Wolves snared at Mary Lake
by Chuck Tobin
Two more wolves were killed in neck snares around the Mary Lake subdivision last Thursday, raising to 10 the number snared in Whitehorse this winter.
Conservation officer Ken Frankish said this morning the wolves were snared at one of two snare sites territorial Department of Environment staff have placed in the Mary Lake area.
The first eight wolves were snared in the first week of January in the area of the Whitehorse dump. A group of seven were caught all at once, followed by a lone wolf a day later at the same snare sight.
The department has received reports this winter of 13 pet dogs being killed and eaten by wolves. Twelve of the incidents were in the Mary Lake, Wolf Creek, Cowley Creek, Golden Horn and Annie Lake Road areas.
One report came in from the Mendenhall subdivision west of Whitehorse, just past the Kusawa Lake turnoff.
Frankish said he believes there is a lone black wolf still wandering in the area from Wolf Creek to Golden Horn, and one or two more belonging to the same group from which the two wolves were taken last week near Mary Lake.
He also expects there is at least one wolf remaining in the Whitehorse dump area, likely one of the last if not the last of the pack that was killed in early January.
With little snow recently, however, itýs difficult to make any assessments based on tracks, as a lone wolf frequenting an area can create quite a mash of tracks in a hurry, Frankish explained.
Some incidents involved a wolf or wolves taking pet dogs from inside their yard, and in some cases right off the leash.
The situation has sparked a debate among community members, with some believing the Yukon is wolf country, and that pet owners, especially those who let their pets wander freely, do not have a right to expect wolves should be killed to protect their pets.
Others believe they too have rights, and have demonstrated responsible pet ownership but to no avail. The wolves have become so brave, they take pets off their leashes, the pet owners say, and there is a concern for young children.