The Associated Press
Ketchum, Idaho » A kill order has been issued for two adult wolves after a sheep rancher reported ewes were killed, a central Idaho wildlife official said.
Jerome Hansen of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game said the wolves reported to have killed the ewes are from the Little Wood Pack near Carey.
Carey-area ranch owner John Peavey told the Idaho Mountain Express (http://bit.ly/JGKAJ8) that he now has a dozen orphan lambs after the wolf attack last week.
“You try to find another home for them, but it’s a lot of work and effort and a lot of times it doesn’t work and you lose the lambs,” Peavey said.
Wildlife officials killed three wolves at the Flat Top Ranch property last year after they killed a calf.
Suzanne Stone of Defenders of Wildlife said that Peavey has pregnant ewes and recently lambed sheep that are split into small groups over large areas, many unguarded. She said coyotes, bears and mountain lions also have been killed around the ranch.
“It’s almost like setting the picnic table, ringing the dinner bell and shooting the guests,” she said. “It’s not a question of will they have (predation), it’s a question of how much they will lose.”
She said the group and Peavey are looking at methods for nonlethal control. Peavey said he’s moved the sheep and is willing to try anything to stop the attacks.
“If what they’ve got is going to work, that’s fine,” he said. “It’s better than losing momma sheep and having orphaned lambs around.”
Patrick Graham is a field technician with the Wood River Wolf Project, started by Defenders of Wildlife. He’s tracking wolf packs in preparation for the project’s start in June.