ODFW kills four NE Oregon wolves after five livestock attacks

Four wolves in northeast Oregon’s Imnaha pack, found to be associated with five recent livestock depredations, were shot and killed Thursday by ODFW staff on private land in Wallowa County, officials said.

The killings came hours after the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said it had confirmed five livestock depredation incidents on private land in the past three weeks by some wolves in the Imnaha pack, despite continued efforts by ODFW, Wallowa County officials, and area livestock producers to deter wolf-livestock conflict with non-lethal measures.

With the pack now involved in chronic livestock depredation and as part of implementation of Oregon Wolf Conservation and Management Plan provisions, ODFW said it would lethally remove depredating wolves to reduce the likelihood of further losses.

Information from two collared wolves–OR4, the alpha male and OR39, the alpha female–indicate that they and another two younger wolves have regularly used an area of private land on the westernmost portion of their known home range.

While infrequent visits were historically made to the area by this pack, the near continual use of the area at this time of year is a marked departure from the pack’s normal pattern. Coinciding with this changed pattern,

ODFW documented livestock depredation by the pack in investigations on March 9, March 25, two more on March 28 and one more on March 30.

ODFW received a lethal order request after the March 9 depredation, but did not authorize it. At that time, the Imnaha pack had not been involved in depredation since the previous October and ODFW didn’t characterize the situation as chronic.

That changed when the pack killed or injured livestock in four additional incidents over the past week, bringing the total to six separate incidents within five months. ODFW received another lethal order request after the March 25 depredation.

“Unfortunately, members of the Imnaha wolf pack are once again involved in chronic livestock depredation, and ODFW is adhering to the plan and protecting the interests of area livestock producers,” said Russ Morgan, ODFW wolf coordinator.

“Spring is typically the time when depredation increases. Even more cattle and sheep will be on these private lands soon as calving and lambing season continues, increasing the risk for even more losses from this group of depredating wolves.”

Under the rules associated with the Wolf Plan in Phase II, ODFW can authorize lethal control of wolves at a property owner or permittee’s request if a) the agency confirms at least two depredations on livestock in the area; b) the requester has documented unsuccessful attempts to solve the situation through non-lethal means; c) no identified circumstance exists that attracts wolf-livestock conflict; and d) the requester has complied with applicable laws and the conditions of any permit.

In the current Wallowa County situation, non-lethal measures were being used when the depredations occurred and there were no bone piles or other attractants present.

The preventive measures for the sheep producer included midnight spotlighting, three livestock protection dogs with the sheep 24 hours per day, three-per-day checks of livestock and a range rider patrolling the area and hazing the wolves when found.

For cattle, delayed pasture rotation to keep animals closer to a public road, pasturing yearlings with cows, frequent checks in association with calving cattle, and patrolling/hazing by a range rider were used.

While ODFW documented eight wolves in the Imnaha Pack at the end of 2015, the department said it believes the pack has grown and that four of the wolves (the alpha male and female and two younger wolves) have separated from the rest of the pack.

These four have been traveling together in this area and are associated with the four recent depredations on private land, the agency said.

Meanwhile, other members of the pack have been spending time in an area separated from the four depredating wolves. They are not known to be involved in the chronic depredation patterns and are not subject to the lethal control order. ODFW said it will focus lethal control efforts on the wolves linked to the depredations.

Morgan said he believes the Imnaha group of wolves could be splitting up and that age and physical condition may be playing a role in the depredation. The alpha male is nearly 10 years old and the alpha female has been known to limp since she first appeared a few years ago.

“As wolves grow old, or if they are injured, they are unable to hunt traditional wild prey as they have in the past,” said Morgan. “This could be playing a role in the pack’s recent behavior.”

This was the third time ODFW has used lethal control for wolves since they returned to the state in the early 2000s. Two wolves were killed after a number of losses in Baker County in 2009, and two wolves from the Imnaha pack were removed in 2011 due to chronic livestock depredation.

Despite Thursday’s announcement, Oregon’s wolf population as a whole is growing. ODFW documented 110 known wolves at the end of 2015, a 36 percent increase over 2014.

“This is the tough part of the job, but we believe lethal control is the right decision in this situation,” continued Morgan. “Wildlife managers must strike a balance between conserving wolves and minimizing impacts on livestock. This action in response to this situation will not affect the continued positive wolf population growth we are seeing across Oregon.”

For more ODFW information on wolves, visit http://www.dfw.state.or.us/wolves/

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The Oregon Cattlemen’s Association issued this news release on what it called a “necessary but undesirable outcome”:

On Thursday , Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife made the difficult decision to enact lethal take on the Imnaha pack after the pack committed five depredations on livestock within the month of March.

The Oregon Cattlemen’s Association is fully supportive of Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s decision which was made in accordance with the Oregon Wolf Plan. The Association is also aware that this decision was difficult and not made without careful consideration of the impact of all parties involved.

In this specific case, one producer lost four yearling cattle within a month’s span. Those losses represent a reoccurring problem that needed addressed.

Todd Nash, Wolf Committee Chair for OCA, sees the takes as necessary, but also views the entire situation as undesirable.

“It’s an unfair situation for the livestock owners and the wolves themselves. Wolves are doing what they naturally do, but have been put in a situation in Oregon where they are going to be in constant conflict with livestock and hunters’ game.”

The Oregon Wolf Plan has a goal of species recovery and coexistence with other animals. Eliminating specific, problem animals so that multiple species can live together is sometimes necessary.

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On word of the kill request Wednesday, Oregon Wild Executive Director Sean Stevens issued this statement: “ODFW should not be killing members of the Imnaha Pack, or any wolves for that matter, while the wolf plan remains under review and out of date.”

Here’s background provided by Oregon Wild:

The original 2005 wolf plan and its 2010 revision were a point of conflict between stakeholders. A 2013 agreement between the livestock industry, conservationists, and the state established clear, defensible guidelines to determine when killing a wolf could be considered. Livestock operators in wolf country had to make efforts to prevent conflict through non-lethal measures and ODFW had to be transparent to the public. Those standards provided certainty to all parties but are no longer in place in Eastern Oregon.

With those safeguards in place, wolf killing was not necessary. In that time (2013-2015) Oregon was the only state in the nation with a meaningful wolf population that did not kill them. In contrast to states with aggressive wolf killing programs, Oregon’s fragile wolf population grew while conflict between livestock and wolves decreased. The state is now home to 110 known wolves in 12 packs. Thirty-five are pups less than a year old and wolves are still absent from nearly ninety percent of their available habitat.

Given ambiguity in the current wolf plan, increased poaching, premature delisting, and renewed calls from special interest groups for aggressive killing, the public has every reason to be concerned for Oregon’s recovering wolf population.

So far there has been no indication that sufficient non-lethal measures were taken to prevent this conflict. State taxpayers have provided tens of thousands of dollars in equipment and for labor to implement non-lethal conflict prevention measures in Wallowa County alone. Given that those tools are readily available and proven effective, it is fair for the public to ask if RAG boxes, fladry, and other tools were utilized effectively. In fact, no livestock animal has been killed behind fladry in Wallowa County. Carcasses left to rot in fields with unattended calves and other vulnerable livestock nearby create conflict and field reports indicate just such circumstances in the area.

The public is entitled to a full accounting of how we got to this point and where we go from here. ODFW and citizens must work to avoid unnecessary conflict and killing. Wolf recovery depends on ODFW’s commitment to eliminating ambiguity, preventing conflict, and educating the public.