Baker County Wolf investigation results: two confirmed, one probable and three possible/unknown
By Shannon McKone on Monday, May 23rd, 2022 in Northeastern Oregon News Northeastern Oregon Top Stories
BAKER COUNTY – The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has released information in relation to a wolf investigation in the Immigrant Gulch area of Baker County. The ODFW Livestock Depredation Investigation Report is as follows:
May 19, 2022 – Baker County (Immigrant Gulch area)
Date Investigated: 5/19/22
Cause of death/injury: Confirmed (2); Probable (1); Possible/unknown (3)
General situation and animal information: On the afternoon of 5/17/22, a livestock producer found two injured calves while checking cattle in a 600-acre private land allotment. The calves were gathered and examined on 5/19/22. The injuries were estimated to be two to three weeks old. Four additional calves were also examined.
Physical evidence and summary of findings: The areas around the observed injuries on the first two calves were shaved and examined. Both calves had bite scrapes up to 1/8 inch wide on the outside of the hindquarters above the hocks with corresponding tissue trauma. The first calf had a 3 ½ inch by 2 ½ inch open wound and multiple tooth punctures of approximately 1/8-inch diameter. The second calf had a single 1-inch by 1-inch open wound on the outside of the left hind leg above the hock and a pair of tooth puncture marks of 1/8-inch diameter. The bite marks and location, size, and depth of the injuries on the first two calves are consistent with wolf attacks on live calves. These two attacks appear to be from the same event and were attributed to the Cornucopia Pack. The third calf examined had a one-inch-long by 1/8-inch-wide bite scrape with a healed puncture wound on the right rear leg near the hip. The area was raised and swollen. Six healed scrapes were found in the same area on the leg. Based on the size and location of the injuries and the timing of this injury relative to the confirmed depredations described above, the determination for this calf was “probable”. When shaved and examined, the other three calves lacked sufficient evidence to be able to determine the cause of observed scrapes and were classified as “possible/unknown.
