7 Wolves Preying On Wyoming Cattle Male To Be Killed; Six To Be Relocated In Park

Federal wildlife officials are trying to trap a pack of seven wolves preying on cattle southeast of Yellowstone National Park.

The pack - made up of the only wolves transplanted in Wyoming as part of the government’s reintroduction program that have formed a pack outside Yellowstone - has been implicated in the recent deaths of two calves and the mutilation of an adult cow, officials said.

Rick Phillips, Wyoming director of the U.S. Agriculture Department’s animal damage control program, said rancher Jon Robinett probably has lost other cattle to the pack, but only two deaths have been confirmed.

Six of the wolves will be moved back to Yellowstone in an attempt to break them of killing cattle, but the adult male will be destroyed under reintroduction rules because it is the second time the animal has been involved in livestock deaths, Phillips said.

Federal agents tried unsuccessfully to shoot the wolves with tranquilizer darts from a helicopter this week, Phillips said. Now, leg-hold traps will be used to capture the animals.

Phillips said the pack’s adult male was trapped and moved back into Yellowstone two summers ago because it was with a female that had killed sheep. Last year, the male moved with a different female into the Dubois, Wyo., area.

The pair, which had five pups this spring, had not bothered livestock until a few weeks ago, Phillips said. He said the wolves have been seen chasing cattle several times, and a number of calves have been killed.

“I think the thing that caused it is that the pups are big enough now, they’re out ranging around, and it’s that time of year to start teaching them to kill,” Phillips said.