Wolves attacking cows in British Columbia
Ranchers in the North Thompson say wolves have moved into their area and are preying on livestock.
Brenda Jones owns a ranch in Louis Creek, B.C., north of Kamloops. She says wolves were never a problem until about two years ago.
Now, the predators regularly prey on her herd.
“There’s tracks everywhere, there’s scat everywhere. Our cows are nervous all the time,” said Jones.
“We had a cow come that had been chewed on, like the whole back end had been ripped and the tail had broken off.”
She says the threat leaves her livestock in constant fear.
“They’re quiet, they hide in the side of the road in the bushes where they can’t see them and they don’t move, because if they move the wolves can find them. They just know that they are being watched all the time,” said Jones.
She says the stress means her calves aren’t putting on weight as they should. She estimates her ranch lost more than $7,000 last year because lighter calves went to market.
Conservation officer Kevin Van Damme says there have been no official wolf counts in the area but he says, anecdotally, that does seem to be the case.
“Hunters, loggers and ranchers, they are seeing more wolves. They are seeing more tracks more signs than they have in the past years.”
In August, the provincial government declared an open season on wolves in the Cariboo-Chilcotin.
The decision came as a relief to ranchers in that area, who said the predators were preying on their herds, but the open hunting season doesn’t extend to the North Thompson.
I know an orphanage in Winston-Salem, NC that uses a donkey or mule to scare away coyotes. I’ve seen photos on the internet of a couple being attacked by a mountain lion, and their donkey just killed it. I don’t know how well a donkey might hold up to a pack of wolves, but it’s something to consider.
Does the Wolf have a natural preditor? Probably not– but what if your sister in law got a llama or donkey for their herd? I understand they are marvels at keep the animals safe and their owners on the alert from preditors. I understand too that they are great protectors . I don’t condone killing but rather education –however I DO understand when it’s someones livelihood how they may want to move in this direction.
What can be done? Do we have any wolf experts on your site?
You chose to live where the wolves are. They were there first. Humans have taken away their natural supply of food so what do you expect them to do? Of course they are going to now accept your cows as a food source.
I am actually shocked that you have posted this – are you supporting shooting wolves? haven’t we taken enough of their land already?
Wolves were almost driven to extinction in the U.S. If many people had their way, they would be again. People who have cattle have many options to protect the cattle without killing the wolves. They can contact Defenders of Wildlife and work with conservationists to show them how to protect the cattle. It is in ignorance that the government declared open season on wolves. Ranchers, cattle and wolves can coexist.
That’s so sad that the cows are living in constant fear. I wonder if they might get a llama. They’re supposed to scare off predators, but I suppose the wolves would just attack it too. I love wolves, but if they can’t survive on deer or other wildlife and are finding livestock as easy prey, they definitely need to be destroyed or removed.
I have also heard that a donkey will keep Coyotes away. Can’t understand why Sam is shocked that you have posted this. One has to protect ones lively hood in the best way possible, if a Donkey or two will do it, then that would be wonderful to do it in a more natural way!
“Our cows are nervous all the time,” said Jones
And the cows aren’t nervous when she takes their “lighter” calves away from them? Or when she sends them to auction? Or when she slaughters them?
These are the kinds of claims that will set people after wolves who are a necessary part of the Eco-system. Because ranchers “cry wolf” these sensitive animals will be murdered needlessly as is happening in the US.
I am very disappointed Dr. Jones that you would use this blog to air your anti wolf sentiments. This is a blog about companion animal health, not about which animals you want to eradicate because of personal interests.
