Wolves Cause Cattle Losses in Saskatchewan
CANADA – Wolves are causing panic amongst cattlemen in the Saskatchewan region as reports of injured and dead cows rises with wolf sightings.Sightings of wolves are on the increase along the territory’s forest fringe areas as the predators are forced to venture into open ranges and kill cattle, reports CBC news.
This has stemmed from a drop in deer numbers as snow has driven them elsewhere. Consequently, wolves are now being sighted from Hudson Bay on the Manitoba border to central Saskatchewan.
A farmer who works to the south of Prince Albert told CBC news that he had hung up a dead wolf after shooting it following the savage death of a bull calf.
"It discourages others from coming," the farmer explained. "It certainly did with these, because there was a pack of about four of them that came here and ... they never came back. Not that we've seen, at least."
The news of shootings has prompted a reaction from wolf specialist, Pail Paquet, University of Calgary.
He said that wolves are naturally present in the ecosystem and that it is up for cattle stocking practices to change.
The Saskatchewan authorities have said that they are monitoring the situation and that shooting wolves requires an official permit. Under certain circumstances officials have said they can grant permission.
TheCattleSite News Desk