Confirmed Wolf Depredation in Union County
By Garrett Christensen on Thursday, September 22nd, 2022 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
UNION COUNTY – (Release from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife)
September 20, 2022 – Union County (Balloon Tree area)
Date Investigated: 9/20/22
Cause of death/injury: Confirmed
General situation and animal information: On 9/20/22, a herder found the intact carcass of a 110 lb. dead sheep in a private commercial timber land pasture. It was estimated that the sheep died less than eight hours prior to the investigation.
Physical evidence and summary of findings: There were pre-mortem canine tooth punctures up to ¼ inch diameter and tooth scrapes up to 3 ½ inches long with associated underlying tissue trauma on the neck of the sheep. There was additional pre-mortem trauma present on the right hindquarter and left front leg of the carcass. The evidence present on the carcass is consistent with wolf attacks on sheep. This confirmed depredation is attributed to the Balloon Tree Pack
