Manitoba ranchers reluctantly want wolves killed after attacks take big bite out of bottom line

Trail cameras have captured clues of wolves killing cattle on Randy and Carla Radford's ranch but they say physical evidence is being dragged away.

The Roblin, Man., ranchers say the situation has left their animals and their livelihood suffering.

"We call it the smorgasbord," Randy said. "They just invite themselves.

"This isn't something new, it's just that it's getting worse and worse and worse and then last year it exploded and this year I can see it's going to explode even more."

It's a problem the Radfords say is costing them thousands of dollars annually. They have pastureland close to both Riding Mountain National Park and Duck Mountain Provincial Park, known wolf territory.

"We're at very high prices in the cattle cycle so every calf we're losing right now is about $2,000," Carla said. 

Randy has a photo captured on a trail camera of three wolves surrounding a downed bull on their farm this past March. The ranchers said they've tried guard dogs, installing electric fences and even hired someone to sit in their field at night with a rifle and a flashlight but the wolves keep coming back.

"They're so smart that they just figure out how to get around all this stuff," Randy said.

Ranchers can get compensation for livestock injured or killed by wolves as well as bears, coyotes and foxes through the Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation, under the Wildlife Damage Compensation Program. According to its website, the program gets around 1,900 claims annually for all predator attacks, with wolves making up around 20 per cent of claims.

"Producers who suspect they have lost livestock to wildlife predation, but are unable to provide evidence that allows them to access funding under the Wildlife Damage Compensation Program, are encouraged to report their situation to a conservation officer in the local district office," the province says on its website.

The Radfords said since May 10, 17 of their calves have been killed but they were only compensated for two because they weren't able to find the carcasses of the others.

Daniel Dupont is a PhD student in wildlife biology and instructor in biology at St. Boniface University. He's spent time studying how wolves interact with prey.

He said wolves usually try to avoid any conflict with humans and anything related to humans such as cattle, but they can learn to how to feed on cows.

"If moose, elk, deer or even beaver populations are depressed then they could be looking for a way to sustain their family and that could lead them to looking elsewhere, such as cattle," Dupont said.