Posts Tagged: science

Is Science in Danger of Sanctifying the Wolf?

Posted on July 5, 2019

Historically the wolf (Canis lupus) was hated and extirpated from most of the contiguous United States. The federal Endangered Species Act fostered wolf protection and reintroduction which improved the species’ image. Wolf populations reached biological recovery in the Northern Rocky … read more

Posted in Trophic Cascade | Tagged danger, sanctifying, science

Yellowstone Science – The Challenge of Understanding Northern Yellowstone Elk Dynamics after Wolf Reintroduction

Posted on July 4, 2019

The status and trend of the northern Yellowstone elk herd has been an enduring conservation issue throughout the history of Yellowstone National Park. It is the largest of about seven migratory elk herds that graze the park’s high-elevation meadows during … read more

Posted in General | Tagged challenge, dynamics, northern, science, understanding, yellowstone

Hallmarks of Science Missing from North American Wildlife Management

Posted on July 3, 2019

Resource management agencies commonly defend controversial policy by claiming adherence to science-based approaches. For example, proponents and practitioners of the “North American Model of Wildlife Conservation,” which guides hunting policy across much of the United States and Canada, assert that … read more

Posted in Hunting Wolves | Tagged american, hallmarks, management, missing, north, science, wildlife

Yellowstone Science – Motherhood

Posted on June 15, 2019

For many of Yellowstone’s species, spring’s arrival not only brings relief from winter’s challenges, but also resets the biological calendar that governs individuals’ lives. As April’s temperatures rise and its expanding daylight weakens the veneer of snow and ice, many … read more

Posted in Biology | Tagged motherhood, science, yellowstone

Research Review Finds that Weak Science has Bolstered the U.S. Government’s Predator-Control Practices

Posted on September 23, 2016

Non-lethal methods were more effective than lethal methods in preventing carnivore predation on livestock generally… read more

Posted in Front Page News, News | Tagged bolstered, finds, government, research, review, science

Subscribe Today

From Facebook

Wolfwatcher

7 hours ago

When a wolf attacks livestock...
bit.ly/37OBRXp

When a wolf attacks livestock, most ranchers believe there is only one thing to do: Raise your gun and try to get the predator in your crosshairs.

“Particularly around here, everyone knows they don’t want to shoot OR7,” said John Stephenson, wolf biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “It would bring fury upon them.”

During the winter and spring of 2019, the Rogue Pack — led by alpha male OR7 — killed at least eight of Birdseye’s cattle and two of his dogs. Birdseye suffered about 40 percent of the confirmed livestock losses in the entire state of Oregon that year. And the toll was both emotional and financial.

“People don’t realize the intensity and the frustration,” he said. “Time after time after time, having these animals killed.”

A fence could work. If done right, similar fences in other states boasted 98 percent success rates. But doing it right would not be cheap. For a fence to be effective against wolves, it would need to be electrified round-the-clock and be made of high-tensile wire that could carry a charge and hold up to the harsh Cascade Range winters. The fence only needed to be five feet high, but it had to be three miles long to encircle the perimeter of the property. It would cost more than $60,000 to build and Birdseye would then be on the hook for its upkeep.
In September, the Klamath Siskiyou Wildlands Center finished a GoFundMe drive to raise the final $6,000. In November, a local crew installed the fence, as well as the solar panels that send 10,000 volts of electricity through its three miles of wires.

“So far, so good,” he said. “We’re all in kind of the same boat there — the biologists and me, the cattle owner. We’re both standing around with our fingers crossed, hoping this is going to be the solution to the problem.”

photo: John E. Marriott Wildlife and Nature Photography ... See MoreSee Less