Michigan
Department of Natural Resources
Wildlife
Division Procedure
Guidelines for
Management and Lethal Control of Wolves Following Confirmed Depredation Events
The eastern timber wolf or gray wolf is
protected under both the federal Endangered Species Act and Michigan’s
Endangered Species Protection law. The
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Michigan Department of Natural
Resources (DNR), respectively, are responsible for ensuring compliance with
these statutes.
During development of both Federal and State
Recovery Plans, numerical recovery targets (population levels) were
identified. The Federal Plan, which was
approved in 1992 when there were very few wolves in Michigan, did not contain a
population objective for reclassifying wolves in Michigan from endangered to
threatened. The plan did specify that
wolves in Wisconsin could be reclassified when the population was maintained at
80 or more wolves for three consecutive years.
Unofficially, the Eastern Timber Wolf Recovery Team made the assumption
that the same criteria would apply for Michigan (68 FR 15804). For federal delisting (i.e., removal from the list of threatened and endangered species
(50 CFR 17.11)), the number of wolves in Michigan and Wisconsin combined must
be greater than 100 for five consecutive years.
The State Plan, signed by the Director of the
DNR in 1997, calls for reclassification from endangered to threatened when
there are more than 100 wolves in Michigan for five consecutive years (same as
the Federal delisting criteria). The
State delisting criteria will be met when there is a minimum sustainable
population of 200 wolves in Michigan for five consecutive years. All population level recovery targets have
been met except for State delisting. As
of March 2003, the population in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula was approximately
320 animals, and there have been greater than 200 animals in the Upper
Peninsula for four consecutive years.
The USFWS published a proposed rule to
reclassify wolves in Michigan from endangered to threatened on July 13, 2000
(65 FR 43450). A final rule was
published on April 1, 2003 (68 FR 15804) and became effective immediately. In general, species listed as threatened
retain the same protections as endangered species under the federal act. However, section 4(d) of the act allows
special regulations, deemed necessary and advisable for the conservation of
threatened species, to be issued. The
final rule reclassifying wolves in Michigan includes a 4(d) rule allowing
lethal control of depredating wolves in situations where management authorities
deem these actions are warranted. A
similar rule in Minnesota has played an important role in managing wolves where
livestock depredation has occurred, has provided economic relief to livestock
producers, and has reduced wolf/livestock conflicts.
Application of the 4(d) rule has several
restrictions (68 FR 15804, page 15868)
1) Wolf
depredation on lawfully present domestic animals must be verified.
2) Depredation
is likely to be repeated.
3) The
taking must occur within one mile of the depredation site.
4)
Taking, wolf handling, and euthanizing must be
carried out in a humane manner, which includes the use of steel leghold traps.
5) Young
of the year trapped before August 1 must be released.
6)
Lethal
control can be carried out only by the DNR, USFWS, and Tribes within Michigan,
or their designated agents. Personnel
from U.S. Department of Agriculture-Wildlife Services (USDA-WS) will become
designated agents of the DNR through a cooperative agreement signed by the DNR
Wildlife Division Chief and the State Director of USDA-WS.
7)
Private citizens are not allowed to kill a wolf
during or after an attack on livestock or pets. The only time citizens are allowed to kill a wolf is in defense
of human life (50 CFR 17.21). The 4(d)
rule applies only to wolf depredation and does not address other nuisance wolf
issues (e.g., wolves exhibiting
fearless behavior). Wolves exhibiting
fearless behavior or those becoming habituated to humans and posing a
non-immediate but demonstrable threat to human safety can be harassed or
humanely dispatched by the USFWS, other federal land management agencies, state
or tribal conservation agencies, or designated agents of any of these agencies
under other regulations (50 CFR 17.21). A summary of federal regulations for taking gray wolves can be
found in Appendix A.
The USFWS defines depredation as the injury or
killing of domestic animals which includes livestock (R. Refsnider, USFWS,
personal communication). Livestock are defined
by the Michigan Department of Agriculture (Animal Industry Act, Public Act 466
of 1988) and include, but are not limited to, cattle, sheep, new world
camelids, goats, bison, privately owned cervids, ratites, swine, equine,
poultry, aquaculture, and rabbits.
Livestock does not include dogs and cats.
