GUIDELINES FOR CONDUCTING DEPREDATION CONTROL ON WOLVES IN WISCONSIN FOLLOWING FEDERAL RECLASSIFICATION TO “THREATENED” STATUS.
By the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
The gray wolf (Canis
lupus) was listed as Endangered by the federal government in 1974, and
listed as Endangered by the State of Wisconsin in 1975. Criteria have been met
for reclassifying wolves to threatened status since 1997, and in 1999 the State
of Wisconsin reclassified wolves to threatened status. The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service began
the process to federally reclassify wolves in Wisconsin as Threatened in July
2000, and should complete the process
in 2002.
The 1999
Wisconsin Wolf Management Plan prescribes how wolves should be managed in the
state following federal and state reclassification to Threatened status. The following, more specific, guidelines
were developed by the Wisconsin Wolf Technical Advisory Committee to determine
appropriate depredation control activity when and while listed as a Threatened Species by the federal
government. These guidelines will need
to be updated when wolves are federally de-listed.
Note: These
guidelines will be reviewed annually with scientists and stakeholders, and will
be revised as necessary.
Authority—Authority to control and manage problem
wolves will be held by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), USDA-APHIS-Wildlife
Services (WS), U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), tribal agents on Indian
reservations, and other federal, state and tribal agents authorized by DNR and
USFWS.
Abatement—Techniques for reducing risk
of depredation by creating exclusions, establishing barriers, or using scare
devices.
Aversive
Conditioning—Conditioning
of animals to eliminate undesired behavior by associating such behavior with a
disagreeable stimulus.
Chronic Farm—Farm with verified wolf
depredation in 2 or more years in a 5 year-period.
Control—Attempt to capture or shoot
problem wolves, and may include translocating, placing in captivity for study
or research, euthanizing, or dispatching.
Depredation—Refers to predation on
domestic animals.
Dispatch—Attempting to humanely kill
an animal in field situations.
Euthanize—Humane killing of an animal.
Guard
Animal----Use
of one species of domestic animal to provide predator protection for another
species of domestic animal, and may include Guarding dogs, llamas, donkeys, and
other animals. Guarding dogs are dogs
specifically bred for the protection of livestock, and have historically been
used for this purpose; specific breeds include Maremma, Shar Planinetz,
Anatolian shepherd, Komondor, Great
Pyrenees, Akbash, and various crosses of these breeds.
Significant
Loss—The
killing or maiming of one or more domestic animals by wolves where the imminent
threat of attacks on additional domestic animals is apparent. For poultry or other small animals, loss of
$250 or likely to exceed $250 would be considered a significant loss.
Verified
Depredation—Depredation
verified by trained personnel from an authorized agency, and defined either as Confirmed, clear evidence that one or
more wolves were responsible, or Probable,
sign strongly suggesting that one or more wolves were responsible.
a)
Where
appropriate, WS will offer suitable non-lethal alternatives.
b)
Upon
the first verification of depredation by wolves, a depredation management plan
will be made for the farm, which will include recommended suitable nonlethal
methods and other practices that may reduce depredation on the farm. A signed
plan will be required before any control actions can proceed on any farm.
c)
If
cost effective abatement is feasible, cost-shared abatements will be offered by
DNR if money is available; DNR and WS will jointly determine suitable
practices.
d)
A
depredation management plan would be developed on farms before cost-share
abatements are offered; DNR and USDA-WS will develop the plan in consultation
with county and state livestock specialists.
e) Experimental non-lethal abatement measures, such as the use of shock collars will be done by DNR in consultation with WS; control trapping will normally not be conducted by WS in areas where DNR is conducting experimental abatement measures.
a) While wolves are listed as state threatened: On first time farms, consultation between USDA-WS and DNR, and notification of tribes will occur after the first depredation to determine the most appropriate action including control or non-lethal abatement. Control may begin after 2 significant losses (second incident at least 1 day later) on first-time farms or 1 significant loss on a chronic farm in zones 1, 2 and 3; trapping or shooting may begin after 1 significant loss in zone 4 (lethal control only).
b)
Following state de-listing: Control may begin in any zone after one significant
loss.
