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Feds asked to stop wolves from chasing elk
Associated Press
CHEYENNE - Wolves are chasing elk from state feedgrounds, increasing the potential for disease transmission to cattle, Gov. Dave Freudenthal was told Tuesday during a cabinet meeting.
"In the last month we've moved well in excess of 3,000 elk back on the feedgrounds that wolves have been instrumental in moving," Game and Fish Director Terry Cleveland said.
He told the governor that dispersing the elk in the Daniel area is causing "significant commingling issues with livestock and potential for brucellosis transmission and even public safety in that we've ended up with elk herds on public road rights of way at least two different times."
Cleveland has sent a letter to Mike Jiminez, Wyoming's wolf recovery project leader for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, asking the agency to relocate the Daniel wolf pack.
According to the letter, dated Dec. 29, the pack has been frequenting the Finnegan, North Piney, Bench Corral, Jewett and Franz feedgrounds for the past several weeks, pushing elk to private property where they are foraging on stored crops and comingling with livestock and domestic bison.
Cleveland estimated that more than 3,425 elk have been displaced from feedgrounds as a result of six separate incidents.
"Wolf interactions with elk are occurring daily on State feedgrounds, causing feedground operations to become very unpredictable and costly for the Department," Cleveland wrote.
"Having large numbers of elk displaced from feedgrounds onto private property creates poor public relations with local livestock producers, increases damage problems and greatly increases the potential for brucellosis transmission from elk to cattle.
"It also costs the Department thousands of dollars in administrative expenditures each time elk must be returned to established feedgrounds after being displaced by wolves."
Cleveland wrote that he is concerned because the state is "working diligently" to regain its federal brucellosis-free status, which it lost because of a series of discoveries of the reproductive disease over the past 14 months.
Loss of the status resulted in extensive and costly testing requirements for Wyoming livestock producers over the past year.
In the letter, Cleveland cited federal rules giving the Fish and Wildlife Service authority for removal "when wolves cause prey to move onto private property and mix with livestock, increasing potential conflicts."
The director asked Jiminez to respond by Jan. 10.
Reached by The Associated Press, Jiminez said the state's request will be reviewed by his supervisors and the agency's legal team.
"I think it's going to be a joint decision of a lot of different perspectives and we'll have a decision and go from there," he said.
Ed Bangs, head of wolf recovery for the Fish and Wildlife Service in Helena, Mont., said he had earlier been faxed a draft of the letter.
"The bottom line is under some circumstances we have authority to move wolves ... and we'll certainly look at the letter closely and see what the Game and Fish's concerns are," he said. "The rules do not allow us to move wolves just because of rhetoric or hysteria or using the wolves as a scapegoat for other problems."
"If there's a real problem, we'll certainly look at doing anything we can do to help."
Louis Roberts, a Merna-area rancher who lives five miles from the Jewett feedground in Sublette County, said wolves have been running elk onto Bridger-Teton National Forest grazing allotments he has leased.
"They brought over about 500 to us earlier this fall," he said. "We always have a few elk but never that many."
Roberts said he's concerned because more elk likely means more wolves.
"If those wolves get to thinking there's prey there, they're liable to come kill a cow," he said.
The federal government has maintained control over wolf management since the predator was reintroduced into the Yellowstone area in 1995 and 1996.
The population has rapidly expanded since, as have conflicts between wolves and cattlemen.
Associated Press
CHEYENNE - Wolves are chasing elk from state feedgrounds, increasing the potential for disease transmission to cattle, Gov. Dave Freudenthal was told Tuesday during a cabinet meeting.
"In the last month we've moved well in excess of 3,000 elk back on the feedgrounds that wolves have been instrumental in moving," Game and Fish Director Terry Cleveland said.
He told the governor that dispersing the elk in the Daniel area is causing "significant commingling issues with livestock and potential for brucellosis transmission and even public safety in that we've ended up with elk herds on public road rights of way at least two different times."
Cleveland has sent a letter to Mike Jiminez, Wyoming's wolf recovery project leader for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, asking the agency to relocate the Daniel wolf pack.
According to the letter, dated Dec. 29, the pack has been frequenting the Finnegan, North Piney, Bench Corral, Jewett and Franz feedgrounds for the past several weeks, pushing elk to private property where they are foraging on stored crops and comingling with livestock and domestic bison.
Cleveland estimated that more than 3,425 elk have been displaced from feedgrounds as a result of six separate incidents.
"Wolf interactions with elk are occurring daily on State feedgrounds, causing feedground operations to become very unpredictable and costly for the Department," Cleveland wrote.
"Having large numbers of elk displaced from feedgrounds onto private property creates poor public relations with local livestock producers, increases damage problems and greatly increases the potential for brucellosis transmission from elk to cattle.
"It also costs the Department thousands of dollars in administrative expenditures each time elk must be returned to established feedgrounds after being displaced by wolves."
Cleveland wrote that he is concerned because the state is "working diligently" to regain its federal brucellosis-free status, which it lost because of a series of discoveries of the reproductive disease over the past 14 months.
Loss of the status resulted in extensive and costly testing requirements for Wyoming livestock producers over the past year.
In the letter, Cleveland cited federal rules giving the Fish and Wildlife Service authority for removal "when wolves cause prey to move onto private property and mix with livestock, increasing potential conflicts."
The director asked Jiminez to respond by Jan. 10.
Reached by The Associated Press, Jiminez said the state's request will be reviewed by his supervisors and the agency's legal team.
"I think it's going to be a joint decision of a lot of different perspectives and we'll have a decision and go from there," he said.
Ed Bangs, head of wolf recovery for the Fish and Wildlife Service in Helena, Mont., said he had earlier been faxed a draft of the letter.
"The bottom line is under some circumstances we have authority to move wolves ... and we'll certainly look at the letter closely and see what the Game and Fish's concerns are," he said. "The rules do not allow us to move wolves just because of rhetoric or hysteria or using the wolves as a scapegoat for other problems."
"If there's a real problem, we'll certainly look at doing anything we can do to help."
Louis Roberts, a Merna-area rancher who lives five miles from the Jewett feedground in Sublette County, said wolves have been running elk onto Bridger-Teton National Forest grazing allotments he has leased.
"They brought over about 500 to us earlier this fall," he said. "We always have a few elk but never that many."
Roberts said he's concerned because more elk likely means more wolves.
"If those wolves get to thinking there's prey there, they're liable to come kill a cow," he said.
The federal government has maintained control over wolf management since the predator was reintroduced into the Yellowstone area in 1995 and 1996.
The population has rapidly expanded since, as have conflicts between wolves and cattlemen.
