Two dead adult wolves in Jureano Pack: One legal, one ?
Three dead pups too.August 29, 1999
In the last month there have been two adult wolves killed in the Jureano Mountain pack -- the pack that lives in the mountains just west of the town of Salmon, Idaho. In addition, three of the pack's nine pups-of-the-year were recently found dead (apparently of natural causes). When the pack was last seen only two pups were observed. A newspaper article reported there is some fear that there might be disease in the pack.
This has always been a controversial pack because it sometimes kills livestock, has killed some tracking dogs, and resides next to a town with a brown reputation.
Last year the pack was blamed for many unrecorded calf deaths, and, in fact, a few were documented. Many, including myself were skeptical that all the missing cattle were killed by wolves. One outcome the controversy was to launch an ambitious study of the wolves, the cows, and dead cows by putting radio-ear tags on the cattle, and monitor what happens as they roam the forests and crags of the Diamond-Moose grazing allotment on Salmon River Mountain west of town. Cooperators and funders for this study involve local and national government agencies and private groups. They include both conservation and cattlegrowers' groups.
A gloomy photo of Moose Creek on Salmon River Mountain, part of the controversial Diamond-Moose livestock
grazing allotment. I took the photo June 1999. Hidden in the distance under the dark clouds is the 3000-4000
foot deep Salmon River Canyon.As I predicted, so far the study has revealed the wolves do kill some cows, but other things kill them too. Recently the Post Register reported that "The wolves have so far killed at least three calves in the study group and at least one outside the study group. Other calves have died of pneumonia and one was killed by coyotes." Of course, if a cow's death can be attributed to a wolf, the rancher is in luck because he/she will be compensated by Defenders of Wildlife.
One of the wolves that did kill a couple cows this summer was B44F, sister to the famous wolf that went to Oregon (B45F). On August 13, Wildlife Services shot B44F, the second wolf killed so far in Idaho for depredating on livestock.
Meanwhile, there are rumors floating around in central Idaho that another wolf was dead. The existence of the rumor was reported in the Challis Messenger. On August 26, it was announced that the alpha female of the Jureano Pack was dead. Nicknamed "Raven," wolf B25F, she was part of the Prophet Pack in British Columbia. She was captured for the 1996 central Idaho reintroduction.
Officials are close-mouthed about Raven's death, indicating it probably wasn't a natural death. "Does Fish and Wildlife have any more information? Yes," said Terry Derden of the U.S. Attorney's office. "Are they releasing more information? No."Derden said the wolf's death was under investigation. Efforts to reach U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service officers were unsuccessful.
Will these deaths destroy the Jureano Pack? While it is always hard to know how the removal of two major members of pack and some pups will do to a pack, it is unlikely to have much effect on the totality of the growing local wolf population. Curt Mack, leader of the Nez Perce Tribal wolf recovery team, indicated that the death of the alpha male of the nearby Moyer Basin Pack last spring resulted in his quick replacement as alpha male by a wolf from the Stanley Pack.
I have a feeling that a lot of law enforcement and other activity is going in the area, and this story isn't through.
So, what about the Blue Mountain Wolf, B45F, who originated in the Jureano Mountain Pack? She has spent the summer in the vicinity of Secesh River and Secesh Summit area about 20 miles north of McCall in western Idaho. There were recently a number of sheep killed in the area by an unradio-collared wolf or wolves, but it was not her. Some hikers went into the area to try and keep the the sheep and the wolves apart. I learned that they saw no wolves.
Both B44F and B45F were born near Jureano Mountain in April 1997.
Email addresses
for members of Congress, other officials, and the media
Return To Maughan Wolf Report Page
Copyright © 1999 Ralph Maughan
Not to be reprinted, archived, redistributed, etc., without permission.
Ralph Maughan PO Box 8264, Pocatello, ID 83209
