Wolf Costs on Cattle Counted for the First Time

Source: UC Davis

Wolf damage comes at a high price for ranchers, up to $162,000 each in direct and indirect losses. Researchers from the University of California, Davis also say wolves can stress cattle and found many wolf scats containing evidence of cattle, indicating predation. Using trail cameras, GPS collars and sample collection, scientists studied the effects of wolves on livestock and uncovered the strain it put on ranchers. Researchers are now investigating compensation programs for affected farmers and sustainable tactics to reduce encounters between wolves and livestock...

Of the summer 2022 samples, 86% the wolf scat contained cattle DNA and 13 different wolves were identified, all of which had eaten cattle. Over the two years, 72% of the samples had cattle DNA.


https://caes.ucdavis.edu/news/...ding-wolf-population