With California’s wolf population steadily increasing, mistrust and anger are growing west of the Cascades between ranchers and state wildlife officials. It’s no wonder that California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) recently approved new hazing techniques. These nonlethal techniques are designed to minimize the effects of wolves on livestock. This rule comes after months of headlines about record-high livestock losses. To some, however, the Whaleback pack is a local legend equal in terror only to the infamous predatory behavior.
For the past ten years, California has been in the middle of an exciting wolf comeback. Since 2011, when OR7 became the first wolf to cross the Oregon border returning to the state in more than 90 years, seven distinct packs have taken root. Ranchers are left to deal with a consequential predicament, as these wolves have a tendency to favor livestock. Recent investigations revealed that 72% of wolf scat collected contained cattle DNA, emphasizing the alarming trend of wolves targeting ranch animals over their natural prey.
Increased Hazing Measures Approved
To maximize protection of livestock while minimizing overall conflict with livestock, the CDFW has utilized a range of non-lethal hazing techniques. Other methods are shooting wolves in the air and using trucks and ATVs to chase wolves off grazing lands. We fly drones that create noise disturbances to scare them away.
Recent emergency declarations in Modoc and Sierra counties further add to the immediacy for these actions. Due to a sharp increase in attacks by wolves, urgent measures are needed. The Whaleback pack alone is attributed to about 80 confirmed kills on the southern range, most of them in the region’s Twin Falls district. Ranchers like Joel Torres have expressed their frustration with the situation, stating, “They’ve just been tearing into our baby calves, mostly our yearlings.”
The wolves have proved an astonishing adaptability. They’ve taught themselves to hunt livestock and are teaching their offspring to do so. This trend creates an upward challenge for ranchers who are facing more issues in guarding their herds.
The Behavior of Wolves and Rancher Concerns
Ranchers are dealing with more than just the economic impacts of lost livestock, but the behavioral shift of wolves. Now these animals are not only growing habituated to human presence, but started venturing closer to residential areas, and in a big way. Mary Rickert, a local rancher, observes that “cattle actually react to wolves very differently, and in a much more extreme way, than they react to other predators.” This amplified response is a recipe for increased stress on cattle and will only make ranching more difficult and untenable.
CDFW has instituted a nonlethal hazing program to discourage wolf predation. They concede that the effectiveness of such a program is still being reviewed. Despite the use of drones and other methods, ranchers like Patrick Griffin believe that more aggressive actions may be necessary. Griffin likened the situation to a fast-food choice: “It’s like they’re deciding between McDonald’s and Burger King,” referring to the wolves’ preference for livestock over wild animals.
Wolves have learned tactics that enable them to neutralize common fencing deterrents. According to accounts, they can reportedly leap over electric fences topped with red flags designed to keep them out. The resilience and endurance of these animals have further exacerbated ranchers’ struggles, as Torres described: “It’s crazy, the endurance of these animals. They’ll just take it.”
Compensation and Future Challenges
In response, the CDFW has created a fund to pay ranchers for confirmed wolf kills. Ranchers say this fund, too, is inadequate to cover their losses. Animals that escape into the wild usually no longer become eligible for payment. This impacts ranchers with costs for catastrophic losses that they can’t financially bounce back from.
Those would be the easy challenges – you know, accommodating an expanding wolf population in California. This unusual scenario has generated important conversations around how to protect wildlife while supporting agricultural pursuits. Some ranchers argue for more proactive measures against particularly aggressive wolves, suggesting that targeted removals could deter others from preying on livestock. Mary Rickert mentioned a potential approach: “We’d just pick off a few of the bad actors, so the others would go, whoa, and back off.”
As both sides navigate this complex issue, the ongoing conflict highlights broader questions about land use, wildlife management, and community safety in regions where human and animal populations intersect.