Hunting is just one way to manage wolf packs, there are non-

[WQ Project Coordinator]

Hunting is just one way to manage wolf packs
By Nicole Scarmeas

States will use both lethal and non-lethal methods to stop the newly delisted Northern Rockies wolves from killing livestock

It wasn’t unusual for one or two lambs to go missing every other year on Eric Wallis’ 600-acre sheep farm in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. But six years ago, 46 lambs disappeared. The next year, 51 went missing. Wallis searched in vain for their carcasses, until he found one, torn up and barely alive. That was all Wallis needed to identify the culprits: wolves.

In search of a way to keep the wolves at bay, Wallis turned to Central Michigan University wolf biologist Thomas Gehring—an expert when it comes to non-lethal methods of preventing livestock predation. Gehring suggested that Wallis invest in four Great Pyrenees guard dogs. Since the dogs have been protecting the herd, Wallis hasn’t lost any lambs. “They’re naturals at protecting our sheep. We still find wolf tracks outside my fences, but the presence of my dogs and their marking of the territory is enough to keep the wolves out,” Wallis says.

Guard dogs are just one way to keep wolves from preying on livestock. In areas where wolves aren’t federally protected—including the Great Lakes region and, more recently, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho—officials are considering hunting as one way to control the packs.

To read the rest of the article, go to http://www.plentymag.com/features/2008/ ... gement.php

[pawnee]

I know in India some shepards place large, leather collars on guard dogs that have sharp metal hooks and points in them. This way if a wolf tries to kill the dog, it gets a mouth full of pain. it sounds bad, but its better than shooting the animal.