By JENNIFER HAMILTON-MCCHARLES, The Nugget
CHISHOLM — Area farmers fear they could lose more livestock if the province doesn’t lift a moratorium on the hunting of wolves and coyotes.
Ben Hertzler, a sheep farmer who lives on Maple Road in Chisholm Township, said his problems started about four years ago.
“There’s just too many of them (coyotes) in this area and a lot of us farmers are very concerned,” he said.
Hertzler said he’s had at least one sheep killed by coyotes each year. Three years ago, he suffered his worst loss since arriving in the area in 2006.
He said his dog took off after a coyote that was near his barn and chased it back into the bush.
“I never saw my dog (after).”
The latest coyote attack was in October.
“It was my biggest sheep. The animal was all torn to pieces. You could see the wool and blood everywhere. These animals don’t go easy on sheep,” Hertzler said. “These coyotes are around. You see them in the daylight. When they get a chance, they will strike.”
The government issued a moratorium more than a decade ago to prevent the trapping and hunting of wolves and coyotes in an area surrounding Algonquin Park.
Chisholm council recently passed a resolution calling on Natural Resources Minister Michael Gravelle to lift the moratorium.
Mayor Leo Jobin said he called on the province to lift the moratorium a few years ago, but nothing was done.
Since then he’s heard the frustration of many farmers trying to recoup their losses.
“There are a lot of wolves and coyotes in the area and most of the kills are close to barns. It’s getting a little nervy,” Jobin said. “I am concerned how close they are getting. It’s time for the government to look at it very seriously before a human life is lost.”
Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli wrote to Gravelle in November.
“The council of the Township of Chisholm feels this moratorium has now allowed the wolf and coyote population to the point where they’ve become a menace to local farmers and their livestock, causing financial difficulties for those farmers,” Fedeli said in the letter.
Maya Gorham, Gravelle’s press secretary, said it’s important to find a balance between protecting the species and the needs of residents.
She said the Eastern wolf is a species of special concern in Ontario, and is common in the Algonquin Park area which has largest concentration in North America.
“To help protect this significant species, the elimination of wolf hunting and trapping in the townships surrounding Algonquin Park was first introduced back in 2001,” she said. “It is important to note that farmers are still able to protect their livestock from predation on their land at any time if the animal is damaging or is about to cause damage.”
When asked if the minister would consider lifting the moratorium, Gorham said, “it is our understanding that the federal government plans to reassess the status of the Eastern wolf in 2013. This would be followed by a provincial assessment. Any proposed modifications to wolf and coyote management as a result of those findings would be considered at that time.”
The Ontario Wildlife Damage Compensation Program provides financial assistance to farmers whose livestock, poultry and honey bees have been damaged by wildlife, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
The compensation ranges from $28 for a duck to $8,000 for animals such as registered cattle, horses, llama, alpaca and elk bull. Sheep range from $300 to $1,200, depending on whether they are registered.
Although the compensation helps, area farmers said the real solution rests with government legislation.
Powassan farmer Leroy Zehr lost five sheep in October.
“Most were ripped open by the neck. The (coyotes) ate very little and were scattered all over the field.”
Since then Zehr has taken precautions to protect his 100 sheep.
“Before dark I put them in a corral near the barn instead of leaving them out to graze,” he said.
———
Livestock deaths
Following are the number of livestock and poultry deaths and injuries by wolves and coyotes in Nipissing district that were claimed under the Wildlife Damage Compensation Program.
2009-10 55
2010-11 25
2011-12 14
2012-13 (so far) 5
Source: Ministry of Natural Resources