Wolf-wounded Cow Survives and Has Calf

Wolf-wounded Cow Survives and Has Calf

Last June one of rancher Mark Lane’s cows was attacked by a Umatilla Pack wolf in Northeastern Oregon in the Blue Mountains. To look at pictures of the cow’s wound — would show a cow missing a good portion of one of her hindquarters. The good news is she had her calf and has healed — but Lane is unsure if she will breed back and settle. Which demonstrates one of the very real costs ranchers face when wolves run where their herds are located.
Lane says he spent an hour to an hour and half treating the cow’s wound for nearly three and half months this summer. He said luckily it was cooler in June when the attacked happened so flies did not become an issue.
He shares his frustration that because of a wolf den - about a mile from the same pasture his cow was attacked in — he will no longer be able to use that pasture for his herd.
Lane: “The pasture I was using was only about 200 acres so it was not a big pasture — but it is really good pasture. Where I could put most of my cows for all of the summer. I did find more but at two times the cost. That is a big hit. But I can justify taking them back up there and letting the wolves chase them — it is just not worth it to me.”
He adds that he has heard that the Umatilla pack spends approximately 62 to 68 percent of its time on private land — not public. Which just adds just one more cost for ranchers when they are unable to use their private property.
Previous ReportWounded Veteran Program Making a Difference
Next ReportGrazing Grains Brings Both Ecological and Economic Benefits