II. A COMPENSATION MODELFOR LIVESTOCK LOSSES ATTRIBUTABLE TO WOLVES
June 22, 2004 Sharon Beck
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will develop, fund and implement a program to guarantee payment of compensation for depredation of livestock caused by, or reasonably suspected to have been caused by, wolves. Livestock, for purposes of this chapter will be defined by ORS 609.125 and will include cervid, bison, pets, working, hunting and guard dogs. Compensation will not be limited to death loss but will include all depredation losses.
Wolves are expected to eventually migrate to Oregon from Idaho and under Oregon’s Endangered Species Act will be allowed to colonize in appropriate places and in appropriate numbers so that their presence will be compatible with other land uses. It is well understood that wolves will depredate on livestock.
Open range grazing lands which livestock frequent seasonally will be areas of primary concern for depredation and consequently their colonization by wolves will be discouraged; however if suspected depredations occur on any land, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife may be asked by the property owner or the property owner’s representative to investigate. Investigations will be done by experts in identifying depredation causes and/or signs that indicate the presence of wolves in an area. Property owners will be expected to preserve relevant sites to assist investigators, if possible. ODFW will investigate a suspected depredation within 24 hours from when it is reported.
Wolf depredation is expected to be geographically specific and may affect only a few producers therefore compensation will be specific to the owner/manager’s sustaining economic loss from wolves. Compensation will be full and fair however it will not be viewed as a substitute for managing wolves to avoid further depredation ODFW recognizes the importance of ranches and the livestock industry as a whole; but the economic health of individual ranchers and their families are expected to be much more important to counties and rural communities. Any losses they incur will be directly felt in those communities.
If, after investigation, wolves are reasonably suspected to have been responsible for death or injury of livestock ODFW and the owner of the property will set the amount to be 18 compensated based on the following formula which will be keyed to the owner’s traditional livestock management program.
SiresCompensation will be paid at the purchase price, if known, or at the average price paid for the most recent sires purchased plus 20% for time and trouble, if a sire is killed or injured during the off-breeding season. If a sire is killed or injured by a wolf during breeding season compensation is set at the value times three. This takes into consideration the difficulty of finding sires that fits ones program in the middle of the breeding season, the number of females that may miss one or two estrus cycles in the sires absence thus producing offspring later and bringing in lighter offspring or having no offspring at all in the subsequent year, and time and trouble.
DamsCompensation for wolf depredation on breeding females will take into account her individual value as a producer in the herd based on available recorded performance data, if any, recorded sales and/or market value of same age and quality dams in the herd. Add to her value the expected net profit from the fetus she carried based on what it’s value would be at weaning time of the previous year.
If in the owner’s opinion a wolf-caused injury compromises the reproductive capability of livestock in the breeding herd, or the use of the livestock, such as riding horses, the owner will be fully compensated as described above less any actual salvage value received.
Young of the yearCompensation will be based on the average amount received for other young of the year at weaning time for same sex, similar aged animals. If an unusual number of young, based on property owner’s records, are missing at the end of the grazing season and it can be established that there has been wolf activity in the area it is reasonable that a case may be made for compensation for missing animals. Young that have been orphaned by wolf depredation, whether they survive or not, will be compensated at the average price received for animals of similar age and same sex.
Post weaningCompensation for killed or injured livestock will be based on the sale price received for like animals in the herd plus 20% for time or trouble.
Veterinary careCompensation for veterinary expenses for livestock injured by wolves will be paid at the rate charged. |