This procedure details how the State, in
cooperation with its designated agents and other affected parties, will manage
wolves following confirmed depredation events, including the use of lethal
means of control. However, in all cases, every MDNR employee, in consultation with their
supervisors or others if so directed, has the discretion to make management
decisions on a case by case basis in the exercise of his or her judgment. This procedure will be reviewed periodically
and will be revised to reflect the changing ecological and social situations
impacting wolves in Michigan.
Before
lethal control methods can be used, DNR or USDA-WS personnel trained on
depredation investigation techniques must verify depredation during a site
visit. Appendix B outlines wolf
depredation investigative criteria used successfully in Minnesota (W.J. Paul,
USDA-WS, pers. comm.).
Verified wolf depredation means
that the event was recorded as confirmed
or probable on the Report of Livestock Depredation form filled
out by investigating personnel.
Confirmed depredation is defined as clear evidence that a wolf or wolves
were responsible for the depredation, such as a carcass present with bite marks
and associated hemorrhaging and wolf tracks and/or scat in the immediate
vicinity. Probable depredation is
defined as cases where the majority of a carcass was consumed eliminating
evidence of an attack, but there is good evidence that depredation occurred,
such as a kill site or blood trails with wolf tracks and/or scat in the
immediate vicinity. Cases where
livestock are missing and additional evidence such as a kill site is absent usually
will not be considered probable depredation.
The only scenario where an on-site depredation investigator might
consider a “missing animal” as a probable wolf depredation would be if the
investigator finds fresh wolf sign in the pasture coinciding with the time of
loss and/or fresh wolf droppings containing livestock hair (with no livestock
carcass dump present). Because wolf depredation
must be verified before lethal control can be considered, harassment of
livestock by wolves will not constitute verified depredation and lethal control
will not be applied.
Depredation
events are complicated to investigate, available evidence is often incomplete,
and there will be varying levels of difficulty in confirming wolf kills. Whenever possible, individuals with the
most experience investigating depredation incidents should conduct the site
visit. However, because it is critical
to initiate an investigation as soon as possible, there will be times when
experienced investigators are not available.
In those instances, other personnel that have received training should
travel to the site, meet with the livestock producer, and begin the
investigation. However, if the evidence
is not clearcut, a more experienced investigator should investigate. In all cases, the final determination will
be at the discretion of the Management Unit Supervisor.
Available non-lethal methods to resolve
wolf-livestock conflicts include improving animal husbandry practices,
protection of livestock (e.g.,
fencing, livestock guarding animals), harassment (e.g., strobe light/siren devices), and translocation (trapping and
relocation of depredating wolves).
Non-lethal methods will be offered to livestock producers when wolves
are known to be in an area where livestock are being housed or pastured, and
there is a legitimate complaint that wolves are harassing, injuring or killing livestock. The legitimacy of these complaints will be
evaluated in the field by DNR or USDA-WS personnel. A credible observation of wolves in an area frequented by
livestock does not constitute enough of a threat to initiate the use of
harassment techniques or translocation.
All of these measures are detailed in the information pamphlet How to Live With Wolves in Michigan. This pamphlet is being developed and will
be made available through the Farm Bureau, Michigan State University Extension,
and the DNR.
Trapping and
translocating depredating wolves is a non-lethal management option that can be
used if it is verified that wolves have injured or killed livestock. All wolves trapped and relocated will be
radio-collared.
Unfortunately, trapping and relocating wolves has
become increasingly problematic. The Michigan Gray Wolf Recovery and Management
Plan requires selected relocation sites to be on public land in areas that
will minimize the likelihood that the wolves will cause additional
problems. None of the 24 wolves trapped
and relocated from 5 depredation sites (1998-2002) have remained in the vicinity
of the release site. Thus, the selection
of a release site has no bearing on where translocated wolves will eventually
settle. In addition, as the wolf
population increases there are fewer suitable places to release wolves where a
resident pack doesn’t already exist.
Also, trapping and relocating only should occur during periods of the
year when ambient conditions help reduce potential for injury. Trapping during periods of extreme cold or
heat may increase the potential for stress or injury. Human social factors also must be considered before relocating
depredating animals. The public has
expressed concern about moving depredation wolves into “their” area. There is also a widespread misconception in
the Upper Peninsula that the DNR has been engaged in a wolf reintroduction
project and the observation of personnel moving animals in cages or releasing
animals from cages fuels that misconception.
