The Animal Kingdom

Perhaps many of you have heard of the WGFDs quick fire-off of the news release below last week.  The argument is that wolves are pushing/disrupting elk off of Wyoming’s large elk feedlots, brought about to entice elk away from cattle in an effort to prevent the spread of Brucellosis from elk to cattle.  We’ve seen Montana use Brucellosis to slaughter and haze buffalo, we’re seeing Wyoming use it to “manage” elk in high-density feed-camps and now we’re seeing it extended to justify inflated antagonism toward wolves.  

The Jackson-Hole News&Guide’s Cory Hatch wrote an article entitled State: Wolves disrupt elk feeding areas on March 7 which includes some biologists’ take on the matter.    

“wolf problems persist at wyoming’s feedgrounds”

Wyoming Game & Fish News

March 5, 2007

CHEYENNE—Wolves have been disrupting the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s feedground operations in northwest
Wyoming again this winter. In the past several weeks, Game and Fish personnel at feedgrounds have become increasingly frustrated with the wolf activity and their lack of ability to deal with the predators.

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Here we have the slides from an IDFG  powerpoint presentation given by Steve Nadeau - IDFG’s large carnivore manager.  The presentation lays out data regarding wolf numbers, distribution throughout the state, and some basic tidbits which may help to better understand how Idaho intends to manage wolves. The presentation illustrates the intention to split up the state into management ’Zones’ based on biological and ’sociological’ concerns and marks the advent of “No Tolerance” zones. 

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