A new University of California-Davis study is giving us a clearer picture of just how costly wolves can be for ranchers.
Researchers found that a single gray wolf can cause up to $162,000 in losses due to reduced cattle weight and pregnancy rates. They also found cattle DNA in 72 percent of wolf scat samples and signs of elevated stress in herds near wolf territory. Total indirect losses could reach nearly $3.5 million across three wolf packs.
Ranchers are calling for the animals to be removed from the Endangered Species List.
Related Stories
“It’s a falsehood to call beef from another country ‘Product of the USA.’”
“I don’t think we’re going to see cattle coming across the border at all because of that increase in their cases in Mexico.”
“Sometimes populations correct on their own. That seems to be what is happening here.”