Determination
to Begin Wolf Control —
a)
In Wolf Management Zones 1, 2, 3 and 4: On private land WS determines when trapping will begin, and will
notify the local DNR wildlife biologist or other DNR representative, and DNR
will notify tribes where appropriate,
that trapping has begun.
b) On public lands: WS, the local DNR wildlife biologist or other DNR representative, and the manager of the public land to be trapped, will jointly determine if trapping will occur on such land, and will notify affected tribes.
c)
On private lands in Indian Reservations, and any area surrounding the
reservation negotiated between tribes and State: WS and DNR will consult with the tribe before trapping and
dispatching of wolves.
d)
Trapping
by WS on tribal lands will only be done if requested by the tribe.
a) Trap up to 0.5 mile from depredation site in Zones 1 and 2.
b)
Trap
up to 1.0 mile from depredation site in Zones 3 and 4.
a)
WS
will use its discretion to determine trapping effort needed to effectively
resolve depredation problems and will generally trap up to 10 to 15 days for
first time depredation, and up to 21 days for chronic farms.
a)
Prior
to August 1, all pups will be released at site.
b)
On
certain areas of highly suitable wolf habitat, the local DNR wildlife
biologist, after being notified by WS that depredation control trapping has
begun, may request that lactating females be released nearby. Such actions would only be done with
consultation with the affected landowner and if an effective abatement or
aversive conditioning method is available to keep the wolf off the depredation
site. Lactating females would not be
released near chronic farms after June 15.
Treatment of Radio-Collared or Tagged Wolves---
a)
Radio-collared
or tagged wolves will be treated as any other depredating wolf (dispatch or
translocate as appropriate).
b)
Consult
with tribal officials on any wolves that are clearly from an Indian reservation
in areas near such reservations or near Indian lands.
a)
Dogs
caught at depredation sites will be turned over to town chairman, dog owner, or
animal shelter.
b)
Wolf-dog
hybrids caught at depredation sites will be dispatched by USDA-WS or DNR.
a)
Control
could be conducted on wolves killing dogs leashed, confined, or under the
owner’s control on the owner’s land.
b)
No
control trapping would be conducted on wolves killing dogs that are
free-roaming, roaming at large,
hunting, or training on public lands, and all other lands except land owned or
leased by the dog owner.
c)
Other
abatement and aversive conditionings will be considered on public lands where
depredation occurs on dogs or other domestic animals.
d)
Guard
animals would be treated as other domestic animals for verification and control
purposes.
Wolf Control
on Deer or Game Farms----
a)
Wolf
control would be conducted on deer and game farms using the guidelines listed
above.
b)
Normally,
trapping would only be allowed within the fenced area of the game farm, unless
unusual circumstances makes it necessary to trap up to 100 yards beyond. Trapping outside fence areas would only be
considered following additional consultation among WS, DNR, and adjacent
landowners.
a)
DNR
will share radio locations of potential depredating wolves with USDA-WS
b)
USDA-WS
will notify DNR or tribes of any research animals captured before euthanizing
or dispatching.
c)
DNR
will notify landowners of wolf depredation problems when radio-collared wolves
are present.
d)
DNR
will share information with tribes on wolves that travel onto Indian
reservation lands.
e)
USDA-WS
will turn all wolves euthanized at depredation sites over to the U. S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, who will normally turn these carcasses over to the Wisconsin
DNR or Tribes for final designation.
Wolf carcasses will be used for research, education, and cultural
purposes.
f)
DNR
will develop publications and educational materials on wolf depredation focused
toward specific organizations or groups most affected by depredation by wolves.
g)
DNR
will provide press releases to explain lethal and non-lethal forms of control.
h)
DNR
will provide timely response to depredations with news releases.
i) DNR will cooperate with USDA-WS and other organizations to test and research nonlethal methods of control, including methods of exclusion and aversive conditioning; results of such research will be published in scientific reports and in popular media.