Available lethal control methods to resolve wolf
depredation on livestock include leghold traps and euthanasia, snares and
euthanasia, and shooting. Wolves will
be euthanized by shooting or lethal injection.
Before lethal control can be considered as a management option, the
first two requirements of the 4(d) rule must be met. These requirements are:
(1) wolf depredation must be verified, and (2) wolf depredation is
likely to be repeated. Requirements for
verification of depredation have already been described. The evaluation of whether depredation is
likely to occur again will be based on a field review by DNR or USDA-WS
personnel, past history of depredations in the area, known pack locations and
movement patterns, and consultation with Management Unit Supervisors. Once these two requirements have been met,
lethal control can be used.
On farms that have suffered their first verified
wolf depredation, livestock producers will be given the option of using
non-lethal or lethal control techniques to be carried out by DNR or USDA-WS
personnel. However, lethal control will
be recommended on first time farms in the following circumstances:
1. On
farms known to be frequented by a radio-collared wolf that has previously been
associated (usually a translocated animal) with a depredation incident.
2. When
control trapping would have to be conducted during periods of extreme cold or
heat and these conditions would increase the likelihood of serious injury to a
captured wolf.
Lethal control will be recommended on farms that
have previously had one or more verified wolf depredations in the last five
years. Non-lethal control measures
usually will not be recommended on farms with chronic depredation problems.
Additional requirements
for the use of lethal control include:
1. Field
personnel will consult with the Management Unit Supervisor before using lethal
control. Management Unit Supervisors
will be responsible for the final judgment on the likelihood of repeated
depredation.
2. Permission
from the landowner must be obtained.
This permission will be documented in writing on a standard Landowner Permission Form (currently
under development).
3. The
taking must occur within one mile of the depredation site. If lethal control is being used at a captive
cervid facility, all trapping, snaring, or shooting will take place inside of
the fence.
4. Snaring
can be used only on the farm that suffered the depredation.
5. If
trapping or shooting is going to be attempted on adjacent state, federal or
commercial forest lands, the owner or managing authority must be contacted for
permission, unless prior arrangements have been made.
6. Control
on Tribal lands will only be done if requested by the Tribe.
7. Taking,
wolf handling, and euthanizing must be carried out in a humane manner using
accepted practices reviewed by DNR veterinarians.
8.
Young of the year trapped before August 1 must
be released near the point of capture.
9. Lactating
females trapped before July 1 must be released near the point of capture unless
there have been chronic depredation problems on a farm (three or more
depredation events over two years). In
this case, lactating females can be captured and euthanized with permission
from the Management Unit Supervisor.
10.
Traps
and snares must be checked at least every 24 hours.
11. Snares
must have a “deer stop” to prevent the loop from closing smaller than 2.5 inches.
12. Carcasses
of wolves euthanized will be shipped to Rose Lake Wildlife Disease Laboratory
for necropsy.
13. Disposal
of carcasses and parts will follow the DNR Disposal
of Wildlife Carcasses and Parts procedure.
Additional guidelines on the use of lethal control include:
1. Snares
should be set for a non-lethal capture (e.g.,
avoid entanglement of the captured animal).
2. DNR
or USDA-WS personnel are responsible for checking traps and snares. In most instances, this will be the person
that set the traps or snares.
3. Radio-collared
or tagged wolves will be treated as any other depredating wolf.
4. Control
efforts (trapping and snaring) normally will be carried out for 10 to 15 days,
however the duration of control efforts will vary and be determined by the DNR.
5. If
trapping is going to be attempted on adjacent state, federal or commercial
forest lands, the area should be signed to alert the public that trapping is
occurring. Signs should be placed on
all roads that provide access to the area being trapped. If needed, signs can also be placed every ½
mile along the roads that are being trapped.
6. On
farms that suffer their first loss, control efforts will usually be stopped
after two wolves have been captured.
7. Technical
assistance will be provided to the extent practical to help address animal
husbandry practices that may be contributing to wolf depredation. The DNR will cooperate with Michigan State
University Extension (MSUE), Michigan Farm Bureau (MFB), Michigan Cattleman’s
Association (MCA) and other interested organizations to develop and distribute
materials detailing appropriate management practices to be used on farms where
wolves occur in the vicinity. It is
hoped that the livestock producers will agree to a minimum set of animal
husbandry standards. All technical
assistance advised or given to producers prior to or after a depredation
incident will be recorded.
