Cougars, Bears, Coyotes, Foxes, Raccoons, Weasels, Hawks, Owls, Eagles

[Rare Feathers Farm]

AND NOW....

http://www.omakchronicle.com/nws/n080724a.shtml

WOLVES!

These are about 20 miles from our house. And of course, they are federally protected.

 

[cooliseo]

Uhh. That's quite scary. I don't think we have many of those where we live.

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

My vet (who is from the Methow Valley) was up on Saturday to stitch up our horse. He said another client of his kept seeing these "wolves" and called the Game Dept. They denied there were wolves here and told him they were "big coyotes" and he could protect his flock (he's got sheep). So the rancher shot 7 of them. He then took the carcasses to the vet's office before having DNA samples of fur, blood and photos sent off to be processed. My vet said one of them was 180lbs!!!!

So the "big coyote" was really a BIG WOLF! After the Game Dept got the results, they told him he better not shoot any more of those as they are "federally protected gray wolves." They are genetically very similar to the gray wolves of Montana/Wyoming. Rumor has it, the Game Dept. planted several breeding pairs in the North Cascades 3-4 years ago & kept it hush-hush. Oh & they did the same with GRIZZLY bears, as well. There are now 11 collared bears within 30 miles of our house.

 

[shangri-lafarms]

gee, that stinks....I am in NY we can shoot foxes & coyotes

 

[serendipity22]

180 Pounds! Are you kidding me? The biggest dog I've ever seen was 150 and he was a monster! I can't imagine a wolf that big. That thing could take down a grown horse if it wanted to.

Holy Cow! And we're upset around here cause someone introduced coyotes...

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Quote:
yeah, we can shoot coyotes--but I'm not sure about foxes. The wolves are federally protected "endangered species" and cannot be shot. I'm sure there is a SSS rule...but still...it's scary. I do have a Russian Wolfhound.

Oh and a 1/2 Anatolian...but combined, they are barely 180lbs.

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Quote:
I know! These are the same kind that live in Yellowstone & take down BUFFALO & ADULT ELK! Which would mean my little 14.2 mare wouldn't even be safe--let alone my poultry, cats, goats and even DOGS! I told hubby that if we see any around our place, we'll be fencing the front/back/side yards with "horse fence" and investing in another LGD and a gun with a scope.

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Quote:
Yeah...it is scary. Especially since wolves supposedly will kill for fun (not just to eat), like domestic dogs sometimes will do, too.

 

[kodiakchicken]

Okay, I just have to step in here and point out that there are a lot of misnomers about wolves.

They do not usually kill for fun. People tend to assume them do, because they might make a kill and then leave it for awhile, but wild animals, by nature, do not kill simply for sport. Saying wolves kill for fun is no different than saying that once a grizzly has kill a human he becomes a man-stalker. It's completely unfounded.

We have to remember that these wild animals are just trying to get by and they tend to live in very rough neighborhoods where the order of the world is eat or be eaten. We moved into their territory, not the other way around. And they don't know the difference between a domesticated animal or a wild one.

Wolves, like many of the apex predators, pick of the weak and dying of the herds. They serve a purpose and have a right to exist. Lets not turn this into a witch hunt.

 

[serendipity22]

Nah, I don't think any witch hunting will be going on. The only thing that folks tend to do here is protect their livestock if its endangered on their property.

I just had no idea that they would get that big!