To learn more about wolves and for a free kindle download of her wolf books from Carylanne Joubert, a compassionate 15 year old author, please go to:
http://howlingforjustice.wordpress.com/2012/01/28/young-wildlife-author-offers-free-kindle-downloads-of-her-wolf-books-saturday-through-monday/
People who are so naive as to say “you/we have taken the wolves’ land, so now they’re taking your livestock – what’s wrong with that?” are forgetting that this entire land, from shore to shore, was once wolf/bear/mountain lion/deer/elk/bison territory. Are you going to stack people on top of each other to allow the wild things “their own land”? Are you going to be the first to give up your home in the suburbs, moving into an inner-city apartment, so the wild creatures can eat your shrubbery and stalk each other in your yard? Man has ALWAYS hunted, has ALWAYS taken land for himself, has ALWAYS grazed his livestock “where the wild things are,” and has ALWAYS defended them against those same wild things – until now, when some extremely vocal “animal rights activists” have started getting laws passed which forbid defending oneself and one’s livestock and crops from the wild things. How many hikers, joggers, and kids playing in back yards have to be attacked, killed and eaten, before the “bleeding hearts” learn that yes, “human is the other red meat!” If we stop raising livestock, and the predators eat all the deer, rabbits, etc., guess who they’re going to come after!!! I’m not advocating total eradication of predators – that’s not good, either – but annually thinning them out in an area of overpopulation would be a good thing, at least until the balance is re-established between predators and their natural prey. It’s pretty much the same principle as turning unrepentant muggers, arsonists, pedophiles, rapists and murderers (human predators) loose, then crying ‘foul’ when they resume preying on the human herd again. Of course, there’s the vacuum principle, too – remove predators, which defend their territory against others, and more are produced or move in to take their place. The net effect is as if the first ones were never removed. It’s an ongoing problem that will exist until the world ends. And a single llama or donkey – even a herd of them – could never permanently fend off a hungry pack of super-intelligent wolves.
A starving wolf pack would have done more than pull the tail and give up. Sounds more like the behavior of coyotes. What size are the paw prints? There has been so much hysteria about wolves lately that in Montana and Idaho they are being massacred for sport with poison left by dens and on trails. These people often kill their own dogs in this manner, and it is a horrible death. They have even slaughtered the tagged wolves in National parks, just for the fun of it. There are many better methods to control predatory behavior: see the various wildlife associations’ websites. Is BC another “open range state?”
The best and most humane way to deal with this problem is to purchase two well-trained livestock guardian dogs, like great pyrenees dogs. Good LGDs will protect the herd, and the inhumane methods of predator control — including but not limited to barbaric leg-hold trapping and poison, both of which impact other species — are no longer necessary. We need to return to a healthy predator-prey balance while at the same time protecting the livestock — and livelihood — of farmers and ranchers. LGDs, livestock guardian dogs, are cost-effective, natural, humane, green, and the best predator control around.
And why do they not have electric fencing?? Its very cheap! Add a couple more lines if they have to!! If the wolves cannot get in and a couple good zaps they will move on to another source of food or another farm. Also at nite house them in a smaller well electric fenced in area they can go back out to bigger protected pasture in the daytime. A pack of wolves VS a little donkey? Well once surrounded its an obvious conclusion how that would end! Being smaller they would go for him first! The purpose of donkeys are they will call or notify danger not expected to fight danger but obviously the cows are doing this themselves by hiding! How sad… someone needs to get on protecting these cows ASAP ..It doesnt take a genius if they really care about their livestock. GEEZ!
I have always thought it was wrong to just kill wolves, but I live in a remote place now in Montana were the wolves can get to be 200 pounds…coyotes are 60-70lbs around here. And yes, I can agree that I am living in their area, but I am a vegetarian so I am definitely not competing for their food sources. In Montana there are very few people considering the land mass…I think it is supposed to be one person for every 5 square miles is what it averages out to be. Obviously it’s more concentrated in certain city areas.These are very large animals and they can breed quickly and become a problem in a big hurry. I think it is important to have more education but also they do need to be thinned out from time to time. This is a large, powerful and deadly predator. If it came down to defending my dog or a family member or myself, I would kill it if I had the chance. No question.
You notice its easy to blame the wolves but the farmers dont seem to see its their responsibility in the first place to provide adequate protection for their livestock to prevent these problems from occurring. And by the way wolves use the animals for a food source. They get it down and go for the throat to kill…then drag away or feed right there. Its a running pack of wild dogs that bite the tails of the animal, harrasss and go after their behinds to maim the animal. I doubt its wolves at all.
Dr. Andrew,
Out here we use Great Pyrenees. This would probably be a great help to your brother’s cattle.
First, I don’t think it was wolves that did this. Sounds more like a pack of abandoned dogs.
Second, humans will never learn to live with native wildlife. We only know how to take over and destroy habitats and all life on it until we are living in a sterile, artificial environment. Most humans will not be happy until there are no animals, fish, birds, bugs, snakes, etc. Same as they will not be happy until all land is developed, paved, or raped for the minerals, oil, and gas underneath.
This situation will be getting worse as a global cooling period of up to 40 years is being predicted. It is harder for all forms of northern wild live to find food as the northern temperatures continue to drop.
@jamie (#14): Exactly!
Thats why we’re here at this state because ppl allways want more.. we do not gratitude for anything! Insteed WANTING we need to think what we NEED…. this is huge diffrence. As we see we take too mutch for ourself and can’t eaven protect what we have taken and wanted…. sorry to say that, I also in everyday need to make choice what my wants and needs are… I recomend that to you all 🙂 it’s healthy and it’s very purgative process, indeed.Only that way we could understand eatch others and all creatures on Mother Earth… we all are her children. Someday we’ll be forced that if soon mutch better… this can’t continue anylonger. Thank you vet you do good work with animals, hope you could save Wolves too as well all animals!
Anatolian shepherds also do well guarding cattle. I also read years ago that sheep ranchers were lacing a dead lamb (in this case calf) with a chemical that would make coyotes or wolves very ill but they recover. The wolves then tell all their friends to stay clear of that herd or risk getting extremely I’ll.
OMG! Your responder #9, Ms Sewell, has been watching too many Hollywood werewolf crush movies. For her (and everyone else’s) information there has never been a documented attack by a wolf on any human, anywhere. Red Riding Hood lied. Wolves do often eat vermin of the sort we seek to eliminate from our barns and property. Kills of wild herd animals are comparatively rare and usually involve culling of sick or elderly members. Nor do wolves reproduce in profusion if food is scarce, then go on frenzied feeding rampages.
Please, people, read A SAND COUNTY ALMANAC.
And Dr Jones. it is indeed naive of you to stir up such a kerfuffle. However it is nice to see so many logical responses. I assume you have seen the papers by Australian and Pennsylvanian vet researchers who are perfecting a means of cloning meat in warehouses. This is more of an economic worry for your sister and others in the cattle trade.
By the way, we read that increasing numbers of orphaned wolf pups and wolf-dog crossbreds are being adopted by humans. I believe they are proving to have fine track records with regard to their behavior. It is a shame that experiments in domesticating rescued Pit Bulls have not met with this kind of success!
I love the comment of “you choose to live where the wolves are” Think about it? wherever it is that you live the only reason wolves are not in your back yard is because they were previously killed and/or driven out. I’m betting that you would feel differently if predators were still there and stalking your pets or children.
Ranchers must be allowed to defend their herds.
This may not be popular with you but it is necessary fact in many parts of our country.
Also another helpful tip is to have all the young, older, weaker cows and calves with moms nearer to your barn and/or in it at nite. Since feral dogs/ wolves etc go for the weak old and young. Having them in the middle of the pasture is just an open market to preditors. Still surround with extra lines of electric fencing and up the voltage at nite also.
No Wayne. Wolves leave heavily populated areas because wolves are naturally shy of humans. The concept of wolves lurking to snatch little children off their swings is pure Hollywood. And on the subject of ranchers’ herd protection, we also see that wild horses in the US are being tormented literally to death by cowboys in helicopters, herding the mustangs into tiny pens many miles from their established home areas. YeeHa, boys! These horses are being run until their hooves literally fall off, then penned and left to die of fright and infection. All so that cattle can have the run of land that does not happen to belong to their owners. That’s the meaning of a “free range state.”
So….people find it sad that the cows are frightened/hurt by wolves but not sad that the cows are being raised to be KILLED AND EATEN BY HUMANS?
My question is: How is it you found this out in the paper instead of a getting a quick phone call from your brother and/or his wife? I find that very odd.
