Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.
Yes.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has an interactive map showing verified wolf depredations of livestock, pets and hunting dogs.
So far in 2022, the department has documented 30 confirmed or probable livestock deaths due to wolves. The majority of the deaths are beef calves.
Most such killings occurred in the far northern part of the state, near Superior. Others happened on the Menominee/Langlade county line and in central Wisconsin.
Federal data are published less frequently. A 2015 U.S. Department of Agriculture report found wolves accounted for 2,040 of the 41,680 deaths caused by predators — less than 5%.
Nationally, the biggest livestock predators, in order, are coyotes (16,880); unknown predators (6,570); and dogs (4,700).
The depredations have a small impact on the livestock industry, according to Colorado State University Extension, but “impacts to individual producers can be substantial.” Better data are needed, some researchers argue, to justify the dramatic increase in hunting and trapping of wolves.
Sources
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources: Gray Wolf Depredation
Colorado State University: Wolves and Livestock
US Department of Agriculture: Death Loss in U.S. Cattle and Calves Due to Predator and Nonpredator Causes, 2015
Society for Conservation Biology: A new era of wolf management demands better data and a more inclusive process
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
