The View from the West

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Put bounties on wolves, coyotes

By: Audrey Treichel

Posted: 02/27/2010 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

The coyote and timber wolf population in Manitoba has grown out of control. Those distant howls heard from deep within the bush are now being replaced by numerous accounts of coyotes staking out farmyards and appearing in urban backyards.

While urban encounters include stories of injured or missing pets, farmers are dealing with a major rise in livestock loss affecting their livelihoods. Prone normally to avoid human contact, coyotes are packing up and becoming bolder -- coming into yards in daylight while families are outside. The Manitoba Cattle Producers Association has been working on this issue for the last few years. "We have lobbied the government to take action," says Sheila Mowat, general manager of MCPA. "We need to implement a predator control program to help protect the livelihood of our producers and keep people safe."

The substantial rise in claims proves our current system has major flaws.

MCPA's research reveals the number of claims paid out by MASC for livestock kills by predators in 2000 was 478, totalling $152,700. Seven years later, claims had climbed to 1,462 and payouts reached $448,767. (More recent numbers are not yet available).

No numbers, however, reflect actual damage, as most times there is nothing left of which to make a claim. Producers know the full extent of the damage however -- they know the number of calves lost in calving period and they know the number they are short in fall by how many went out to pasture.

So why are we seeing more livestock claims and why are these coyotes moving into residential areas? First, domestic animals are easy prey -- a moose, for example, will fight to the death. We are also seeing density changes in moose and deer populations and the predators are migrating to those areas to find prey. Because of the rise in population, more animals have mange, which causes them to be weak or sick, instinctively triggering a search for easy kill. "It's calving season, and these predators are lying in wait in straw bales because newborns are easy prey," explains Mowat.

The general public may find coyotes harmless, even likening them to the famous cartoon character. With that view, perhaps the MCPA's demands that bounties be introduced might appear callous.

Let's clear that up. The bounties are intended to restore a good, healthy wildlife ecosystem, which is no longer in balance. "Our position is not broad-stroke elimination," says Mowat, "but to gain control on an individual basis. The population mismanagement is resulting in detriment to the industry and to the welfare of these animals -- the fact that so many have mange is an indicator that the problem has gone from bad to worse. And we also don't want to see this issue escalate to human tragedy, as it did on the East Coast."

Is trapping an alternative? The price of fur is very low -- an indicator the fur industry is also in distress. Coyote pelts are worthless and wolf pelts fetch as little as $50, which does not even cover costs. And if the animal has mange, even wolf pelts are worthless. There is, therefore, no real incentive for trappers to solve the problem.

The producers, therefore, are lobbying Manitoba Conservation to provide a bounty of $300 per wolf and $50 per coyote removed. This would cost far less than potential claims and therefore is a practical solution. It would also have a positive impact on the fur industry.

The MCPA also has lobbied the federal and provincial governments to reintroduce the use of cyanide guns for predator control in Manitoba. Saskatchewan implemented its Coyote Control Program in November 2009, and the latest numbers indicate nearly 18,000 coyotes have been removed since -- a number that reflects the extent of the problem.

It's time for us to deal with this problem in Manitoba, and the howling on this issue needs to become a more distant cry again.

The association represents 10,000 cattle producers across the province.

Audrey Treichel is the communications co-ordinator for the Manitoba Cattle Producers Association. mcpa.com@mts.net/www.mcpa.net

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 27, 2010 A19

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