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| Calf killed by wolf in Eastern Oregon |
compensation program. With unanimous support of the Legislature and a strong endorsement from Gov. John Kitzhaber, this program will help ensure that ranchers have incentives to do the right thing for livestock and wolves. The new program will compensate them for livestock lost to wolves, but only if they demonstrate that they have taken common-sense steps to minimize their losses.
The Canadian gray wolf if an invasive species that has been reintroduced into Oregon 2 years ago. These wolves have been responsible for killing several cows and many sheep in the Eastern Oregon area. Not to mention all the Elk and deer these wolves have killed in the past several years. There have been 5 reported cases of cattle being killed by a pack of wolves in Oregon this year.
State wildlife managers helped landowners get rid of five cattle bone piles this year, and many ranchers have taken it upon themselves to remove carcasses during the winter and spring. Wolves are attracted to easy meals such as this.
Organizations have urged ranchers to add a range rider or a team of guard dogs and penning animals in at night, which would not be cost effective for any rancher. They say it's a small price to pay to protect livestock and secure a better future for wolves in Oregon.
The Defenders of Wildlife organization says "Oregon has a unique opportunity to duplicate what's been accomplished in Idaho on a much bigger scale. State wildlife managers, forward-thinking ranchers and various conservation groups have already been paving the way toward coexistence. We can and should continue to find better ways to share the landscape with wolves."
Essentially we have people who don't have to live with wolves telling the people that do, that they need to deal with it. I would like to trap a couple of wolves and let them loose in their neighborhood and see if they would defend keeping them around!
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