COUNCIL COMMUNICATOR CATTLE COUNCIL FUNDED RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS IMPACTS ON RANCHERS FROM EXPANDING WOLF POPULATION by California Cattle Council Executive Director Justin Oldfield There is not one issue that draws more emotion from ranchers currently than wolves. The population of wolves and wolf packs continue to grow across California with wolves present in rural areas up and down the state. Ranchers owning or operating land in and around the presence of wolves have experienced direct loss from depredation, a decline in herd health and body conditions, decreased weight gain, an increase in abortions or a decrease in the rate of conception, to name a few. Wolves remain listed as endangered under both the federal Endangered Species Act and the California Endangered Species Act leaving ranchers and local governments and law enforcement with a handful of non-lethal options to manage wolf/livestock interactions. Many of the impacts sustained by ranchers are well known to those in the industry but were also recently solidified by research conducted by the University of California, Davis. Experts Tina Saiton, Ph.D., and Ken Tate, Ph.D., led a multi-year study analyzing and recording actual impacts on cattle by wolves through motion activated field
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cameras, GPS collars, wolf scat analysis and the collection of cattle hair samples to measure cortisol and stress. This project was funded by the California Cattle Council, USDA Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Extension Program and the Russell L. Rustici Rangeland and Cattle Research Endowment. According to the researchers, the study found: • One wolf can cause between $69,000 and $162,000 in direct and indirect losses due to decreased conception rates and weight gain. • Total indirect losses so far from three packs in Northeastern California have resulted in $1.4 million to $3.4 million to ranchers. • 72 percent of wolf scat samples collected contained cattle DNA. • Cortisol levels in hair samples collected from cattle demonstrated a significant increase in stress. Further details on the study and its findings can be found by visiting the Cattle Council website at www. calcattlecouncil.org. Without a doubt, this issue continues to raise emotions and significant frustration from those impacted the most. As government and industry stakeholders continue to debate and refine a pathway forward, the Cattle Council will continue to highlight the challenges faced by ranchers through peer reviewed and published academic research. The Cattle Council remains committed to addressing and responding to critical issues at the forefront of the industry.