Concern about wolves should be tempered
By ADRIAN WYDEVEN
Some recent comments on wolves in northern Wisconsin have raised concerns
and have included misleading and incorrect information on wolves in the
state. Some have been somewhat inflammatory and some appear almost
hysterical. I would like to explain what is occurring with wolves in the
state and where people can get further information. I would also like to
alleviate unfounded concerns on wolves in the state.
The current population of wolves is about 373 to 410 wolves across the
state, not including pups born in the spring. This includes about 108
packs spread out across the heavily forested areas of northern and central
Wisconsin. Wolves were not reintroduced to Wisconsin, but arrived here on
their own. The population has grown from animals that have naturally
migrated into northwest Wisconsin from Minnesota.
We do know that wolves kill livestock and the amount of depredation on
farms has increased in recent years. While this is an area of concern,
people need not be overly alarmed. The Wisconsin DNR is not anti-farmer in
its plans for wolf management. Both the 1989 recovery plan and the 1999
wolf management plan, provide extensive coverage addressing concerns of
farmers
(http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/publications/wolfplan/toc.htm).
The DNR provides full compensation for all livestock and pets verified as
wolf depredation. Calves are paid for at feeder calf market value, which
can be two to three times the cost of replacement value at the time of
death. The DNR works closely with USDA-Wildlife Services to help address
possible wolf depredation situations on farms. If either wolf or bear
cause livestock depredation, the animals are trapped from farms by
USDA-Wildlife Services, and problem wolves are euthanized.
Recently two wolves were trapped by USDA-Wildlife Services from a farm
near Mason, after three calves were killed on the farm. A total of seven
wolves have been trapped from farms in northern Wisconsin so far this
spring, and six have been euthanized. The DNR and USDA-Wildlife Services
are very concerned about eliminating wolves that enter farm land and
depredate on livestock. In 2003, 18 wolves were trapped and removed from
five farms.
It has been suggested by some that Wisconsin lacks suitable wolf habitat
because of large number of cattle live in the state, and about 7,000 farms
occur in northern Wisconsin. Until recently most wolves settled onto wild
land areas that were mostly wild forest on county, state, federal and
industrial forest. These public forests had good deer and beaver numbers,
and provided abundant food for wolves. Wolves generally avoided farm land
and areas with human activity. In recent years some packs began to spend
more time at the edge of the forest near farms and pasture areas, as large
wild areas were filled up by wolf packs. Less than 10 percent of wolf
packs in the state generally cause depredations on livestock.
Some have suggested that the presence of wolves increases risk of disease
spread to cattle. There is very little evidence that this is the case, and
to some extent, the opposite may be true. Wolves are very good at
detecting weaknesses in prey animals. That does not mean that wolves kill
only the weak and sick, but normally they will kill these debilitated
animals before they kill healthy prey. If sick animals exist in the deer
herd, these will be the first ones eliminated by wolves.
Chronic wasting disease, which is only known to affect elk and deer, has
not been detected in northern Wisconsin. Wolves and other predators, may
help reduce the spread of this disease into the deer herd, because wolves
will readily pick off sick animals and remove them from the population.
Wolves may also reduce the spread of other ruminant disease such as bovine
tuberculosis and leptospirosis, by eliminating infected deer from the
population. Most wolf kills occur in heavily forested areas and are
thoroughly utilized. These kills are also consumed by bears, ravens, and
various other birds and mammals.
The DNR and USDA-Wildlife Service are very dedicated to reducing wolf
depredation on farms. Through payments, trapping of problem wolves,
providing scare devices, and technical assistants, the two agencies are
attempting to reduce depredation on livestock. A pamphlet on means to
reduce wolf depredation and how to report wolf problems is available
electronically and an updated printed version will soon be available
(http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/mammals/wolf/wolvesinfarms.htm).
Farmers who believe they have had animals killed by wolves or are seeking
advice on ways to reduced risk of wolf losses can call USDA-Wildlife
Services at 1-800-228-1368.
Wolves pose little threat to people. Like all large wild animals, wolves
need to be respected, but the chance of an attack by wolves are less than
from bears, coyotes, deer, or the neighbor’s dog. Unless people are
providing food for them, wolves normally remain very shy and fearful of
people.
The DNR Natural Resources Board voted in March 2004 to remove wolves from
the state list of threatened and endangered animals. When the rules are
published later this summer, state delisting will be complete, but we
still need to get federal delisting in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Wolf
Management Plan passed in 1999 states that landowners will be given
authority to kill wolves on their land, as some have requested, after
state and federal delisting is completed. The DNR has been working hard to
encourage federal delisting. The federal delisting proposal for starting
the delisting process is currently in Washington DC, waiting for the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Services to start that process. Anyone interested in
getting the process started can contact their U.S. Congressmen and U.S.
Senators and urge them to encourage the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to
start the delisting process for wolves in Wisconsin.
I urge people to not become overly concerned about wolves in Wisconsin.
Wolves are just one of many predators in the state. They have their place
in wildland areas, and if they move into farmland areas and cause
problems, they need to be removed. DNR and USDA-Wildlife Service are
working hard at minimizing any financial and emotional losses due to
wolves. Throughout the state, coyotes and dogs are responsible for as much
loss to livestock as wolves, and in northern Wisconsin bears also causes
similar losses. Therefore even if all wolves were eliminated, predator
losses would not go away.
I encourage people to base their opinions and attitudes toward wolves by
studying our web site, and other references on wolves, and avoid making
rash statement (http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/mammals/wolf/).
We certainly are proud and respectful of our farmers in northern
Wisconsin, who provide food for our homes, but many of us also feel there
are places in the Northwoods that we can share with wolves.
Mammalian ecologist Adrian Wydeven, works for the Wisconsin DNR in Park
Falls.