OLYMPIA — State wildlife managers plan to take lethal action to respond to livestock depredations by the Togo wolf pack on federal grazing lands in northern Ferry County.
Kelly Susewind, director of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), authorized field staff Aug…
http://www.omakchronicle.com/news/2018/aug/20/state-plans-take-letha-action-against-ferry-county/
Exposing the Big Game 
Killing Wolves for Welfare Ranchers: The basic problem is still grazing allotments in wolf territory, then trying to protect cattle from wolves by non lethal and lethal means. It is encroachment which tempts wolves to do what they naturally do which ends up in the deaths of relatively few cattle and many wolves or packs. Maybe the price of encroachment should be the sacrifice of some cattle to predation, offset by nonlethal management but not going overboard on protecting ranchers who should not be there. Encroachment is a problem for other wildlife too. No matter how many non lethal practices are put into place, cattle, sheep wolves do not mix well. There will be predation. Never ending encroachment without coexistence is never ending loss of habitat and the death of wildlife. Never ending rancher encroachment is not sustainable. Even if we decide to kill all major wildlife for ranchers, we will still run out of grazing land. Meanwhile the wild is gone. All this sacrifice for ranchers and we have not added the cost of more and more pollution. All this for our meat diets, which none of us need.
References:
The Killing Agency: Wildlife Services’ Brutal Methods Leave a Trail of Animal Death – United States taxpayers fund the killing of millions of wild animals per year at a cost of about $250,000 per day primarily upon requests from farmers and ranchers. http://www.sacbee.com/news/investigations/wildlife-investigation/article2574599.html#storylink
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/12/141203-wolves-hunting-livestock-ranchers-endangered-species-environment/
https://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2018/06/the_wests_wolves_coexistence_a.html
https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/lindavaldez/2018/07/19/mexican-gray-wolves-not-cattle-belong-public-land/796262002/
“The land where the cattle are being grazed is public lands, and the livestock owner has a permit to graze there — it is a permit, not an absolute right. From the facts we know at this point, it appears that alternative grazing locations should have been identified and the cattle relocated.”
https://therevelator.org/rethinking-big-bad-wolf/
https://wiwildlifeethic.org/2018/07/18/patricia-randolphs-madravenspeak-earths-mammals-96-humans-and-livestock-just-4-wild/
http://www.registerguard.com/opinion/20180808/oregon-has-proved-wolves-and-livestock-can-coexist
https://exposingthebiggame.wordpress.com/2018/08/20/state-plans-to-take-lethal-action-against-ferry-county-wolf-pack/
Thanks again for the great comments and links!
The last I read they hadn’t decided yet – but I suppose it’s no surprise. Nothing is off the table with these ranchers – giving them tracking coordinates, everything. I am so happy and thankful every day that I have nothing to do with eating beef, and the terrible cost it presents to the landscape, the climate, the wildlife, and of course the poor domestic livestock.
Wyoming just had four wolves found dead, legislation to prevent any information released about it (gag order, in more ways than one, that’s for sure.) I hope we’ll find out how they died, or will that remain classified too (better security than the CIA and FBI, it would appear).
The article came out just 4 hours ago. You’re right about it being one of the many reasons to boycott beef (not to mention the cows’ welfare).
Jeez. I wonder who put the arm on their favorite crooked politician.
I noticed the article calls it “Federal grazing lands” and not “the public lands” as it should be. The ranchers, the way I understand the law for when it’s time for the wolf killers to step in, get a freebie too – it’s supposed to be three cattle dead proven to have been the result of wolves over a certain number of months, but even one that hasn’t been verified now can count against them (could have died by any reason). The media isn’t helping with this stuff.
I really do hope the grizzlies aren’t going to suffer the same fate as wolves. Right out of the gate, the wildlife states have proven they can’t take care of their wildlife.