Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) issued another kill permit to a livestock producer after a family of wolves attacked one of their calves. The family of wolves, referred to as the OR30 Wolves, reside in the Mt Emily Unit of Oregon but aren’t classified as a pack because there are only three wolves; ODFW defines a pack as four or more wolves.

ODFW first issued a kill permit for this family in August but the permit expired on August 31 with no wolves killed. This new permit allows the livestock producer to kill one wolf and expires on November 22, when one wolf is killed, or when the livestock are removed from the area.

Killing Wolves Does Not Reduce Conflict

Science shows that killing a wolf can increase the risk that wolves will prey on livestock in the future. It is counterproductive and unsustainable. Additional research also suggests that killing of wolves can increase the risk to nearby farms, providing further evidence for the ineffectiveness of the so-called “lethal control” policy approach.

Wildlife managers across the West trap and kill wolves, cougars and coyotes and other predators, and lethal control has become more common for wolves in Oregon and Washington as their populations have grown. But many scientists contend there’s little good evidence for the effectiveness of those efforts.

Under Oregon’s Wolf Plan rules, livestock producers must be using and document non-lethal methods to deter wolves before lethal control can be considered. Also, there can be no identified circumstances on the property (such as bone piles or carcasses) that could be attracting wolves.

Background

Wolves throughout Oregon were delisted from the state Endangered Species Act (ESA) on November 9, 2015. Wolves in the western portion of the state (west of Hwys 395-78-95) lost federal protections in January 2021. Wolves are now state-managed by ODFW.