|
3 wolves cause Jackson Hole cattle stampede; calf dies Biologists believe wolves were looking for new area to colonize JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) - Three wolves ran through cattle on a private ranch near Moran, causing mayhem that resulted in the trampling death of a calf, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Following the incident, ranch hands used snowmobiles to haze the wolves off the ranch and into Grand Teton National Park, said Brian Cox, Fish and Wildlife assistant wolf recovery coordinator for Wyoming. "They were running through the corrals and that caused a mini-stampede and one of the calves got trampled," Cox said of the incident on Pinto Ranch. According to Cox, the wolves that have been inhabiting Miller Butte on the National Elk Refuge apparently were not attempting to prey on cattle last Friday. In cases where wolves may simply be checking out a new area, Cox said hazing can help deter eventual livestock depredation. "We don't say that it's something that's necessarily going to work all the time, but it's definitely worth trying," Cox said. "It depends on what the attractant is. If they're just checking something out and they're not sure what it is, it can be an effective deterrent." Ranchers can legally haze wolves off private property so long as they don't harm them, he said. They can also haze wolves away from cattle on public land grazing allotments. Cox said last week's incident does not forebode problems with cattle, but is "a cause for awareness." Spring is calving time on ranches and wolves are more likely to prey on smaller livestock this time of year, he said. In addition, wolves are roaming more this time of year as they search for dens. "It's not something I would expect to happen outside this time of year, late January to early May," Cox said. Of concern to some conservation groups as wolves recolonize the area is the fact that Grand Teton National Park is one of the few national parks where grazing still occurs. Cox said if a wolf kills a cow in the park, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists and park managers will decide what to do next on a case-by-case basis. Options can range from trying to scare the wolves away by firing blanks to killing the wolves. Cox said the latter would be "the very last option" and could not happen if the wolves were members of a pack with young pups. Copyright 1999 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
|