Killing predators is the easy way to rid an area of them. BUT, the cost to the environment is incalculable.
I’m sure large guardian dogs would do a great job…they were bred specifically for the purpose of protecting domestic herd animals from wolves in Europe…it’s their inbred job! Bullets may be cheaper, but the wolves have an intrinsic value in the web of life. And I’ll bet the dogs could be considered a business expense to be written off against gross income.
And yes, humans have been messing with the environment since forever, but never in history have there been so many billions of us…the top predator and main destroyer of life on this small fragile planet.
Instead of being a part of the ecosystem, we’ve evolved into parasites…we pillage and plunder everything good from the earth and return nothing but garbage, sewage and toxins to her. Our species is pathetic and the guilt for this damage is on practically every one of us.
As someone else mentioned, it can’t go on like this much longer.
If farmers would stop over breeding and stop clearing wood lands, the wolf problem would not exist. There is a reason why wolves attack cattle, the balance between their usual prey has been upset. There is also a reason for the existence of wolves and big cats and this has nothing to do with sentimentality but with the laws of nature. These animals are not there for trigger happy idiots but to do a job and they do it well if left alone. If joggers or others get attacked it’s usually their own fault. Children should always be supervised even in their own back yard it’s stupid to leave a young child in the yard to play alone, bad parent hood. Humans may have been hunting game and used the wolf for their own purpose, dog, this is not a reason to decimate the wolves. The wolf population is self controlled unlike the human population which is out of control, there are far too many humans on this planet which is already struggling to support all these humans. Wolves are not destructive like humans are and unlike humans they are useful in controlling herbivorous wild life. The decision to open the hunt against the wolf is as ignorant and stupid as all similar decisions are. It shows the parties responsible for the control of farming and wild life have again based on ignorance failed everybody.
There are specific breeds of dogs that are bred just for keeping wolves away from herds. I have just never understood why these ‘ranchers’ don’t know that or are never educated about that. We grew up on a farm with livestock and prey around us. One good GSD took care of them. I’ve also heard that donkeys are excellent. The wolves were in fact here first, not your family or their livestock. I do understand they need to protect their livelihood and I don’t think it’s okay to let the cattle be killed. And nobody likes to see a dog be injured or killed. However, I’m really tired of stories like this where people think that 25 cent bullet is just much more simple than finding an effective, long term solution. Get a dog, donkey, something, and the wolves will figure out that is NOT where they want to hunt. Don’t get a Great Pyrenese to go up against wolves, as they often lose. Look into the Central Asian Ovcharlas, Transmontano mastiffs,Portugal), Karakachan dogs (I’ve heard much of rancers using t his breed), Turkish kangals, etc. Do some research and find a solution and report THAT to the news instead of just complaints with no good solutions.
Dr Jones,
I have had a very entertaining half hour reading all the responces and some are very sencible indeed. Sadly a few are a bit radical but those people have the right to their idea’s no matter how missguided. Your sister in law may like to look into a livestock guardian? A few of them would cetrianly help and this is a wonderful place to start the search. http://www.lgd.org/
Cheers
Linda
Ok, here’s your answer… Anatolian Shepards! (bred for working, not show quality)
They are phenomenal guardians.
They are working on ranches in Africa as well, to deter Cheetah’s from preying on livestock there.
Get a couple of them and your problems will diminish.
An Anatolian Shepherd is bred to protect livestock from-specifically- wolves. Two or three of them,living amongst the herd, would protect the cows from both wolves and coyotes. We have 2 on the exotic animal farm I manage and they are excellent guardians. Your sister can get some from a breeder in Spokane,WA.
I completely agree with #8, Nancy. Shame on you Dr. Jones!
Those of you who suggest donkeys or (worse) llamas for predator control are overlooking the fact that the predators have already taken down COWS. Donks and llamas are prey animals, and taste just as good.
Livestock guardian dogs in teams would probably work well in this situation, but I also concur with others that it sounds like dog pack behavior rather than wolf.
Thank you #8 and #25 – Chris, you said it all. To #9 – Becky, I think you have a point. Human could be the new “red meat”. Why should we only eat other mammals, we might as well add humans to the list. You expect cows to offer up their lives for us, why not our relatives? What is the difference, really?
