Oregon wolf tracked near Yosemite park for first time in 100 years

From KATU.com and the Associated Press:

BRIDGEPORT, Calif. (AP) — A young male wolf from Oregon has been traveling near Yosemite National Park, the farthest south a wolf has been tracked in California in more than a century.

Researchers have been monitoring the wolf dubbed OR-93 via his tracking collar since he was first fitted with it in June of 2020. They said the animal departed Oregon earlier this year, likely in search of a new territory.

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Colorado: CU Boulder lecture to discuss gray wolf, coyote reintroduction

From the Daily Camera in Boulder, Colorado:

A University of Colorado Boulder professor will discuss the impacts of eradicating and reintroducing predators like coyotes and wolves from the American West as part of the upcoming CU on the Weekend lecture series.

Professor Joanna Lambert has long studied the ecological impact of removing predators from ecosystems, and she and other Coloradans will soon get a front row seat to see what happens when they are reintroduced — voters in November narrowly approved a ballot measure to reintroduce gray wolves to the state by 2024. Lambert was also involved as a science advisor on the ballot initiative to reintroduce wolves in Colorado.

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Oregon: Ranchers get grants for nonlethal methods to protect livestock from wolves

From The Bulletin in central Oregon:

LA GRANDE — Two ranching operations in Union County received more than $17,000 total for nonlethal means to protect their livestock from wolves.

The Union County Commission voted Thursday, Jan. 21, to award $9,584.04 to Krebs Livestock and $7,745.96 to Eric Harlow, according to a county staff report.

Krebs Livestock, a company in Morrow County that uses Union County to raise some of its sheep, will use the money to pay for secure night pens, four fox lights, Bluetooth speakers, spotlights, additional herders and the removal of dead livestock. Harlow, a Union County rancher, will use the funding to pay for two additional herders.

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Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission approves three-year wolf introduction plan

From The Herald Times in Colorado:

Last week’s Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission (Commission) virtual meeting included six hours of presentation, discussion, and comments on the process of wolf introduction. Many eyes and ears were fully focused on them. The voters of Colorado have spoken and forced introduction of wolves will occur in Colorado. The question is how, where, and when.

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Mange in Yellowstone wolves reveals insights into human scabies and conservation biology

From Princeton University:

Before wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in the mid-1990s, they were vaccinated for common diseases and treated for any parasite infections they already carried. As a result, the first few generations of wolves were relatively disease-free, but over the years, various diseases have found their way into the population.

Sarcoptic mange, caused by the microscopic mite Sarcoptes scabiei, first crawled its way into the reintroduced Yellowstone wolves in 2007. Mange is characterized by itchy skin lesions and hair loss, but there is huge variation between individuals in terms of how sick wolves actually become — some experience mild mange symptoms and are able to clear the mites within a few months, while others experience massive hair loss, emaciation and secondary bacterial infections, and eventually die of the disease.

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Wisconsin DNR board refuses to set early wolf hunt

From the Daily Jefferson County Union:

MADISON — The state Department of Natural Resources policy board narrowly refused Republican legislators’ request Friday to implement a wolf hunt immediately, citing concerns that the department can’t move that fast and Wisconsin’s Native American tribes haven’t been consulted as per treaty rights.

The decision marks a setback for farmers who say they’ve been struggling with wolves preying on their livestock for years. Ryan Klussendorf, a Medford dairy farmer, told the board before it made its decision that wolves have been preying on his livestock for a decade and have started stalking children at bus stops. He said he’s tired of listening to people from urban settings like Madison and Milwaukee talk about wolves’ beauty and the harmony of nature while he’s living a “daily nightmare.”

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Wisconsin Republicans Demand DNR Resume Wolf Hunt Immediately

From WCCO TV in Minnesota:

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin want the state Department of Natural Resources to implement a wolf hunt immediately and not wait until fall.

The department’s policy board announced Tuesday that it will hold a special meeting Friday morning to consider the request from Republican members of the Legislature’s sporting heritage committees.

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Idaho wolf control board reports killing 110 wolves in 2020 over depredation concerns, plus putting radio collars on 3

From IdahoPress.com:

Idaho’s Wolf Depredation Control Board, which is funded by a mix of taxpayer funds, Fish & Game fee proceeds and livestock industry assessments, paid for killing 93 wolves in fiscal year 2020 for the protection of livestock, and another 17 to protect elk in the Lolo Elk Management Zone, the board reported to lawmakers today.

“Wildlife Services conducted 205 depredation investigations related to wolf complaints during fiscal year 2020,” Brian Oakey, deputy director of the Idaho Department of Agriculture, told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee at the board’s annual budget hearing. Those investigations involved 111 different livestock producers in 16 counties, he said. They documented 102 confirmed depredations, or attacks on livestock by wolves; 28 probable; 53 possible or unknown; and “23 complaints were determined to be causes other than wolves,” Oakey said.

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