CHAPTER 4: KNVIRONMKNTAl. CONSEQUENCES 



Public Outreach. Current public outreach efforts may not adequately meet future needs as the wolf 

 population increases and uolvcs colonize new habitats. The federal wolf program does not have 

 dedicated personnel to tullill the public's need for information and educational materials. Staff biologists 

 fulfill this need as a part of their other assigned duties. WS may fulfill some of the increasing needs 

 through its technical assistance efforts with livestock producers. 



Human Safety. People may encounter wolves more frequently. In the presence of an immediate threat to 

 themselves or another person, people could harass, injure, or kill wolves. USFWS may harass or kill 

 wolves that threaten human safety. Individuals who injure or kill a wolf in the absence of a direct and 

 immediate threat could be subject to federal prosecution. At the present time, people are not able to 

 defend their domestic pet if it is threatened or attacked by a wolf in the experimental area or in the 

 Northwestern Montana Recovery Area. USFWS could change those regulations in the future. 



Private Property. USFWS did not need to restrict uses of private land to recover wolves in the northern 

 Rockies. Restrictions on behalf of a biologically recovered population would also be unnecessary. While 

 wolf use is primarily on public lands, some use of private lands does occur. Use of private lands will 

 undoubtedly increase in the future with increasing wolf numbers. 



A larger wolf population under this alternative could result in more conflicts and a greater management 

 burden on private property owners, WS, or USFWS to resolve conflicts. If not under immediate voice 

 command, lion hounds or bird hunting dogs may be injured or killed in wolf encounters. The economic 

 impacts of wolf-livestock conflicts are addressed below. 



Economics / Livelihoods 



Livestock Depredation. Chapter 2 (Existing Environment) provides a detailed discussion of the recent 

 history of confirmed livestock depredation in Montana. In economic terms, the total lost value per year is 

 equal to the estimated number of lost animals per year times the market value of those animals. From 

 1986-2001, the average number of cattle and sheep killed per wolf per year was 0.154 and 0.1752, 

 respectively. Actual historical livestock losses to wolves may be underestimated due to the difficulty in 

 identifying the exact cause of death. The extent to which the number of confirmed livestock losses 

 underestimates total livestock losses is unknown. To account for this, probable losses were estimated at 

 0.093 cattle and 0.015 sheep per wolf per year, and these estimates were added to the confirmed loss 

 estimates. Assuming that all probable losses are actually due to wolves probably overstates actual losses. 

 Nonetheless, that assumption was made on account of the uncertainty about what actual losses might be. 

 Wolves also occasionally kill horses, llamas, or guarding dogs. These losses, while sporadic and difficult 

 to predict, do result in economic loss. Therefore, these economic losses are incorporated as a percentage 

 of the total compensation payments based on historical data. 



Approximately 132 cattle and 150 sheep per year would be lost to confirmed wolf depredation. Another 

 79 cattle and 1 3 sheep could be lost to probable wolf depredation (Table 3 1 ). Losses to other predators 

 are greater than the predicted losses due to wolves, but the combined totals may be of concern. From 

 1990-2000. an average of 21,500 sheep and lambs per year were killed per year by coyotes in Montana 

 (USDA 2002). In 1995, approximately 1,100 calves were killed by coyotes (USiSa 2002). In YNP, the 

 coyote population was reduced by 50% in areas where wolves established territories (Crabtree and 

 Sheldon 1999). Outside YNP, it is not known to what extent wolves will reduce coyote populations under 

 the wolf densities projected by the various alternatives. It is possible that wolves could di-splace coyotes 

 in some areas grazed by sheep and that coyote predation on sheep may decline. However, it is not clear 

 whether wolves will be tolerated in sheep ranching areas. 



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