Montana: Feds kill 45 wolves so far this year

In June, 13 wolves from two packs roaming on ranches just north of Helena were shot and killed for ongoing livestock depredation. The wolves in the Granite Butte and Canyon Creek packs were more than one-quarter of the 45 wolves killed so far this year by agents with Wildlife Services, a division of the federal Department of Agriculture. The total removal of the seven-member Canyon Creek Pack, and the killing of six — about half — of the Granite Butte Pack, plus the collaring of one female came after the wolves killed livestock last year, then struck again in May. Typically, FWP or Wildlife Service agents initially put radio collars on a pack member when depredation is suspected or confirmed to monitor the pack’s movement. If livestock depredation continues, FWP can ask Wildlife Services or the landowner to remove one or more pack members. If the livestock killing continues, entire packs can be taken out. According to FWP reports, 771 wolves were killed between 1987 and 2011 for depredation reasons...more