Study shows wolf attacks on livestock happen primarily in Indianhead region

• Gray Wolf

Gray Wolf

Talk about it

A new study gives us a closer look at where grey wolves are attacking farm animals in Wisconsin.

Researchers from UW-Madison and the state DNR have looked at 10 years of data. And while the wolves are generally found in the northern third of the state, high risks for wolf attacks are limited only to the northwest counties and a few pockets near Lake Superior.

The UW’s Adrian Treves calls this good news for farmers, wildlife manager, and policy-makers. But in the high-risk areas, Treves says there’s often pasture land within 10 kilometers of wolf-pack ranges – and there are not a lot of forests that get in the way. Treves says early data has helped predict 88-percent of later incidents, and farmers in the high-risk zones might want to use electric fences or other means to scare off the wolves.

Wolves cannot be shot, because they remain federally-protected. But there’s a new move afoot to remove the wolves’ endangered status, which would give the state control in managing the animals.

Tags: outdoors