Killing of pack draws cries of protest

By JIM MANN/Daily Inter Lake

Aggressive government control actions against wolves are often followed by howls of protest from wolf advocates.

That was the case after the recent eradication of 27 wolves that formed the Hog Heaven pack west of Kalispell.

Within days, staffers at Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks were hearing from upset people, including Lakeside resident Bob Beck.

"I don't call them on a daily basis. But I kind of expect them to act with reasonable prudence on my behalf," Beck said in an interview. "I just thought the act itself and the way it was presented in the media was incredibly aggressive and offensive. The time has come to break the traditional thoughts on wolf management."

One of the main concerns raised by litigants who have challenged removing wolves from the endangered species list is the challenge of maintaining long-term genetic diversity in wolf populations.

"When you're talking about genetic diversity and you are wiping out entire packs in an area, that's an oxymoron," Beck said.

The elimination of the Hog Heaven Pack began gradually, with control actions in October removing eight wolves. Most recently, the last 19 wolves in the pack were killed over a three-day period in early December.

The control actions were ordered after a series of eight separate livestock depredation incidents, capped by the killing of a 2-year-old bull in the Browns Meadow area.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and U.S. Department of Agriculture officials determined that the wolf removals were necessary because of the large pack's "chronic" dependence on domestic livestock.

But that's not how many wolf advocates view the matter. A coalition of organizations and individuals issued a joint press release last week condemning the eradication of the Hog Heaven pack and pledging to urge President-elect Barack Obama's incoming administration to "overhaul how it deals with wildlife conflicts."

"Gunning down an entire pack of wolves - a species that is supposed to be protected under the endangered species act - borders on criminal," said Jerry Black of the Missoula group Wildlife Watchers. "We are outraged by this senseless slaughter of one of nature's most majestic animals."

Added Whitefish resident Roger Sherman: "It seems to me the so-called 'scientific management' of wolves boils down to simply killing them to conciliate the livestock industry."

The group asserts that "many conflicts with wolves are the result of irresponsible human behavior."

And they claim that "in most cases" problems with wolves can avoided if farmers and ranchers take actions to protect their livestock, such as installing electric fencing, using guard animals, penning animals at night, and installing motion detection devices, noise makers and strobe lights to deter encroaching wolves.

John Youngberg, vice president of government affairs for the Montana Farm Bureau Federation, was surprised that those kinds of comments were coming from people in Montana.

"It sounds like statements that would be made in Minnesota, where there's smaller acreages and smaller numbers of animals," said Youngberg, adding that Montana agriculture properties vary widely in size, some involving timbered terrain that can be difficult to police.

The suggested methods would "work well if you're in Iowa and you have a quarter section of land and you're bringing in 30 head of cows."

Installing electric fencing can be an expensive and possibly ineffective proposition if you are trying to protect hundreds of acres, he said.

"When you have a large area of land," he added, "the cost of rounding up your cattle every day and bringing them back to a pen isn't good for cattle, for starters, and it would be expensive."

But on Montana terrain, he said, the methods "have proven in most instances that they are not effective."

"I agree," said Kent Laudon, the state wolf management specialist for Northwest Montana. Laudon said that in certain situations, he has been able to use some of the methods, including motion-activated noisemakers, to help ranchers deter wolves.

Brian Vincent, communications director for the group Big Wildlife, insists that the elimination of the Hog Heaven Pack could have been avoided.

"Why should an entire pack of wolves pay the fatal price for a situation that could probably have been avoided?" he said. "Both agencies are acting like it's the Wild West with all guns blazing."

Laudon said lethal control was pursued because the pack was responsible for livestock depredation on multiple ownerships. It was carried out in a phased approach, with the initial intention of reducing the pack's nutritional demands and reducing its numbers and capability for pursuing domestic livestock.

He noted that the pack's ability to take down a grown bull was indeed "unusual."

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks cannot ignore farmers and ranchers who are considered by the agency to be immeasurably important in providing habitat for all wildlife.

"They are really an important component and their interests need to be protected," he said. "Problems sometimes come with wolves and, rightfully so, the producers need to have those problems addressed."

Laudon said he can imagine what it would be like if the state completely ignored the concerns of livestock owners and the costs they incur due to wolves.

"There would be a hell of a do-it-yourself club out there," he said. "We can't have that. Now that would be a trigger-happy Wild West."

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com