8. Lethal
control efforts will not be implemented at livestock operations or on other
private lands with previous wolf depredations that fail to follow technical
assistance guidelines in a timely manner.
For example, it is well known that wolves will scavenge in uncovered
carcass pits. If a producer continues
to use an uncovered pit for livestock carcass disposal, repeated lethal control
of wolves on such a farm will not occur.
9. Dogs
captured at depredation sites will be turned over to the owner or local animal
control officer.
10. Wolf-dog
hybrids captured at depredation sites will be dispatched by DNR or USDA-WS
personnel.
Wolf depredation on dogs will be investigated using the same techniques that are used for livestock depredations. The use of lethal control for wolf depredation on dogs is subject to the 4(d) restrictions. If wolf depredation is verified and it is likely that depredation will be repeated, lethal control can be used when wolves have killed dogs that were leashed, confined, or under the owners control on the owner’s land. Lethal control will not be used when wolves kill dogs that are free-roaming, hunting, or training on public lands. Dogs used as livestock guard animals will be treated as livestock for verification and control purposes.
1. Personnel
investigating a depredation complaint will fill out Report of Livestock Depredation form (Form R- 2566E, Rev.
12/2000). This form will be forwarded
to the Management Unit Supervisor.
2. The
Management Unit Supervisor will forward the form to appropriate Michigan
Department of Agriculture personnel to review for indemnification payment. The Management Unit Supervisor will send
copies to Lansing and Research.
3. If
the Management Unit Supervisor authorizes lethal control, field personnel will
obtain the landowners permission on a standard Landowner Permission Form (currently under development).
4. If
DNR, MSUE, MFB, MCA or other organizations provide technical assistance,
document that assistance and whether or not the measures were successful.
5. If
trapping or shooting is going to be attempted on adjacent state, federal or
commercial forestlands, the owner or managing authority must be contacted for
permission, unless prior arrangements have been agreed upon. Permission can be documented by email.
6. Non-lethal
and lethal control activities should be documented in detail by DNR or USDA-WS
personnel. For example, time spent,
miles driven, types of technical assistance, and numbers of traps set are all
important factors to document.
7. If
wolves are captured and euthanized, background information on the incident
should be forwarded along with the animal to the Rose Lake Wildlife Disease
Laboratory.
8. If
wolves are euthanized during control efforts, field personnel will inform the
Management Unit Supervisor as soon as possible. Management Unit Supervisors will notify the Endangered Species
Program Coordinator who will notify the USFWS Law Enforcement (must be notified
within 15 days) and appropriate DNR staff.
All DNR and USDA-WS personnel making field
evaluations to determine if an incident constitutes a verified wolf depredation
event will have undergone the depredation training provided by DNR Wildlife
Division.
Appendix A
Summary of Federal
Regulations for Taking Gray Wolves in Michigan, April 1, 2003
Gray wolves throughout the Eastern DPS are classified as “threatened” under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). However, different regulations apply to these threatened wolves, depending on the location of the animals within the Eastern DPS. Special regulations for Minnesota wolves have been in effect since 1978. Special regulations for the other Midwestern states took effect on April 1, 2003. The following situations and associated regulations apply to Michigan.
|
Situation |
Special regulations |
|
In
defense of human life |
Any
person can kill or injure a wolf in defense of his/her life or the life of
others |
|
A. Protecting human safety |
Wolves
that are a “demonstrable but nonimmediate threat to human life or safety” may
be removed by FWS, other federal land management agencies, state or tribal
conservation agencies, or designated agents1 of any of these
agencies |
|
B. Aiding a sick, injured, or orphaned wolf;
disposing of a dead wolf; or salvaging for scientific study |
May
be done by FWS, other federal land management agencies, state or tribal
conservation agencies, or their agents1 |
|
C. Salvaging a dead wolf for traditional
cultural purposes by Native American tribes |
May
be done by FWS, other federal land management agencies, state or tribal
conservation agencies, or their agents1 |
|
D. Removing wolves attacking lawfully present
domestic animals |
May
be done by employees of FWS, state or tribal natural resource management
agencies, or their agents1 |
|
E. Taking wolves for research or conservation
programs under ESA section 6 cooperative agreements |
State
conservation agencies which have approved section 6 cooperative agreements
with FWS have full authority for such taking |
|
F. Other forms of take may be carried our for
various purposes under specific FWS permits, as authorized by 50 CFR 17.32 |
By various parties, if the
take is for: · scientific purposes · enhancement of propagation or
survival · zoological exhibition · educational purposes · incidental taking (with an HCP) special
purposes consistent with ESA |
1 Personnel from U.S.
Department of Agriculture-Wildlife Services (USDA-WS) will become designated
agents of the DNR through a cooperative agreement signed by the DNR Wildlife
Division Chief and the State Director of USDA-WS.
