It is becoming more common to see the Minnesota gray wolf (Canis lupus) along the North Shore. In a U.S.D.A. Wildlife Service 2010 report on wolf management, it is estimated that there were 2,921 wolves in Minnesota over the winter of 2007-2008.
According to a 2010 U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services (WS) report on wolves in Minnesota, the “magnitude of damage” from wolves to livestock in Minnesota is relatively small, affecting 1 – 2 percent of farms in wolf range. However, the wildlife service acknowledges that the losses to individual producers “can be significant” and that the Minnesota gray wolf (Canis lupus) regularly kills or wounds livestock (cattle, sheep, poultry, and occasionally horses) and pets (primarily dogs). Two such incidents took place in Cook County last week.
Horse attack near Devil Track
Steve and Sherry Watson of Grand Marais have had horses at their 40-acre property near Devil Track Lake since 1989. They have seen sign of wolves over the years, but have never had any problems—until Tuesday, August 2 when one of the family’s four horses, an Arabian named Tapper, returned to the barn with an apparent animal bite.
Steve Watson said the Arabian and the other three horses are allowed to roam the pasture on the 40-acre property, which is a mix of wooded land and cleared space. Watson discovered Tapper’s injury when he checked on the horses in the barn on Tuesday morning. The other three horses were not harmed, but Tapper had what was clearly a bite mark high on his rear leg. “You can see the whole mouth marks, top and bottom,” said Watson.
The horse was fine the night before, so the attack occurred sometime during the night. The Watsons did not hear anything.
Tapper is undergoing penicillin shots as a precaution. Watson said the wound is still swollen but is looking better. The horses were spooked by the incident and the first day after the attack would not go out into the pasture. Watson said he has been walking and riding the property more and the horses are going a bit further, although the family is keeping Tapper close until he fully recovers.
The Watsons contacted Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Conservation Officer Darrin Fagerman, who said the bites appear to have been made by a wolf. Photos were taken and sent to the wildlife service wolf control specialist in Grand Rapids.
Wolf Control Specialist John Hart said it is difficult to say for certain from photographs that the bite was from a wolf. “It is not common for wolves to go after horses,” said Hart, noting that there is not a lot of livestock in Northern Minnesota and attacks primarily occur on pet dogs, chickens, goats or llamas.
However, Hart said from Fagerman and the Watsons’ description of the bite, it is likely it was from a wolf and the wildlife service will assist with trying to prevent another attack. Legal battles over the status of the wolf currently have the gray wolf under federal protection as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. Hart said that decision means that wolves in Minnesota can only be killed by the public to protect human life and that only authorized federal and state agency personnel are allowed to take wolves that cause damage to domestic animals. And, Hart added, Cook County is in federal Wolf Management Zone 1, which does not allow trapping or lethal wolf control. He will visit with the Watsons in the coming week to offer technical assistance on non-lethal methods such as lights and flagging.
Watson’s greater concern is for the family’s seven goats, three of which are milk goats. They had been putting the animals out in the pasture at night when the bugs would not bother them as much, but they have changed the routine to pasture during the day. “Now we have to lock them in at night,” said Watson.
The Watsons are already doing what wolf control specialist Hart advises farmers and pet owners. To keep animals safe, he recommends keeping them close to buildings. He suggests not letting animals out at night. For pets, he said, do not let them outside unattended, especially at night.
Watson expressed frustration that wolves cannot be trapped in Management Zone I. He noted that the number of deer he sees is way down, which he said might be the problem. “We are always aware of wolves—we’ve always seen sign of wolves. But we’ve also always seen does and fawns around. I haven’t seen any this year at all. It’s weird.”
Watson hopes that the aversion techniques the wildlife service is offering works.
Dog killed by wolves in Colvill
On August 6, Cook County Law Enforcement received a call from Sharon Bloomquist on County Road 14 reporting that her dog had been taken by a wolf. Reached by phone after the incident, Bloomquist described the event. She let her 9-year-old schnauzer, Daisy, out for her morning run at about 7:00 a.m., watching her through the window. As Daisy started back to the house, Bloomquist saw a large wolf standing at the end of her driveway. Bloomquist hurriedly opened the door to get Daisy inside, but when the small dog noticed the wolf, she took off after it. The dog got about 100 – 150 feet down the road when the wolf turned and grabbed her. Thankfully, Bloomquist said, it was over quickly. “A few yips and that was it.”
Bloomquist and her son and neighbor, Darrin Bloomquist, walked through the brush in the area but found no sign of the dog or wolf.
Although the Bloomquist family has seen signs of wolves in the area in the 50-plus years they have lived in Colvill, this is the first time they have had one take an animal from a yard.
The MN DNR wolf management plan contains provisions that allow livestock and pet owners to shoot wolves in certain situations to protect their domestic animals.
From March 2007 – September 2008, when wolves were under state management, 10 wolves were legally killed and reported under state provisions.
From May 2009 – June 2009, one wolf was legally killed under these provisions and one was taken under the state’s gray wolf controller program, where private trappers certified by the MN DNR as gray wolf controllers may assist landowners with wolf damage in Minnesota.
The primary differences between the state and federal management programs are that under federal management, wolf control must be conducted within ½ mile of the depredation site—versus one mile under state management—and that wolf pups must be caught and released onsite.
In addition, under the federal plan, lethal wolf control is not allowed in federal Wolf Management Zone 1, which encompasses nearly all of Cook County and parts of Lake and St. Louis counties. The WS report notes that Zone 1 “comprises a generally remote area with minimal livestock production from approximately Voyageurs National Park in the west to Taconite Harbor on Lake Superior in the east.”
The report goes on to state, “However, federal Wolf Management Zone 1 does include several towns and communities where there appears to be an increase in negative wolf-human interactions, especially related to pet dogs. During 2010, WS received 13 wolf complaints in federal Management Zone 1. During that time, WS confirmed three dogs being killed in Zone 1 in three separate instances and documented one case of a human safety threat by a wolf. ”
The 2010 report has no record of wolf depredation in Cook County. To report a wolf incident, contact Wolf Specialist John Hart at (218) 327-3350.
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