Wolves killed at least three lambs and injured an undetermined number of other sheep on private land on the western Zumwalt Prairie, according to a livestock depredation investigation report from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The attack occurred the night of May 29. According to the ODFW report, at 11:30 p.m. a sheepherder heard wolves howling near his trailer and the bedded flock of domestic sheep outside. He went outside and saw three tan-colored wolves in the illumination from his flashlight.
The sheepherder, who was armed with a .22 magnum, then fired several shots in the air and the wolves moved away, but apparently not far. For the next 20 minutes he could hear the sheep being chased in the dark. In the morning he found three dead lambs, one of which was mostly consumed, and 20 sheep that had suffered bite injuries.
According to the report, the flock included approximately 425 ewes, each with two lambs. The large grassland pasture also held 30 cow/calf pairs.
In addition to the sheepherder’s presence nearby, the flock was guarded by one adult Pyrenees livestock protection dog and two half-grown Pyrenees dogs.
ODFW, which conducted its investigation on May 30, examined two dead lambs and five injured lambs. Although the agency categorized the incident as a confirmed wolf kill, there was no immediate determination as to which of the area’s wolf packs had attacked the sheep.