Weiser-area rancher Cody Chandler told board members that wolves in his area are having a major impact on his operation. He described how early in the morning on Aug. 20 “the wolves just went wild that night. They were so loud and you could hear them running around. It was scary. That night, they were too close for comfort.”
Post Register
Sean Ellis Idaho Farm Bureau Federation
Idaho wolf livestock depredations hit another record
BOISE – Wolf depredations on livestock in Idaho reached a record level during the past fiscal year, which ended June 30.
From July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2019, Idaho Wildlife Services conducted 264 depredation investigations related to wolf complaints from 136 livestock producers in 17 counties.
Of those 264 investigations, 175 involved confirmed wolf depredations, said Todd Grimm, the Idaho state director of Wildlife Services, which is a federal agency that helps solve conflicts between humans and animals.
“Last year we had a pretty busy year,” he said during the Idaho Wolf Depredation Control Board’s Aug. 21 meeting.
“The cattle guys the last four or five years are the ones who have really been taking the brunt of the wolf depredations,” Grimm added.
The 175 wolf depredations of Idaho livestock during fiscal year 2019 was a record for the second straight year.
During the previous fiscal year that ended June 30, 2018, Wildlife Services conducted 217 wolf depredation investigations for Idaho livestock producers and determined 140 involved confirmed wolf attacks.
The wolf control board was created by the state in 2014 and tasked with funding lethal control efforts of problem wolves. The board has a cooperative service agreement with Wildlife Services, which conducts wolf control actions as directed by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.
The wolf control board’s recent meeting was attended by five wolf advocates and an equal number of people who support the board’s mission to fund lethal control actions of wolves that cause chronic problems to livestock and wildlife.
Weiser-area rancher Cody Chandler told board members that wolves in his area are having a major impact on his operation. He described how early in the morning on Aug. 20 “the wolves just went wild that night. They were so loud and you could hear them running around. It was scary. That night, they were too close for comfort.”
His father, Kirk Chandler, a rancher and Washington County Commissioner, said ranchers in the area “are all having the same experiences. It’s a big problem. It really affects the economy of our county.”
Braden Jensen, who handles natural resource issues for Idaho Farm Bureau Federation, told the board that the presence of wolves has caused some wildlife to change their habitat and migration patterns, which in turn is causing increased wildlife depredation on cropland “where those herds haven’t traditionally been in the past.”
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