New Maps Predict Wolf Attacks

Wolf populations are on the rise. Conservation officials say that’s a victory for wildlife. But more wolves mean more encounters with farms and livestock. Now, a group of researchers has developed maps to predict where wolves might attack. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Corbin Sullivan has more:

Transcript

Wolf populations are on the rise. Conservation officials say that’s a victory for wildlife. But more
wolves means more encounters with farms and livestock. Now, a group of researchers has developed
maps to predict where wolves might attack. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Corbin Sullivan has
more:


In a study published in the journal Conservation
Biology, the researchers mapped wolf attacks on
livestock in Wisconsin and Minnesota. They compared
the areas with the most attacks to those with the least.


The maps show that farms with the largest pastures and
the largest herds are at high risk for wolf attacks.


Nearby deer populations also put farms at higher risk.


Adrian Treves helped develop the maps. He says they
can help farmers and state officials focus their efforts to
prevent wolf attacks.


“Instead of diverting time and staff and resources across
the entire range of the wolves, they can choose to invest
their efforts in areas that are moderate to high risk.”


Treves says farmers can choose to use guard animals or
improved fencing to ward off wolf attacks. He says loud
recorded sounds, such as helicopters and gunfire, also
deter wolves.


For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Corbin
Sullivan.

Living Next to Wild Neighbors

People moving out to wooded lots in the suburbs are finding
those lots are already inhabited. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s
Lester Graham reports… some homeowners are battling nature,
but others are finding ways to live in harmony with it:

Living Next to Wild Neighbors

People moving out to wooded lots in the suburbs are finding those lots
are already inhabited. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham
reports some homeowners are battling nature, but others are finding
ways to live in harmony with it:

New Method for Counting Deer

When wildlife managers and animal rights groups clash over whether to
kill deer, one of the big disputes is whether the herd has been counted
correctly. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports on
a new method that more accurately counts deer in the forest: