Wolves & Livestock & Coexistence
(Note: Some of the information gathered on this topic come from these sources: People and Carnivores, Western Wildlife Outreach, Living with Wolves, National Resources Defense Council, Keystone Conservation, Defenders of Wildlife)
Young wolves depend on older members of the pack to teach them effective hunting skills.
Many wolves live on the same lands commonly used for livestock production as grazing leases push ever more into heavily forested areas and the ever shrinking home of the wolf. Wolves normally prefer natural prey such as deer and elk, however, with predators and livestock sharing the same land, conflicts can arise as wolves might come to see livestock as easy prey. Wolves and domestic animals have interacted since the domestication of livestock in areas such as Europe, Asia and the Middle East, and in North America since the arrival of Europeans with dogs and cattle.
For years, the government, ranchers, and hunters and trappers have been killing wolves and other predators to protect livestock. When wolves kill livestock, it is called depredation. Livestock are most vulnerable to predation when scattered over large areas. Larger pastures with more cattle, and more overlap with wild prey and predators are more likely to result in more depredation. When depredation occurs, wolves are killed and stock men are compensated 100% of the market value of livestock lost. Wolf kills make up a very small percentage of overall livestock fatalities. Alberta Agricultural records show an average of 60 animals per year lost to wolves from 1982-1992. In Manitoba, only 1% of 1,608 wolf scats collected contained traces of livestock. Livestock transport, illness, birthing, weather and even poisonous plants amount to a greater danger to livestock that wolves. For the ranchers who depend on livestock, however, any death by predators seems like a frustratingly preventable tragedy.
Not all wolves kill livestock, yet any wolf in general becomes a target when depredation occurs or to prevent future depredation. The mere presence of wolves can lead them to be blamed for livestock troubles. Some sport hunters, trappers, ranchers and even the government encourage the random indiscriminate killing of wolves and justify methods of doing so, such as bounties, poisoning, year round hunting as necessary means to protect livestock. Interestingly, it is well documented that random killing of wolves actually heightens the risks of livestock depredation. Anyone who randomly kills wolves, fragments the wolf pack. Studies repeatedly show that breaking the family structure of a wolf pack causes instability by disrupting pack behaviours and hunting patterns, and can lead to the formation of new breeding pairs who in turn spread out and mate. Surviving wolves may be too few in number to bring down large natural prey and may turn to easier targets such as sheep or cattle. Additionally, younger wolves that have yet to fully learn how to hunt natural prey effectively by more mature wolves (that have been killed), may turn to easier prey, such as livestock, to survive. All of these factors increase the risks of depredation. Non predating wolves then, are worth protecting and co-existing with as they hold their territory from other packs and predators that may bring depredation problems.
Read more:
Why Killing Wolves Might Not Save Livestock
Killing Wolves Increases Cattle and Sheep Deaths, Study Finds
For years, the government, ranchers, and hunters and trappers have been killing wolves and other predators to protect livestock. When wolves kill livestock, it is called depredation. Livestock are most vulnerable to predation when scattered over large areas. Larger pastures with more cattle, and more overlap with wild prey and predators are more likely to result in more depredation. When depredation occurs, wolves are killed and stock men are compensated 100% of the market value of livestock lost. Wolf kills make up a very small percentage of overall livestock fatalities. Alberta Agricultural records show an average of 60 animals per year lost to wolves from 1982-1992. In Manitoba, only 1% of 1,608 wolf scats collected contained traces of livestock. Livestock transport, illness, birthing, weather and even poisonous plants amount to a greater danger to livestock that wolves. For the ranchers who depend on livestock, however, any death by predators seems like a frustratingly preventable tragedy.
Not all wolves kill livestock, yet any wolf in general becomes a target when depredation occurs or to prevent future depredation. The mere presence of wolves can lead them to be blamed for livestock troubles. Some sport hunters, trappers, ranchers and even the government encourage the random indiscriminate killing of wolves and justify methods of doing so, such as bounties, poisoning, year round hunting as necessary means to protect livestock. Interestingly, it is well documented that random killing of wolves actually heightens the risks of livestock depredation. Anyone who randomly kills wolves, fragments the wolf pack. Studies repeatedly show that breaking the family structure of a wolf pack causes instability by disrupting pack behaviours and hunting patterns, and can lead to the formation of new breeding pairs who in turn spread out and mate. Surviving wolves may be too few in number to bring down large natural prey and may turn to easier targets such as sheep or cattle. Additionally, younger wolves that have yet to fully learn how to hunt natural prey effectively by more mature wolves (that have been killed), may turn to easier prey, such as livestock, to survive. All of these factors increase the risks of depredation. Non predating wolves then, are worth protecting and co-existing with as they hold their territory from other packs and predators that may bring depredation problems.
