Calves disappear Ranchers immediately blame wolves without any proof/ Perhaps they be better on track if they blamed the 2 legged Predator!! It is poor Ranchers like this one that give good Ranchers, those that have proven they can live with Predators a Bad name!
“But, our best guess is there’s 118 missing calves. So, those 118 missing calves there’s no compensation for them.” Said Porter.
KITTSON COUNTY, Minn. (Valley News Live) Wolves are hunting down cattle in northern Minnesota and it’s costing small communities hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Some environmentalists say it’s not a problem at all. It’s a rebounding wolf population.
Others say the problem is due to big government regulations in Washington D.C. and Minnesota farmers, are saying something’s got to change.
Joe Wilebski has been farming on land in northern Minnesota his entire life. But The last few years, his cattle have struggled.
“It’s so disheartening. They don’t care about us.” Said Wilebski.
Farmers in Kittson County feel the federal government has left them behind.
Wolves in Minnesota were once on the endangered species list, but protective laws helped them rebound. So much so there was even a hunting season on wolves, but in 2014 a federal judge ended that. Farmers can’t even legally shoot wolves, unless they themselves feel threatened. As a result their bottom line is feeling threatened.
Kittson County Sheriff Steve Porter says, “It’s basically a thief stealing from them, stealing right out of their pocket.”
Now, the crime scenes county cops are investigating are whether or not wolves are responsible for missing livestock.
“Farmers are honest hard working people trying to make living, they have a huge problem and our federal government’s kind of quiet.” Said Porter.
Sheriffs say Minnesota has 600 thousand tax dollars put a side for farmers who get calves picked off by wolves. If they can prove it.
“But, our best guess is there’s 118 missing calves. So, those 118 missing calves there’s no compensation for them.” Said Porter.
That’s 118 thousand dollars that literally disappears from farmers in this one county. Locals feel the wolf numbers should be regulated by local government or the DNR.
Source: MN Farmers believe wolves are attacking their cattle
Comments
Humm… might be humans doing not all wolf doing. No proof or evidence a wolf killed them? There would be something left behind somewhere.
So, they cannot find any carcasses or evidence that wolves are responsible but they blame them anyway? Wolves do not carry their prey away whole like cougars! They will take pieces of meat to their young in dens. Are these farmers using deterrents and non- lethal method? Minnesota has an abundance of deer and wolves prefer ungulates. Perhaps, these farmers need guard dogs who will alert them to whomever are actually removing their calves!!!