All this said, and it really hurts me to think that farmers choose to raise and kill innocent animals, but I agree that Anatolian shepherds are the way to go. I have raised them. They are fearless, and loyal to the death, to those they consider family. Which would be your livestock. And anything else that you tell them is “ours”.
While I’m sorry about your brother’s problems with the wolves, I can not help but wonder why they don’t have a couple of well trained Anatolian Shepherds already. This dog was trained and bred to be a protector of the livestock and family. My grandparents who live in BC also have a farm and they have the Anatolian Shepherds (3 to be exact) and have never had a problem with the wolves. They have seen tracks etc, but never have they lost any cows to wolves.
Hope your family goes this route.
Ranchers (cowboys) in the Rocky Mountain areas simply have one driving passion: they want to kill, not for food but for fun. This ghoulish love of watching other creatures suffer and die is clearly shared by the politicians who owe their power jobs to the financial support of the wealthy ranchers. For instance if Butch Otter and Ken Salazar were no longer in office, conservationists both in the west and in the Gulf states (site of the hastily permitted BP spill, remember?) would be better able to do their jobs. We must imagine there is similar political blockage in BC. Vote ’em out, and you may bring about changes in the “Free range” laws as well as wildlife protection laws. That would eliminate the dumb excuses for ranchers’ refusal to listen to good advice about night corrals and guard dogs.
#21 Dana, and everyone else who believes that WOLVES HAVE NEVER KILLED ANYBODY, ANYWHERE – just Google “documented wolf attacks on humans.” I did, and came up with a number of references to attacks, including two very well documented and RECENT fatal attacks in North America, as well as numerous incidents in India where wolves carried off and ate children. I do not watch “Hollywood werewolf crush movies” (whatever THEY are), and am not advocating mass slaughter of wolves or any other predator. However, predators DO attack and kill humans, and not just those who wander into the woods with porkchops tied around their necks! Predators (including your own dog and cat) are incited to attack at the sight or sound of things in motion, and a running, screaming human is just a larger version of a fleeing rabbit to them. (Hopefully, your dog and cat are better mannered than to attack people, but some aren’t. I had a cat that did – past tense.)
As for putting electric fences around pastures, that’s fine if your pasture is relatively small, like a few acres, but you’re not considering that in some places ranches cover many hundreds of square miles – that’s a lot of fence-posts and insulators. Electric fence chargers typically handle up to a few miles of fence, but when there is deep snow or water (as in crossing a flooded meadow) the fence grounds out. A tree falls across the line and grounds out the wire – or breaks it. Animals can get tangled in the wire – I had a rooster who did, and little birds would get fried if they happened to land on the wire AND touch a grounded post. I know – I found the dead birds on the wire. Electric fences are not always the solution, and a smart wolf can figure a way under or over it.
There are very few farmers or ranchers who “overbreed” their livestock. Most know how much of their type of land it takes to support a single animal and its annual offspring, and how much extra hay and grain it takes to feed that same animal all winter and spring, until the grass resumes growing enough. Economics force them to raise only what they can afford to feed, and most family-owned operations don’t get rich off raising livestock – we never made any money off ours, but we weren’t “large-scale,” either.
And there’s a big difference between the rancher who has a cow-calf operation with cattle grazing in open pastures, and the feedlot he sells the yearling or 2-year old stock to. The feedlot is where the animals are crowded in pens with no grass, and are FED before slaughter. So get your animal-husbandry facts right.
A few years ago, Colorado Division of Wildlife was considering reintroducing grizzly bears to the state. We had already had numerous attacks by black bears on animals and on humans, as well as attacks by mountain lions. The human population is increasing, as is the population of predatory animals because they and their prey are not being hunted as much, so conflict is inevitable! Until people are willing to voluntarily stop having more than enough children to replace themselves (i.e. 2 per couple) – stop having 10-15 or more children in a family – there will continue to be these conflicts. Remember the 1973 movie, “Soylent Green”? It was supposed to be wafers made of sea plankton, but in reality was wafers made of dead people! If we don’t eat beef, sheep, goat, fish, pork or what-have-you, and the taxes are so high on agricultural land that farmers can’t afford to grow crops – we’ll wind up eating each other!
