Letter: Techniques to avoid wolf predation exists

Dear Editor:

Canda Harbaugh’s piece, “Fishtrap wolf pack safe for now but will be watched” (Jan. 20, page 1) raises the important point that livestock producers need more help in preventing conflicts with wild carnivores, but unfairly mischaracterizes the effectiveness of nonlethal techniques in preventing these conflicts.

Increasingly successful techniques for avoiding predation – from guard dogs to human presence to various fencing and noise-making strategies – are benefiting both livestock producers and wolves throughout the region.

State and federal wildlife agencies should become more informed of the different non-lethal deterrents available so they can best help producers protect their livestock. Small changes in animal husbandry techniques or grazing plans have also proven successful in reducing conflicts with all predators.

 Deciding which tools, methods and strategies are most suitable for protecting your livestock depends on many different factors. Any preventative project should involve local wildlife managers who can help you evaluate your situation and identify what will work best. These non-lethal techniques must be used correctly, or wolves might habituate to them in the long run.

Fortunately, more and more producers are adopting and exploring these methods with positive results, helping to prove that livestock and wolves can coexist on diverse working landscapes. The old approach of killing individual wolves or even whole packs when a depredation occurs only continues the endless cycle of livestock loss and wolf removal, which benefits neither the livestock producers or those interested in seeing the diversity of nature restored to the landscape.

Mike Leahy

Director, Rocky Mountain Region, Defenders of Wildlife

Bozeman