Now that the responsibility for aiding ranchers with cattle-wolf conflicts has been turned over to the Conservation Officer (CO) Service, local CO James Zucchelli offers some important related facts and procedures:
• Ranchers must first take certain steps prior to any mitigation, beginning with calling the CO service.
• Livestock kills must be reported to 1-877-952-7277 (RAPP) and then the producer will receive a call back for more details.
• Following that process, the CO will work together with the rancher to verify the particular predator responsible for the kill, to ensure the correct animal is targeted.
• In certain cases, ranchers may perform the verification activities through photographs, measurements and the preservation of evidence.
• For cattle only, the rancher may then submit an application to the province for loss compensation.
• The COs work in tandem with the ranchers to benefit from their experience and knowledge base.
• The final step is mitigation. While the COs sets and handles the traps, the ranchers are responsible for regular scheduled checks of livestock, trails and keeping COs informed.
• Ranchers may still arrange for a private, licensed trapper to assist them, or trap their own in the case of wolves, but Zucchelli strongly recommends training for the latter.
• There is no cost to the rancher for the CO's assistance with predator control.
• Anyone wandering near cattle territory, especially on private land, should be aware there may be traps set that could be a hazard to them or their dogs.