Gene Jordan fords an icy river to mend a barbwire fence demolished by snow melt near his Wyoming ranch as his wife, Debbie, watches from the opposite bank on May 15 near Riverton, Wyo. Since the earliest settlers arrived on the range, fences have set boundaries and protected assets. But wolves can easily slip through and swim across rivers. Before wolf reintroduction, Jordan says he typically lost a handful of calves every year to pneumonia or black bears. He says he now loses about 25 calves per year. Of the carcasses he is able to find, they’re sometimes too badly decayed to determine the cause of death. Each calf is worth about $800.

Section:Photo

Sun., July 14, 2013