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Electric fence to hold wolves at bay By JEFF TOLLEFSON Gazette Wyoming Bureau TOM MINER BASIN – The first thing Andrew Anderson did when he walked outside Thursday morning was let his dogs out of the horse trailer.
“With wolves in the country, we lock them up in the trailer at night,” the 20-year-old explained. The Chief Joseph wolf pack has killed four dogs – a border collie and three Great Pyrenees – at the Anderson family’s ranch in the Tom Miner Basin, just outside the northwest reaches of Yellowstone National Park. The pack also killed six Anderson family sheep about two years ago. But Thursday morning was different. After releasing 70 head of sheep into the hills for the day, Anderson used a tractor to pound fence posts into the ground. Already in the field were four U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees and a fifth person representing Defenders of Wildlife. Defenders is splitting the costs of an electric fence around the Anderson’s corral, which should keep their dogs and sheep – as well as wolves – safe. The group has compensated ranchers for livestock killed by wolves and grizzly bears for years, but this approach is part of a new program aimed at preventing conflict. “These are tangible projects that really don’t cost that much,” said Defenders’ Hank Fischer. Also participating in the project are the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the Turner Endangered Species Fund. As a result of the problems on Anderson’s ranch, Fish and Wildlife already has killed three pups in the wolf pack, according to Joe Fontaine, the department’s assistant wolf recovery coordinator. He said there have been no confirmed kills on other private property in the area.
“This may be the solution to the problem,” he said. “Keep the wolves away and let the Andersons get back to their way of life.” Although the fence will not protect sheep in the summer when they are at pasture, Anderson said the wolf attacks so far have occurred during the winter, where this year they will remain within the four- to five-acre enclosure. He said all of the attacks on dogs occurred near the corral, which with the electric fence should bode well for their safety. “To be honest, sheep are an asset,” he said, but dogs become part of the family. “My family, for the most part, is predator friendly. We believe the wolves should be here ... but it’s hard when pets start getting killed.” Though conservationists have long clashed over the reintroduction of wolves, Anderson said his family appreciates Defenders’ gesture. “They’re not just sitting back and watching,” he said. “They are helping out.”
Jeff Tollefson can be reached at (307) 527-7250
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