Appendix
B
Investigative Criteria to Differentiate Wolf
Depredation from Depredation by Other Predators or Natural Mortality/Scavenging
of Livestock.
The following investigative criteria were
provided by William J. Paul, Assistant State Director, USDA Wildlife Services,
Grand Rapids, Minnesota.
·
The livestock carcass must be reasonably fresh
(not more than a few days old). A
determination can not be made on carcasses that are already rotted down to bare
bones.
·
Tracks left by wolves at kill sites are easily
distinguishable from those of most other predators except large dogs.
·
Wolf attacks on large livestock are
characterized by bites and large ragged wounds on the hindquarters, flanks, and
sometimes the upper shoulders. Attacks
on young calves or sheep are characterized by bites on the throat, head, neck,
back, or hind legs. Wolves and coyotes
may cause extensive trauma to underlying tissues, but don’t always penetrate
the skin with their canines.
·
Wolves usually begin feeding on the viscera and
hindquarters. Much of the carcass may
be eaten with large bones chewed and broken.
The carcass is usually torn apart and scattered with subsequent
feedings.
·
Coyotes also eat the viscera and hindquarters
first, but the feeding pattern is not as heavy as for a wolf. Coyotes tend to eat the meat from a carcass
rather neatly leaving most of the skeleton intact in the early stages. They tend to chew just the tips of the ribs
off (eat the cartilage). Coyotes
(unlike wolves) may also chew the ears or nose off a calf carcass. Coyotes are an important predator on newborn
and small calves up to a month old.
·
Wolves and coyotes may show similar killing and
feeding patterns on small livestock.
Where wounds are present, the area should be skinned out so that the
size and spacing of the tooth holes can be examined. Wolf canine tooth holes are about ¼ inch (0.6 cm) in diameter
while those of a coyote are about 1/8 inch (0.3 cm) in diameter. Spacing of wolf canines ranges from 37.3 to
48.2 mm (n = 22) and spacing of coyote canines ranges from 22.3 to 35.8 mm (n =
30).
·
Wolves are attracted to and will scavenge
carcasses of livestock that have died of natural causes. It is important to distinguish between
predation and scavenging. Evidence of
predation includes signs of a struggle, and hemorrhaging beneath the skin in
the throat, neck, back, or hindquarter area.
·
Animals that have died of natural mortality do
not exhibit any obvious wounds and may not be fed upon or may be fed upon very
lightly. Skin out appropriate areas of
the intact carcass to look for any signs of attack (not all predator bites
produce canine punctures). Wolves do
not kill livestock animals without feeding upon them—they also do not run
animals to death where they just tip over.
·
A depredation investigation should include
examining all possible clues such as the presence of tracks, feeding pattern,
nature of wounds, size of canine tooth holes, and possible mortality
factors. Look for all of these factors
before giving the livestock-producer a determination. Show the livestock producer any evidence that eliminates wolves
but implicates another predator.
·
Remember that at most farms in the wolf range,
wolves, coyotes, and black bears are all present and could be involved in a
depredation. Even at farms with chronic
wolf problems, other predators such as coyotes may kill livestock or natural
mortality may occur. Look at every
depredation on a case-by-case basis even though the farm may have a history of
wolf damage.
·
Missing livestock: The only scenario where an on-site depredation investigator might
consider a “missing animal” as a probable wolf depredation would be if the
investigator finds fresh wolf sign in the pasture coinciding with the time of
loss and/or fresh wolf droppings containing livestock hair (with no livestock
carcass dump present) or a cow with a full bag and bellowing and obviously
searching for a missing calf in a particular spot where wolf sign is
present. These would be the only
situations where physical evidence suggests an animal was killed but no carcass
can be found.