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| Wyoming wolves slaughter 19 elk in rare 'surplus killing', say wildlife officials | Wyoming wolves slaughter 19 elk in rare 'surplus killing', say wildlife officials |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A pack of Wyoming wolves killed 19 elk in a rare “surplus killing”, wildlife officials said late on Friday after finding the carcasses of 17 calves and two adults on a snowy plain near the tiny town of Bondurant. | A pack of Wyoming wolves killed 19 elk in a rare “surplus killing”, wildlife officials said late on Friday after finding the carcasses of 17 calves and two adults on a snowy plain near the tiny town of Bondurant. |
| Related: Idaho hunters target gray wolves in controversial predator derby | Related: Idaho hunters target gray wolves in controversial predator derby |
| A contractor delivering hay to the elk herd, which is supported by wildlife officials to counteract loss of territory, found the dead animals earlier this week. | A contractor delivering hay to the elk herd, which is supported by wildlife officials to counteract loss of territory, found the dead animals earlier this week. |
| “This is a rare event,” John Lund, regional wildlife supervisor for Wyoming’s game and fish department, told local County 10 news. “A lot of people call it surplus killing. | “This is a rare event,” John Lund, regional wildlife supervisor for Wyoming’s game and fish department, told local County 10 news. “A lot of people call it surplus killing. |
| “Normally one or two elk a night [are killed] here and there is no big deal. But 19 in one night is fairly rare.” | “Normally one or two elk a night [are killed] here and there is no big deal. But 19 in one night is fairly rare.” |
| Lund also described the kill to CNN as “sport killing”, although the consensus among biologists and wildlife officials is that wolves do not hunt for “sport” but sometimes kill more than they can eat at one point, especially in winter, when frigid temperatures preserve the killed prey for later consumption. | Lund also described the kill to CNN as “sport killing”, although the consensus among biologists and wildlife officials is that wolves do not hunt for “sport” but sometimes kill more than they can eat at one point, especially in winter, when frigid temperatures preserve the killed prey for later consumption. |
| Lund said there were 1,100 elk in the area and nine wolves in the pack believed to be responsible for the killing. Wolves are an endangered species in Wyoming, federally managed and protected. Lund said they were responsible for about 70 elk kills this winter, more than average and enough to affect the hunting season for humans. | Lund said there were 1,100 elk in the area and nine wolves in the pack believed to be responsible for the killing. Wolves are an endangered species in Wyoming, federally managed and protected. Lund said they were responsible for about 70 elk kills this winter, more than average and enough to affect the hunting season for humans. |
| “Surplus killing”, though an unusual behavior, is recorded in many predator species, including mountain lions and bears. Livestock seem especially vulnerable to it. Sheep, for instance, sometimes respond to predators as they would to a sheep dog, by running in circles, allowing hunters to pick off many animals. | “Surplus killing”, though an unusual behavior, is recorded in many predator species, including mountain lions and bears. Livestock seem especially vulnerable to it. Sheep, for instance, sometimes respond to predators as they would to a sheep dog, by running in circles, allowing hunters to pick off many animals. |
| “We’re not sure what triggers surplus killing,” Lund told USA Today, “because in many cases predators will kill with the intent to eat, but in this case something triggered and they went crazy and just took down each elk and moved on to the next.” | |
| Mike Jimenez, Northern Rocky Mountain wolf co-ordinator for the US fish and wildlife service (USFWS), told County 10: “By and large, wolves don’t kill for sport. What we found is that generally wolves did not kill what they did not eat.” | |
| He said some factors may have made the elk herd particularly vulnerable, such as deep snow or disease. Lund said the elk will be tested for illness. | He said some factors may have made the elk herd particularly vulnerable, such as deep snow or disease. Lund said the elk will be tested for illness. |
| Ken Mills, the state’s carnivore biologist, told the Casper Star Tribune: “They’re like a person living day to day, getting enough to survive. When prey is vulnerable, they don’t have that mechanism to stop. | Ken Mills, the state’s carnivore biologist, told the Casper Star Tribune: “They’re like a person living day to day, getting enough to survive. When prey is vulnerable, they don’t have that mechanism to stop. |
| “If someone is barely making it day to day and they walk into a buffet, they’re going to eat like it’s a buffet.” | “If someone is barely making it day to day and they walk into a buffet, they’re going to eat like it’s a buffet.” |
| Wolves in the US were hunted to the brink of extinction in the first half of the 20th century, but they have rebounded since they were declared endangered in 1978. They were reintroduced to Yellowstone national park in the 1990s and there were about 330 wolves in Wyoming in 2014, according to the USFWS. | |
| In 2012, Wyoming tried to take wolves off the list of endangered species. A federal judge ruled against the state two years later, and reiterated that the species could not be hunted. | In 2012, Wyoming tried to take wolves off the list of endangered species. A federal judge ruled against the state two years later, and reiterated that the species could not be hunted. |