Wolf Weekly Wrap-up

Two wolves removed, two wolves remain — There’s no denying that it has been a rough week for wolves in Oregon. Last Friday, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announced that it would be killing two wolves from the Imnaha pack—the alpha male and a male yearling—in response to the wolves repeatedly killing livestock on private ranchlands. With these removals, the alpha female and her new pup may be relying on leftovers from elk and deer hunters and smaller prey unless they reconnect with other members of the pack that dispersed to new areas earlier in the year.

An editorial we blogged about earlier this week encapsulates the difficulty of the ongoing situation in Oregon. ODFW is not to blame; they are working hard to follow the state wolf plan that received broad public support and ultimately aims to restore a wolf population in the state. These tragic removals and overall reduction in the number of wolves in Oregon is a stark reminder that we still have our work cut out for us. Defenders’ coexistence programs to reduce conflict between wolves and livestock are needed now more than ever. Listen to East Oregonian reporter Anna Willard and ODFW biologist Russ Morgan discuss wolf management on OPB’s Think Out Loud.

Two new studies provide wolf management insight – At least one man is calling into question the murky mathematics that underlies the Montana wolf hunt. According to this story in the Missoulian, former college professor Jay Mallonee published a paper on the subject and wants to know where the extra wolves are coming from. Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks uses well established survey methods and statistical tools to estimate the wolf population, but the funds available to do so are drying up. That means the state won’t have as good a handle on the numbers, which could allow too many wolves to be killed through this year’s hunt. This is just one of the many reasons that Defenders has pushed Idaho and Montana to err on the side of caution by adopting more conservative quotas.

Wolves hunt two bull elk in Yellowstone. Photo courtesy of the U.S. National Park Service.

Another study released this week indicates that wolves may not be the fearless hunters some thought they were. The Utah State University researcher who led the study found that the hunting success of wolf packs increases up to four members and then levels off. With larger packs, members are more likely to hold back and let other wolves take the lead when possible. The increase in “free ridership” shows the wolves are risk-averse, the author concludes. Hunting is a dangerous endeavor not to be taken lightly. According to our wolf coexistence field team in the Northern Rockies, this is the core reason that appropriate nonlethal deterrents are so effective in reducing livestock losses as these measures are designed to elevate the wolves’ perceived sense of risk. For example, wolves perceive that dogs are strange wolves. During parts of the year, increasing the number of guard dogs that patrol sheep bands reduces wolf predation because the wolves appear to be afraid of what they perceive as a strange wolf pack in the area. As wolves are territorial, new packs are often avoided to reduce chances of an attack.  It’s easier to prey on wild game somewhere else than risk encountering an unknown pack.  This is only true though when wolves are not denning. When they have young, wolves are highly territorial and may risk striking out at new packs (or strange wolves) in order to protect their young.