Rancher Wants $500 For Dead Calf

Lemhi County rancher Eugene Hussey says the government owes him $500 for a newborn calf killed by a transplanted wolf.

Hussey on Friday filed a claim for the loss of a calf killed in January in his rural central Idaho ranch. It was filed with U.S. District Court in Boise and was assigned to Judge Edward Lodge.

Federal agencies transplanted 15 wolves into central Idaho and more into Yellowstone National Park in an effort to re-establish the species. Since then, federal agencies have been tracking the Idaho wolves, but say most haven’t moved far from the introduction point.

On Jan. 29, Hussey discovered a partially eaten newborn calf, along with a dead wolf. The wolf was identified by the collar used by the federal government to track its movement.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigated, but was not able to establish who shot the wolf.

The Mountain States Legal Foundation, Denver, filed the claim on behalf of Hussey. It said the government’s investigation concluded that neither Hussey nor his employee shot the wolf or knew who did.

The claim says the federal government is responsible for paying for the calf, because it took possession of the wolf in Canada and transplanted it into Idaho.