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Wolf Program Updates
May 30, 2013
Wolf OR19 died from complications of canine parvovirus
Preliminary laboratory results, conducted at Oregon State University Veterinary Diagnostic Lab, indicate that OR19, the wolf found dead by ODFW biologists on May 19, died of complications of canine parvovirus. The highly contagious and often fatal disease is common among domestic dogs, and can spill over into wild canids such as coyotes, foxes, and wolves. Domestic dogs are normally vaccinated for the disease but wild animals are not. Parvovirus has been documented in wild canids in other areas of the country and most commonly occurs in pups. It is unknown at this time if other wolves in Oregon are affected with the virus, but biologists will continue to monitor for signs of the disease throughout the summer.
This is the first documented case of parvovirus in Oregon wolves, though outbreaks have been well documented in wolf populations throughout the western United States. In some areas it has caused short term declines in wolf populations by reducing the number of surviving pups. Long-term effects are less understood, but are generally not expected to threaten overall conservation of the species (though it may reduce the rate of population growth).
May 28, 2013
Settlement of Oregon Court of Appeals case
In the fall of 2011, ODFW’s authority to take (lethally remove) wolves under the State Endangered Species Act was challenged by a temporary restraining order filed in the Oregon Court of Appeals by Cascadia Wildlands, Oregon Wild and the Center for Biological Diversity.
Over the past year, these three organizations, ODFW and the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association have been in talks to try to settle the case outside of Court. The Center for Biological Diversity withdrew from these negotiations this past winter.
Last week, the remaining parties agreed in principle to a combination of rule changes and legislation that once enacted, will moot the court case. The key changes to the current rules regarding lethal control of wolves are:
- Before ODFW can use lethal control against wolves, it must confirm four qualifying incidents within a six-month time frame (previously it was two depredation incidents and no specific timeframe).
- Requires the development and public disclosure of wolf-livestock conflict deterrence plans that identify non-lethal measures for implementation by landowners.
- Requires that these non-lethal measures be implemented prior to a depredation for the depredation incident to count towards lethal control.
- Puts in rule that any ODFW lethal control decision is valid for 45-days (previously the timeframe for an ODFW lethal control decision was not standardized in rule; 45 days is consistent with what other western states have implemented).
The new temporary rules are online here http://www.dfw.state.or.us/OARs/110.pdf The Fish and Wildlife Commission will be asked to ratify these rules at their June 7 meeting in Tigard and make them permanent at their July meeting. “We are pleased the parties were able to come to an agreement,” said Ron Anglin, ODFW wildlife division administrator. “We look forward to finalizing both the rules and the legislation so the case can be fully settled and we can move forward on wolf conservation and management.”
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