By K.C. Mehaffey
World staff writer
CARLTON — State and federal officials say a dead calf found near Carlton was likely killed by a wolf, and its owners will be the first in the state compensated for it.
Bernard and Dianne Thurlow discovered the partially-eaten calf on his 3,000-acre ranch near Carlton on Saturday, May 19.
The Thurlows took photographs of the calf and notified the state Department of Fish and Wildlife two days later, said Wildlife’s Eastern Washington regional director Steve Pozzanghera.
He said the ranchers will be paid market value for the calf, which will likely be less than the $1,500 limit per cow that is not a confirmed wolf-kill, but a probable kill, under the state’s compensation plan.
Dianne Thurlow said this was the first time they’ve seen evidence of wolves near their cattle. She said they had driven by the cattle about 20 minutes earlier, and after checking a salt lick, came back to discover 20 of their cattle all gathered together, with a calf lying on the grass.
“It had been grabbed around the neck and throat and hind legs, and we lifted up one hind leg and looked and it had been eaten from the navel,” she said. “Everything had been eaten up, clear to the backbone, and it was still alive,” she said. Her husband shot the calf after realizing how much she was suffering, she said.
Thurlow said the compensation likely won’t reflect the work to raise the calf, born Feb. 7. “She was a nice older calf that could have been a replacement cow. There’s an awful lot of work that goes into that.”
She said she’s suspicious about the wolves showing up on their land, especially since the state has been trying to buy their property.
“I think it’s like an organized crime, with bullying and a gang mentality,” she said.
State officials, however, say the ranch is in an area traditionally used by the Lookout Pack, and that motion-triggered cameras photographed two wolves on nearby U.S. Forest Service land in recent weeks.
Pozzanghera said that although the calf was not definitely killed by a wolf, the Thurlows qualify for compensation under the state’s new wolf plan, which allows for compensation of probable kills.
He urged ranchers to call 1-877-933-9847 immediately if they suspect a wolf killed their livestock, because fresher evidence is more likely to provide confirmation.
They are also encouraged to protect the site from disturbances, and keep scavengers away by covering the carcass with a tarp.
The agency has $80,000 from state, federal and nonprofit funds to compensate livestock owners, and help them prevent conflicts with wolves.