KAMLOOPS, B.C. — The Livestock Protection Program that the British Columbia Cattlemen’s Association launched last spring has the support of the province’s ranchers. “It’s a good program and a necessity,” said Ian Mitchell, who ranches in the North Thompson area. “I don’t remember my parents talking about wolf problems around the kitchen table 30 years […] Read more
Tag Archives predation — page 2
Sask. widens hunting area to push wolves out
Saskatchewan is expanding its wolf hunt to help reduce livestock predation near the provincial forest. Environment Minister Scott Moe said the plan isn’t to cull the wolves. Instead, it’s to put pressure on them to stay in the forest and away from livestock. Only three wolves were killed last year. The expanded wolf hunt follows […] Read more
Cell grazing provides spin-off benefits
LUNDBRECK, Alta. — When a ranch is 65,000 acres in size, it can’t be managed at the cellular level. But managing part of it in grazing cells is another matter. On the Waldron Ranch, cell grazing was born out of necessity to limit wolf predation of the cattle herd. Ranch manager Mike Roberts said the […] Read more
Large herds in remote areas raise predation risk
Bale grazing, corn grazing and off-site watering have replaced traditional systems on many livestock farms in Western Canada over the last decade. The practices save farmers time and money, but an Agriculture Canada biologist says the new approaches have a downside. “A lot of the (production) innovation has … allowed producers to have larger herds […] Read more
Wolf meal habits change with grazing season
Customers return to restaurants where they liked the food. However, repeat visits are not exactly welcome when the customers are wolves and the food is the livestock bone yard. “If you follow a wolf pack, they will systematically go from bone yard to bone yard to bone yard,” said University of Alberta biological sciences researcher […] Read more
Film shows challenges of living with grizzlies
Jennifer Jenkins has had her calving season turned upside down — by a grizzly bear. The big carnivore killed two calves in a 10-day period recently and maimed another that may not survive. Because it appeared the bear intended to stick around for future meals, Jenkins moved every cow on her Alberta ranch near Waterton […] Read more
Sheep-cattle bond creates united front
Predator losses reduced | Researchers examine how to bond cattle and sheep into flerds to keep coyotes at bay
THORSBY, Alta. — Sheep losses from coyotes were eliminated on research station rangeland when cattle and sheep were bonded together into a flerd, says an American researcher. Just like in an old western movie where the settlers circled the wagons and the young and vulnerable huddled in the middle for protection, the cows created a […] Read more
Guard dogs are sheep’s best friend
Choose your breed | Dogs should be selected with terrain, type of livestock in mind
An injured or dead animal in the pasture is one of the worst things livestock producers can find. The culprit — a coyote, wolf or bear — is long gone and the damage is done. However, there is help in the form of another animal with lots of fur and an aggressive bark. Guard dogs […] Read more
Wolf management plan ‘realistic’
Differing views | Some see wolves as a heritage species but producers say they threaten livelihoods
A new wolf management plan in British Columbia hopes to strike the right balance between conservation and control. The plan, which was released in April, tries to create a “realistic and pragmatic” program that balances the need for conservation in some areas and a recognition that wolves can cause serious problems for livestock producers and […] Read more
Who bears the cost of being awed by bears?
Conflicts, compensation | Grizzly bears designated as a threatened species
CARDSTON, Alta. — A rancher from Glenwood, Alta., received first-hand experience with livestock predation from grizzly bears last year, as well as the compensation that followed. Fifty lambs disappeared from his pasture along the Belly River in October. He was eventually compensated for 16 of those animals because the others couldn’t be confirmed as grizzly […] Read more
