho: "Kill all the Goddamn wolves and the people who put them here."

(Source: Wolf Recovery Foundation)

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Defenders of Wildlife
Wolf Recovery Foundation
Wolf Education and Research Center
American Farm Bureau - Voice of Agriculture

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