Effects of wolf removal on livestock depredation recurrence and wolf recovery in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. Issue 8 (23rd September 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bradley, Elizabeth H.; Robinson, Hugh S.; Bangs, Edward E.; Kunkel, Kyran; Jimenez, Michael D.; Gude, Justin A.; Grimm, Todd
• Is Part Of: Journal of wildlife management. Volume 79:Issue 8(2015)
• Page Start: 1337
• Page End: 1346
• Publication Date: 2015-09-23
• Subjects: Wildlife management -- Periodicals; Zoology -- Periodicals; 333.954
• DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.948
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0022-541X

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" xml:lang="en"> <title>ABSTRACT</title> <sec id="jwmg948-sec-0001" sec-type="section"> <p>Wolf (<italic>Canis lupus</italic>) predation on livestock and management methods used to mitigate conflicts are highly controversial and scrutinized especially where wolf populations are recovering. Wolves are commonly removed from a local area in attempts to reduce further depredations, but the effectiveness of such management actions is poorly understood. We compared the effects of 3 management responses to livestock depredation by wolf packs in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming: no removal, partial pack removal, and full pack removal. We examined the effectiveness of each management response in reducing further depredations using a conditional recurrent event model. From 1989 to 2008, we documented 967 depredations by 156 packs: 228 on sheep and 739 on cattle and other stock. Median time between recurrent depredations was 19 days following no removal (<italic>n</italic> = 593), 64 days following partial pack removal (<italic>n</italic> = 326), and 730 days following full pack removal (<italic>n</italic> = 48; recurring depredations were made by the next pack to occupy the territory). Compared to no removal, full pack removal reduced the occurrence of subsequent depredations by 79% (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.21, <italic>P</italic> < 0.001) over a span of 1, 850 days (5 years), whereas partial pack removal reduced the occurrence of subsequent depredations by 29% (HR = 0.71, <italic>P</italic> < 0.001) over the same period. Partial pack removal was most effective if conducted within the first 7 days following depredation, after which there was only a marginally significant difference between partial pack removal and no action (HR = 0.86, <italic>P</italic> = 0.07), and no difference after 14 days (HR = 0.99, <italic>P</italic> = 0.93). Within partial pack removal, we found no difference in depredation recurrence when a breeding female (HR = 0.64, <italic>P</italic> = 0.2) or ≥1‐year‐old male was removed (HR = 1.0, <italic>P</italic> = 0.99). The relative effect of all treatments was generally consistent across seasons (spring, summer grazing, and winter) and type of livestock. Ultimately, pack size was the best predictor of a recurrent depredation event; the probability of a depredation event recurring within 5 years increased by 7% for each animal left in the pack after the management response. However, the greater the number of wolves left in a pack, the higher the likelihood the pack met federal criteria to count as a breeding pair the following year toward population recovery goals. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.</p> </sec> </abstract>