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They are and have been protected outside the park. They're Canadian wolves, much larger than the original wolves found in Wyoming. They have spread throughout most of the mountains in Wyoming and surrounding states. Sheep herders have not been allowed (legally) to kill these wolves in eastern Wyoming, even when they're chasing their flock. The wolves have not been appreciated by ranchers in the Mountain West! A few years ago a small pack of wolves killed twenty-some head of sheep from a small herd -- killed and left uneaten; apparently Mom was teaching her kids how to hunt. All part of nature, but it's hard on ranchers who are already struggling to survive.
This has been a fed thing. The states involved have little say. They try to initiate a hunting season to keep the wolf population low outside the park, but then the feds come in and say they can't. Idaho has had a hunting season for a couple years. Wyoming tried, and I believe they were allowed to issue a handful of hunting tags. Not sure where Montana is with it now. (For that matter, I'm not sure what the status is regarding hunting in any of the states, including Wyoming. It keeps changing as the feds change their minds.)
Remember when you watch these videos and read stories, most are slanted, and the majority are slanted pro-wolf.
They are and have been protected outside the park. They're Canadian wolves, much larger than the original wolves found in Wyoming. They have spread throughout most of the mountains in Wyoming and surrounding states. Sheep herders have not been allowed (legally) to kill these wolves in eastern Wyoming, even when they're chasing their flock. The wolves have not been appreciated by ranchers in the Mountain West! A few years ago a small pack of wolves killed twenty-some head of sheep from a small herd -- killed and left uneaten; apparently Mom was teaching her kids how to hunt. All part of nature, but it's hard on ranchers who are already struggling to survive.
This has been a fed thing. The states involved have little say. They try to initiate a hunting season to keep the wolf population low outside the park, but then the feds come in and say they can't. Idaho has had a hunting season for a couple years. Wyoming tried, and I believe they were allowed to issue a handful of hunting tags. Not sure where Montana is with it now. (For that matter, I'm not sure what the status is regarding hunting in any of the states, including Wyoming. It keeps changing as the feds change their minds.)
Remember when you watch these videos and read stories, most are slanted, and the majority are slanted pro-wolf.
My understanding was that there was a fund to compensate ranchers for depredation losses. Is that not true? Also, are large losses like the the sheep slaughter common, or is it more likely wolves will take one animal for food?
"In September 2014, wolves were relisted in Wyoming due to on-going litigation and resulted in no wolf hunt in Wyoming. Idaho and Montana conducted wolf hunts and at least two wolves (both radio-collared), and possibly three others that primarily used Yellowstone National Park, were legally harvested during these hunts (because these wolves were possibly harvested they are not included in the 'Mortalities' section)."
I am certainly not an expert. I just found the effects on Yellowstone Park of introducing the wolves to be very interesting, and I am not sure that there is anything that we humans could have done that would have accomplished what the wolves did as efficiently as they did.
I'm not an expert either, Suzy. I know ranchers but I'm not one, so the information I gather is second-hand and generally from a rancher who isn't happy with wolves. There may be some compensation. I've heard of it but don't know if it's still being given. From what I gather, many ranchers adhere to the SSS philosophy -- Shoot, Shovel and Shut-up.
I'm not an expert either, Suzy. I know ranchers but I'm not one, so the information I gather is second-hand and generally from a rancher who isn't happy with wolves. There may be some compensation. I've heard of it but don't know if it's still being given. From what I gather, many ranchers adhere to the SSS philosophy -- Shoot, Shovel and Shut-up.
I sort of suspected the SSS philosophy might be in play.
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