We're not managing wolves; we're managing people for the sake of wolves.
“Wolf management” is a misnomer. What state officials in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and elsewhere have been doing is managing people. The wolves seem to be doing just fine; it’s the people who need help.
The line of reasoning wildlife managers use is this: When wolves attack livestock, the predators aren’t at fault, the people are. It’s not the wolf’s fault that a lamb jumped into its mouth, it’s the lamb owner’s fault. He, or she, just didn’t use enough fladry and special flashing lights or hire enough range riders to protect the livestock from the wolves.
That’s the topsy-turvy world we live in when it comes to wolves spreading across the region. Just last week another wolf popped up in Southern Oregon, bringing to three the number — plus a couple of pups — that have set up housekeeping in that part of the state. That brought this admonition from an Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist to a group of Southern Oregon cattlemen: “We have wolves, folks. They are not going away. I realize this is a lifestyle change.”
What that means is any newly arrived wolves take priority over ranchers who have been there for generations. Ranchers now must accommodate the behaviors of their new neighbors — including their diet of fresh lamb and beef. The state will help with some of the costs, but any other costs will come out of their pockets.
Presumably, the newest wolf in Southern Oregon followed the paw prints of OR-7 and his new mate, trekking 230-plus miles across the state to take up residence there. One can only guess how many others have followed this latter-day version of the Oregon Trail and haven’t yet been discovered.
These observations add up to this: Wolves seem to be getting along fine despite any attempts to manage them. They randomly show up, sometimes with a mate and pups, and managers can only take note of it. No hands-on management is needed for the wolves. It’s the ranchers who must manage their cattle and sheep differently in an effort to prevent them from becoming endangered.
That’s the odd thing about the Endangered Species Act: It treats all species the same. An endangered worm whose only worry is making it across the road before the next pickup truck drives by is put in the same system as a wolf that resides at the top of the food chain and is fully capable of fending for itself.
Wildlife managers are taking a census of all the wolves they can find. Good luck. It appears counting wolves is more a best-guess than anything.
In the meantime, members of Congress in four Upper Midwest states have proposed legislation to take wolves off the federal endangered species list in that region.
It’s time to do the same everywhere else, too.
http://www.capitalpress.com/Opinion/Editorials/20150122/managing-the-people-not-the-wolves