Read more:
Why Killing Wolves Might Not Save Livestock
Killing Wolves Increases Cattle and Sheep Deaths, Study Finds
| effects_of_wolf_mortality_on_livestock.pdf |
A nice infographic that illustrates why random killing of wolves and coyotes does not reduce populations from Humane Society of the United States.
Wildlife Conservation & Ranching
Humans have been raising livestock in North America for hundreds of years. Competition between humans and wolves for ungulates has been a struggle originating with hunter societies then continuing with the domestication of what is today's livestock. Wolves have been present on the landscape long before livestock and have been extirpated in many areas of Alberta through targeted extermination programs during the 1950s. Killing wolves to help decrease livestock depredation rates is corrective, not preventative and, as mentioned earlier, killing wolves indiscriminately can actually lead to increased depredation rates on livestock as numerous studies have shown. A better solution for ranchers, is to live alongside an intact family of wolves that are free to hunt their natural prey, as they hold their territory from other packs and predators that may bring predation problems. Today, wolves have been more accepted in their former habitats as public perception has shifted and wildlife management practices have changed with increasing attention directed toward large-carnivore conservation. Predators, like wolves, are finally being understood and accepted as being an important and critical part of a healthy ecosystem. Consequently, scientists and and other stakeholders are increasingly engaged in efforts to maintain populations of carnivores in coexistence with people. Ranchers accustomed to living in predator- free landscapes must again learn how to effectively prevent depredation. Predator conservation depends on the involvement of local people and depends greatly on the cooperation of ranchers and livestock owners, as they are the ones closest to predators and quite literally call the shots and can decide the fate of individual wolves. Thus it becomes important to engage and work with rural communities and ensure that livestock owners have the tools and information necessary to effectively co-exist with predators. Wolf experts D. Mech and L. Boitani [Wolves: Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation (2003)], state that the most rational and effective approaches when dealing with depredation in areas where wolves and livestock overlap are: 1. Prevention by providing incentives to improve protection of livestock (barriers, use of guard dogs, shepherds, etc.) 2. Compensation of farmers for damage 3. Elimination of individual wolves causing damage For a more detailed look at some of these approaches, click the individual boxes below. The last box links to a page of resources and documents about predator co-existence.
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Livestock Compensation
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Methods, Tools & Practices That Promote Coexistence
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A Shift in Thinking
Efforts to understand and manage wolf and domestic animal interactions in the North America, without whole-scale eradication, did not begin until the mid 1970s. Biologists, ecologists, and conservationists, along with government agencies and stakeholders have since spent decades learning about depredations on livestock. Results from studies, and observations from all parties consistently show that prevention and protecting livestock from wolves reduces conflicts. Prevention of livestock conflict could, therefore, offer an effective tool for addressing the problem of livestock depredation on a local scale while fostering wildlife conservation.
Although a variety of attitudes towards wolves exist with ranchers and hunters from appreciation, to tolerance, to prejudice, there has been a shift of thinking away from old approaches and widespread predator eradication to a focus on livestock management and coexistence through the use of non-lethal predator deterrents. In Alberta, as well as other regions in North America, there are some predator friendly ranchers who successfully share the landscape with predators by implementing non lethal methods to ward off wolves and other predators and that promote coexistence. Some ranches are even predator friendly certified and/or wildlife friendly certified. For more details on these programs, visit these sites:
Predator Friendly Certification
Certified Wildlife Friendly
Predator friendly ranches (to list a few):
The Grazerie
13 Mile Lamb and Wool Company
Happy Hollow Farm
Old Creek Ranch
Evergreen Farm and Creamery
Although a variety of attitudes towards wolves exist with ranchers and hunters from appreciation, to tolerance, to prejudice, there has been a shift of thinking away from old approaches and widespread predator eradication to a focus on livestock management and coexistence through the use of non-lethal predator deterrents. In Alberta, as well as other regions in North America, there are some predator friendly ranchers who successfully share the landscape with predators by implementing non lethal methods to ward off wolves and other predators and that promote coexistence. Some ranches are even predator friendly certified and/or wildlife friendly certified. For more details on these programs, visit these sites:
Predator Friendly Certification
Certified Wildlife Friendly
Predator friendly ranches (to list a few):
The Grazerie
13 Mile Lamb and Wool Company
Happy Hollow Farm
Old Creek Ranch
Evergreen Farm and Creamery
Click the photos below for more information:
About Public Grazing Leases
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Resources, Documents & Weblinks
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A poll from the Alberta Outdoorsman Forum - Attitudes must change, education is key.
