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USDA confirms another wolf attack on Wisconsin livestock

Wolves killed thirteen sheep on a central Wisconsin farm.  USDA’s Wildlife Services State Director Daniel Hirchert tells Brownfield only one animal survived the attack. “We were notified by the landowner on Monday morning that he had found some animals in his pasture that had been killed, so we sent folks to the scene to investigate.”

Hirchert says it’s difficult to know exactly how many wolves attacked the livestock. “Lots of pastures this time of the year are pretty sodded over. We found wolf tracks, but we certainly couldn’t identify the number of wolves that were involved.”

This attack was in the Town of Hansen near Vesper.  He says an incident in Price County cost a farmer 40 sheep earlier this year.

In Wisconsin, USDA can investigate wolf attacks, and damage claims can be filed with the state’s Department of Natural Resources.

Hirchert tells Brownfield wolves remain on the endangered species list, for now, so only non-lethal controls are allowed. 

A rule to delist the wolf has been proposed, and the public comment period ends Monday, July 15^th. 

Hirchert says in Wisconsin, biologists estimate there were 243 packs with up to 978 wolves that survived the winter, up about 1%.