![]() A year later, gray wolves marked their return to Oregon when the first pack was officially recognized in northeastern part of the state. Pacific NorthwestĪ pack with pups was confirmed in July 2008 in northeastern Washington, representing the first fully documented breeding by wolves in the state since the 1930s. We host workshops to give ranchers as many options as possible to keep their livestock safe we don’t want to see livestock killed because of wolves and we don’t want to see wolves persecuted due to conflicts with livestock. We work with ranchers and landowners to minimize wolf-livestock interactions through the training of these techniques and the use of nonlethal tools that encourage wolves to select their natural ungulate prey of deer and elk instead of domesticated livestock. More information on these strategies to reduce conflicts can be found in Defenders’ own Livestock and Wolves: Guide to Nonlethal Tools and Methods to Reduce Conflicts. While these tools are proven to be effective in minimizing predator-livestock conflict, nothing can replace good livestock husbandry practices. Tools include the use of specialized fencing called fladry, randomized strobe lights like Foxlights, and noise makers to discourage wolves from getting too close to livestock. In addition, by training mother cows to stay with their calves and to find security in the herd when threatened, we are rekindling the wild instincts of our cattle instincts which keep them safer from predators. Range riders patrol where livestock graze, deter predators and keep tabs on the herd to ensure its health and well-being. Because wolves are fearful of humans, an active human presence on the range can be invaluable. The greatest challenge now is to build acceptance and appreciation for wolves, which Defenders strives to do by bringing people together to learn how to live with this magnificent, native species once again.ĭefenders has extensive experience in coexistence – promoting and implementing effective nonlethal tools and techniques to reduce conflicts between wildlife and livestock throughout the country. The most significant conflicts are based on fear of livestock losses, even though in the last two decades, less than one percent of livestock losses were due to wolves. This reintroduction was a breakthrough in conservation and the benefits of having this keystone species on the landscape are on full display in the ecosystems of the northern Rockies.Īs wolves have returned, the age-old conflicts that led to their demise have also re-emerged. plummeted from estimates of several hundred thousand to only a few hundred wolves in northern Minnesota.īut 25 years ago, gray wolves were restored to Yellowstone National Park and to the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness of central Idaho. By the 1930s, wolves were nearly eradicated from the Lower 48 and the known wolf population in the continental U.S. Though wolves were once one of North America’s most broadly distributed large mammals, European colonization, westward expansion, and systematic killing quickly pushed wolves towards the brink of extinction.
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