By Aimee Burnett
Carey, Idaho (KMVT-TV) Wolves are causing problems for a local rancher.
The wolves have killed more than two dozen sheep on a ranch in the last month.
One wolf was tracked and killed late last month, but a kill order is still in place for more.
Wolves near Carey are preying on sheep at the Flat Top Ranch.
“The wolves rarely eat anything, they just kill the ewe and go on and get another,” said John Peavey, Flat Top Ranch owner.
As Peavey explains, the attacks started just days after he started his lambing operation on May 5th.
“It was the 7th or 8th we had our first depredation…six mama sheep,” said Peavey.
The attacks continued throughout the month.
Then toward the end of May the U.S. Wildlife Services and Idaho Fish and Game got involved.
“Since it is a chronic depredation area and he actually experienced additional depredations we felt that was appropriate,” said Regan Berkley, Regional Wildlife Biologist.
On May 24th, U.S. Wildlife Services tracked and killed a female wolf.
The wolf was less than 2–years old and weighed between seventy and eighty pounds.
A kill order was placed on a second wolf, but that number has since been raised to four wolves total.
The predators have been causing problems in the area for several years.
“For each of the last 3 summers now we had depredations by wolves on sheep. Different area ranchers, but all kind of in the Big Drainage, Muldoon and Little Wood River area,” said Berkley.
As of Sunday morning the wolves had killed 24 sheep, but on our way out to look at the herd, we found another one bringing the total to 25 in the last month.
“We’ve lost some rams, a large number of rams who are really very, very important to raising lambs,” said Peavey.
Peavey describes wolves as elusive and says they usually only attack at night.
So, it could be awhile before Peavey’s roughly 8,000 sheep are safe again.
The kill order for the other wolves will remain in effect through the middle of next month.
It’s the U.S. Wildlife Services that determines whether livestock is actually killed by a wolf or some other predator.