Yeah, and Doc, suggest to your brother and sister-in-law to get some BIG livestock guardian dogs! I sure agree with that idea! I have a friend who has Anatolian shepherd-Akbash-Pyrenees mix dogs, and hasn’t seen a bear around her place since they went on duty. She also keeps a couple of free-ranging pigs during the summer to kill off the rattlesnakes that were biting her stock and her dogs – a vet told her to do that! They stay in their pen at night, but patrol for snakes all day, and the dogs protect them from bears and coyotes, too.
There is so much disgusting abuse in the slaughterhouses, time is factor, there are problems with animals being skinned while still alive because there isn’t time to kill them. Animals don’t get food and water during transport, are kicked and beaten when they fall down in trucks and can’t stand up to get out to meet their cruel treatment on the way to death. Plus the calf is terrified being taken away from it’s mum. Calves are better off eaten by wolves.
Becky, have you ever googled yourself or a close friend/relative? If so you know what an insane variety of false or misleading answers you’ll get from that source. Having been up close and personal with wolves, I still trust them more than most wild creatures: badgers, rattlers, coyotes, bear, and so on. And if you’ve never been menaced by a human or a pit bull, bless your heart.
But the point of the whole discussion is this: No cattle rancher, movie producer (“Grey”) or gun and ammo salesman (Cabela) has the right to make a profit by creating hysteria for the purpose of wiping out an entire species over an enormous geographic area such as the Rocky Mountain states. The term “open range state” should not give license to ranchers to claim as their own, lands that are privately owned by non-ranchers or are the real property of the US government. I’m sure you are well aware that self-described sportsmen are poisoning wolves in Yellowstone Park, as well as herding wild horses to their death with the use of helicopters. Since you have so many “statistics” at your command, why don’t you tell us how many million acres of land, versus this year’s total cattle population, you are really talking about. And how many acres does one steer graze down in a season? In fairness, I’d like to see you justify your position.
And now that veterinary researchers have perfected methods of cloning beef in factories, how do you think this will affect long-term land management? While we are on this interesting subject, with which you are clearly familiar, does BSE fit into the picture, since it has been found to be significant in the local elk population, which is still allowed to share the open range in numbers increasing inversely to diminishing predators.
There are as many opinions here as there are posts, so I’ll throw in my two centavos.
There is a prophecy in the Bible that says a day is coming in which “The wolf shall dwell with the lamb and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them…They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” The Book of Isaiah
Amen
A solution to ponder on: Ranchers, farmers, herders, whatever you want to call them, what happened to the days when they slept among their livestock? I’m sure an ACTUAL human guarding their livestock would do better than any other method in protecting them.
It’s absurd to make claims that people think ranchers should’t have the right to defend their property/livestock from predators. Should a predator stray upon your land and among your livestock, shoot the damned thing. If cows (believed to be of lower intelligence in the animal world) can learn wolves = death, then wolves (claimed to be very intelligent) can learn the same of straying on your land. What is sickening and has animal lovers in an uproar is the desire (by ranchers) to seek out predators living away from “farm land”, and slaughter and try to mass eradicate them because an honest effort to live with the predators (wolves in particular) is (apparently)much too difficult.
We live at the headwaters of the North Thompson when we 1st moved here from the NWT we did not think that wolves would be a problem ..we were wrong the pack came in the 1st 2 months we were here took one dog. We do not keep livestock we have 2 LGD’s here to keep the bears & cougars out of the yard the wolves have got more brazen & are trying to get our remaining dogs we keep our dogs in at night but the wolves are coming during the daylight hours even with people in the yard We have a rule here if they pass through they can keep going but if they stop to mark our yard as territory they are shot.2 nights ago we had some young children here & a wolf came right out(not scared ) the dogs went right after it & now i am going to the vet in Dunster today to have my one dog stitched up & our rule has now changed any wolf seen in our yard will be shot.