October 25, 2024 at 5:55 a.m.

Wolf conflicts in Wisconsin topic at Great Lakes Wolf Symposium


By BECKIE GASKILL
Outdoors Writer

“You are in the area where wolves kill livestock,” said Dave Ruid, the USDA wildlife services northern region supervisor while speaking at the Great Lakes Wolf Symposium in Ashland earlier this month. He said there was a verified depredation just that morning, only a few miles from the symposium. The site of the depredation was inside fladry, and approximately 20 yards from a flashing box light. Both of these things are often used as non-lethal abatement techniques when there are wolf conflicts with livestock. Unfortunately, wolves often become accustomed to seeing these things, and their fear of them wears off. The area around Ashland has a high number of depredations each year, Ruid said.

“Everyone can look at the map of Wisconsin and figure out where we are,” he said. “Northern Douglas County, Bayfield County -— same names, different years.”

Wildlife Services’ primary role under the heading of wolf complaints is to assist the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in investigating wolf complaints. 

So far, he said wildlife services had investigated 134 complaints, with 104 of them being verified as wolf conflicts. By the end of the year Ruid said he expects that there will be somewhere around 130-140 wolf complaints. Since the wolf was originally put on the Endangered Species List in 1974, wildlife services has investigated 3,690 complaints in Wisconsin. Approximately 2,000 of those were verified. While Minnesota’s verification percentage sits around 40-50%, in Wisconsin, complaints are 75-80% verified with investigated complaints.

There are a number of factors wildlife service technicians use to determine if an animal has fallen victim to a wolf attack including canine tooth punctures, spacing, subcutaneous hemorrhaging, and various other indicators. Scat and wolf tracks are also used for verification purposes.

In 2024, Ruid said, there had been 27 farms with wolf conflicts and verified losses. The state averages 25-35 farms each year with livestock that fall victim to wolves. Thirty-five head of cattle have been killed in the state so far, and since 2003, wolves have killed almost 900 head of cattle. 

“In 2011 I had to give a talk out west and we had 71 cattle killed by wolves that we verified in Wisconsin,” Ruid said. “That was more than what was verified in Montana that year,” Relatively speaking, he said, Wisconsin’s wolf conflicts are comparable to most other states where wolves live.

He showed a picture of 10 wolves moving into a pasture last year in Douglas County, and said that situation for that farmer was a “train wreck.” The producer lost double digit numbers of beef calves and eventually sold his cattle. 

Nothing in the way of non-lethal abatement was working in this case.

Since 2014, after two years of lethal control of wolves being used when they were delisted for short periods of time, the average number of calves killed per farm is around two. 

However, Ruid said there seem to be more farms with six to eight calves killed when non-lethal abatement begins to fail. In most cases, however, these non-lethal means of abatement are the only tools available.

Fladry, flashing lights, scare radios, nighttime presence, permanent exclusion and things of that nature are the tools available to most farmers who are experiencing depredations.

Unfortunately, wolves do become habituated to these types of abatement in many cases.

Non-lethal abatement can be expensive. Ruid said fladry is now up to $3,500 per linear mile. Twenty years ago, when it was first used, it was $700 per linear mile. 

Exclusion fencing has been implemented on nine farms so far. This has been done on some of the chronic farms, but it requires the right site. So far 436 acres have been protected using this fencing but, again, it is quite expensive, as are repairs to that fencing that might be needed over the years. The cost of the fencing is $8 per linear foot, but these fences do work well, he said. 

Over $400,000 has been spent so far for exclusion fencing to prevent wolf depredations.

There is also a missing beef calf program. He said there are a number of things a producer needs to do in order to prove a beef calf is missing. Last year the state reimbursed farmers for 37 missing beef calves. In total, there have been approximately 1,300 beef calves that have been proven to be missing due to wolves. 

Horses being killed or injured by wolves is fairly rare in Wisconsin, according to Ruid, but that was not the case this year. Wolves have been a problem for basically two farms this year, as far as horses were concerned, with 15 horses depredated by wolves. Half of those were miniature horses. Even with all possible non-lethal abatement measures in place, these wolves are still causing depredations. They have become highly habituated to the available non-lethal measures.

When looking at dogs killed by wolves, it is predominantly hunting dogs that have the highest rate of depredations. So far this year 23 dogs have been killed by wolves in the state. He said he would not be surprised to see a few more come through this winter, but the bulk of depredations usually occur around bear season. Per incident, the number of dogs depredated by wolves is 1.2. All total 482 dogs have been killed and 126 injured by wolves in the state.

As far as pets, four pet dogs have been killed in the state, so far. 

“These are very, very emotional situations sometimes,” Ruid said. “Especially when it happens right in front of the individual, right in their yard, right in daylight.” Although these situations are relatively rare, he said, that is of little comfort to the person who experienced the depredation of a beloved family pet. There have been two verified human safety complaints so far this year as well.

Since the program’s beginning, wildlife services has caught 472 depredating or problem wolves. Four hundred and one of those were euthanized. Ruid pointed out that these lethal removals have had no impact on the recovery of the species in the state of Wisconsin. It is usually 4-5% of the previous winter estimate. So far this year, however, there have been no lethal control measures used on problem wolves. 

Wildlife services also assists the DNR with collaring wolves. Normally the service collars 10-20 wolves per year.

“We have to talk about this,” Ruid said, to round out his presentation. “No one ever talks about this, this non-depredation impacts have on livestock.” A depredated calf could be just the tip of the iceberg. There can be weight loss in stressed animals. Increased cattle vigilance means cattle are standing and watching for predators rather than laying down and ruminating and gaining weight. Stressed cattle on chronic farms can be difficult to handle. They can run through fences when they are scared as well. There is also concern about disease when cattle are stressed as well as lost time looking for cattle that have been spooked or have run from wolves. He said this is a bigger issue than just a depredation, and one for which there is no compensation.

Reporting wolf conflicts to USDA Wildlife Services is critical for the collection of evidence and quick implementation of conflict resolution options. In Northern Wisconsin, those who have experienced a wolf-related conflict should call 1-800-228-1368 to report those conflicts. More information about wolves, wolf conflicts, caution areas and other wolf-related information can be found on the DNR website dnr.wi.gov by inputting the search term “wolf conflicts.”

Beckie Gaskill may be reached via email at [email protected].


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