Wolf Attack

According to USDA Wildlife Services, predation is the single largest cause of sheep mortality in Idaho, typically accounting for about one third of the total annual losses suffered by Idaho sheep producers. For example, back in 2006, predators killed a reported 8,100 sheep and lambs in Idaho. Coyotes were responsible for more than 60 percent of the damage, while domestic dogs, wolves, black bears, mountain lions, red fox, and eagles accounted for most of the other predator losses. Recently it wasn't a sheep or a lamb that was the prey, it was a victim who was tending to sheep and lambs. Here is Todd Grimm, state director of USDA Wildlife Services: "We got a call that wolves had killed a dog that was accompanying a band of sheep in the Boise foothills. We went up and examined the carcass of the dog, we were expecting to see a guard dog but found out it was a herding dog, so it was a border collie instead and it was obviously killed by a wolf. You determine that by taking a look at the wounds? Yes. We skinned the animal and looked at the wounds, looked at the subcutaneous hemorrhage associated with the bite marks on the animal and nothing bites down like a wolf."