Domestic Livestock

A perilous food source

Humans and wolves have a long, complicated history and, like other top predators, they often compete for resources. Wolves living within Yellowstone National Park hunt the abundant wild prey found there. But since wolves don't recognize park boundaries, they sometimes cross over into the Greater Yellowstone Area where they may encounter fat, slow, domestic livestock.

Animals such as sheep or cattle, left unguarded, are obviously much easier prey to kill than fleet, dangerous elk and bison. However, preying on livestock is actually one of the most dangerous things a wolf can do! While ranchers are reimbursed by the U.S. government for livestock losses, they don't take kindly to predation of their animals. Wolves that habitually prey on livestock don't survive very long. People are allowed to hunt and trap wolves outside the park. Once wolves leave the park, humans are the number one cause of death.

In WolfQuest, we wanted to recognize that wolves do sometimes prey on livestock and the wolf-human relationship can be competitive. So we included a cattle ranch in Lost River (DLC) and as side mission in WQ 2.7 in single player mode. The gameplay is meant to be challenging and not very rewarding, in terms of food. It is difficult to hunt at the ranch without alerting the rancher and having them attempt to discourage predation. The cattle ranch is meant to educate players that domestic livestock are not the easy meal they may appear to be and wolves that hunt on ranches often pay with their lives.

Quick Facts

Humans vs. wolves

Competition for resources and fear cause many humans to dislike wolves and led to their extirpation from the Yellowstone ecosystem. Wolf reintroduction was and still is a hotly debated issue in the United States.

Wolves are protected within the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park. However, trapping and hunting wolves is legal outside of the park, according to ever-changing regulations that vary state by state. Currently, the gray wolf is not considered an endangered species in the United States.

Livestock depredation is a complex issue, often pitting ranchers, hunters, conservationists, nature lovers, and scientists against each other. Ranchers can get compensated for livestock losses but living with another apex predator is not easy.

Some ranchers are finding ways to co-exist with wolves by using non-lethal wolf management techniques such as guard dogs/people, hazing/scaring devices, fencing/pens including bio-fencing (wolf scat/urine to mark territory), and removal of attractants (ailing/dead livestock).

In WolfQuest

Not an easy meal

A cattle ranch is available in WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition's Lost River (DLC) and as a single-player side mission WolfQuest 2.7.

In Lost River (DLC) the rancher will try to protect the cattle using escalating techniques to discourage predators. In WQ 2.7, they just shoot you.

Calves are more vulnerable prey. But is it worth it?