Editor:

Thank you for your article on managing wolves.

Concerning the Siddoway sheep debacle, wolves didn’t kill 176 sheep. Wolves killed 1 or 2 sheep and 174 panicked and stampeded to their death. Yes – there are still dead sheep, and yes, wolves started it, but let’s at least be clear; the wolves didn’t kill those sheep.

Previously, 10 other sheep were killed, which actually begs the question; why weren’t steps taken to protect the sheep and deter the wolves?

Some of the wolves killed were puppies as young as 8 weeks – not capable of killing sheep. I would suggest that indeed, there needs to be a change in how wolves are dealt with, but perhaps, as the bigger-brained, smarter creatures, the change needs to be in us. If there have been problems 6 of 8 years, we need some tools in our toolbox other than the knee-jerk “kill the wolves.”

There are farms in the Rockies and Canada where people have chosen to live with predators, respect their place in the natural ecosystem, and found ways to do that. The sheep thrive, the farmers thrive, and the wolves thrive. Then there are farmers like Mr. Siddoway – a notorious wolf hater who introduced legislation to kill wolves “by any means available. “

People who seek confrontations will find them.

I have sympathy for the sheep and the ranchers, and in fact, agree wholeheartedly with Corrine Harris’ key point: a “plea for the federal and state governments to reconsider the effectiveness of current wolf depredation efforts.” But I would focus more on deterrence.

Just because there are 683 wolves instead of 46 doesn’t mean that deterrents like fladry, livestock guarding dogs, taste aversion and others won’t work. If nothing else, perhaps removing dead livestock will keep from attracting wolves.

Killing the wolves and destabilizing the pack will disrupt their hunting abilities – making domestic livestock more likely targets.

I am sure that the people of Idaho are smart, capable, creative, and can find solutions to this problem that will be agreeable to all.

Chris Albert, DVM

Lebanon Junction, KY

-The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are not necessarily those of the staff of The Daily Evergreen or those of Student Publications.