Month: January 2019

Wolves expand their territory in Wisconsin

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WEYAUWEGA, Wis. (WBAY) – DNR wardens continue searching for clues two weeks after a gray wolf was found illegally shot along Highway 10 near Weyauwega.DNR biologists say the adult female likely belonged to a pack in Waupaca County and is further evidence wolf territory in Wisconsin is expanding.DNR Regional Wildlife Biologist Jeff Pritzl says more of Wisconsin has become wolf country.”Just as we’ve seen with black bears in Wisconsin, I guess that line of awareness or that line that goes across the state of where we think that’s normal or unusual has been drifting south with wolves as well.”

Source: Wolves expand their territory in Wisconsin

Wildlife Commission to Finally Vote on Oregon Wolf Plan | Oregon News | US News

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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Oregon Fish and Wildlife commission is finally set to vote on a plan for managing wolves in the state, after years of contentious meetings.The commission is expected to vote in March, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported .As in other northwestern states, wolves have been controversial in Oregon, with ranchers saying they wreak havoc on livestock and conservationists saying they play a key role in the ecosystem.The main sticking point has been over when and how lethal action can be taken against wolves that kill livestock.The first wolf management plan was implemented in 2005 and revised in 2010, just a year after wolves made their return to Oregon after dispersing from packs in Idaho. The plan was supposed to be updated every five years, but the 2015 revisions became mired in argument and repeated delays ensued.

Source: Wildlife Commission to Finally Vote on Oregon Wolf Plan | Oregon News | US News

Brookfield Zoo to Establish New Pack of Endangered Mexican Wolves | Chicago News | WTTW

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With the arrival of a new male wolf last month, Brookfield Zoo plans to establish a new pack of endangered Mexican wolves. Zoo officials said this week they are hopeful that 2-year-old Ela and newcomer Apache, 7, will have a successful breeding season this winter and produce a litter of wolf pups in the spring.Apache arrived at the zoo in December from Albuquerque Bio Park in New Mexico. Brookfield Zoo was home to Ela’s original pack until November, when nine wolves were transferred to new homes in Missouri. Ela’s packmates were moved because as wolves mature, they typically disperse from their natal pack. The 10-wolf pack was one of the largest and most successful packs in the history of the Mexican Wolf Recovery Program, according to the zoo.

Source: Brookfield Zoo to Establish New Pack of Endangered Mexican Wolves | Chicago News | WTTW

Rancher under siege from wolves suggests fence | KTVL

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A Prospect rancher under siege from wolf attacks said he’s frustrated and wonders how the state will revise Oregon’s Wolf Conservation and Management Plan effectively. Oregon Department of Forestry and Wildlife announced Thursday the revised plan will be presented to the commission at its March 15 meeting in Salem for final adoption despite setbacks. “I’ve lost five calves and one guard dog. Those are confirmed wolf kills,” Ted Birdseye said. “They’ll be back it’s just a matter of time. ”

Source: Rancher under siege from wolves suggests fence | KTVL

Pack of Wild Dogs in Texas Carry DNA of Nearly Extinct Red Wolf | Smart News | Smithsonian

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Red wolves once roamed a broad stretch of the southeastern United States, settling in several states including Texas, Florida and West Virginia. But by 1980, the canines were virtually extinct in the wild, their population largely limited to wolves born through captive breeding programs.Today, just 40 or so of these elusive red wolves—stemming from a group reintroduced to North Carolina in the late ‘80s—remain living in the wild. Luckily, Ed Cara writes for Gizmodo, a team of Princeton University researchers recently chanced upon a surprising discovery that could very well secure the threatened species’ future: As the scientists report in the journal Genes, a pack of canines native to Texas’ Galveston Island carry elements of the red wolf’s DNA, including so-called “ghost alleles” once thought to have vanished from the genetic record.

Source: Pack of Wild Dogs in Texas Carry DNA of Nearly Extinct Red Wolf | Smart News | Smithsonian

No proof that shooting predators saves livestock | Science | AAAS

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On 5 August, biologists from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife ascended in a helicopter to shoot two members of the Profanity Peak wolf pack, which had been preying on cattle in the state’s northeast corner. After the cull failed to end predation, the state removed four more members of the 11-wolf pack. Some conservationists were outraged, but the logic behind such lethal control seems airtight: Remove livestock-killing wolves, coyotes, bears, and other predators, and you’ll protect farmers and ranchers from future losses

Source: No proof that shooting predators saves livestock | Science | AAAS

Wolf attacks continue to frustrate SW Oregon rancher | Livestock | capitalpress.com

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The start of the new year was like déjà vu for cattle rancher Ted Birdseye in southwest Oregon.Birdseye, who runs the Mill-Mar Ranch in rural Jackson County, awoke on Jan. 1 to find an injured, 5-month-old calf about 200 yards from his house, with 2 feet of intestine sticking out of its backside. Wildlife officials arrived later in the day to investigate, and later confirmed the calf was attacked by wolves from the Rogue pack. It was almost a year ago to the day that Birdseye lost his first animal to the Rogue pack, a 250-pound calf partially eaten in a fenced pasture on the property. The wolves returned again the following week, killing and eating two more calves down to the rib cage and spinal column.

Source: Wolf attacks continue to frustrate SW Oregon rancher | Livestock | capitalpress.com