wolf attacks in michigan

Instead, the records show Johnson was in fact on the Dykstra farm earlier that day to check on a dead calf. As a result, wolves today tend to live mostly far from people or have developed the tendency and ability to avoid them. The perpetrators are never held accountable. ONTONAGON — Bouncing along a sodden farm pasture, Brad Johnson stopped his state vehicle when he came upon the newborn calf, or what remained of it. The result is to mislead the public again. The DNR documents released to Bridge add to evidence uncovered in earlier reporting I performed for The Detroit News that suggested DNR had bent to pressure from Casperson ‒ the pro-business, anti-wolf senator from Escanaba ‒- to have the Ontonagon wolf pack killed. Sep 12, 2020 - News, Information and Status of wolves in Michigan . I expect the reassurance of cougars in Michigan will be the next go around. I've watched every witness the dems have had testify. For more than 10 years, I was a volunteer carnivore tracker for Wisconsin DNR, often alone on snowshoes, in known wolf pack territories, assisting with wolf population counts. Still, the DNR pushed the false narrative of a brazen wolf attacking a calf in the presence of a DNR worker. You think these lawyers care about the wolves. There might be some accuracy in that. Truth seems to be the most 'endangered species' currently. The lunacy and irony of killing animals to protect livestock being raised for slaughter apparently is too complex for simple minds. “Federal (wolf) delisting cannot legally proceed without an adequate and reliable state regulator to take over – and the DNR has once again shown it is not up to the task,” Molly Tamulevich, Michigan director of the Humane Society of the United States, told Bridge. The Endangered Species Act of 1973 is credited with the return of Canis lupus’ from Canada to levels not seen in generations in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. My email was forwarded by Golder to Roell, then to Mason, the wildlife chief, and Minzey, the author of the discredited 2016 report. Where are the cow herders on the range at the Dykstra farm? In this post-truth society where people "stick to their story," even after their misdeed has been exposed, only good reporting holds hope for holding people accountable when they, or their superiors, won't do it themselves. Warren persisted. The wildlife managers had hoped that harassing the wolves by caging them would scare them off. Until term limits forced him from office last December, Casperson led the charge to allow the hunting of gray wolves in Michigan should they ever lose federal protection. Wolves, like bears, can be attracted to a food source. Which is what made what happened next startling: A single wolf burst into view and Johnson could only watch, frozen, as another calf was attacked, shredded before his eyes. The men engaged in an internal discussion about my inquiry, presumably unaware I had been left on the email string. Accuracy matters. Wolves are of NO USE to the residents of Michigan GET RID OF ALL OF THEM. In the last DNR survey of wolf populations, conducted last year, three adult wolves were seen in the Ontonagon Pack. Wolf - Dog Conflict. Federal law at first said only 50 wolves in UP was required before delisting later changed to 250. More than 600 gray wolves are estimated to populate Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, a resurgence that pleases conservation groups but can create tensions with ranchers and some lawmakers who worry about the danger to livestock. Wolf attacks are injuries to humans or their property by any subspecies of wolf. Please support our work. A year later my neighbor, who lives there year around ,had one chase a deer into the lake right along side his house while he was having morning coffee looking out at the lake. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJ9ce-yMEfc. Johnson had to drive three-quarters of a mile before he spotted a wolf. The only thing they had were their "feelings" or "it seemed". The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is now ... the fund had just gone over budget for the first time by almost $10,000 as there had been other costs for wolf attacks … Expecting him to put flaggies on the fences and electrify his fence, move cattle a couple times a day, feed their darn donkey’s all so fools like the HSUS can create controversy so “donate now” buttons get pressed. The Senate resolution was sponsored by Tom Casperson, R-Escanaba. The emails released to Bridge show DNR pressed the same, discredited account involving Johnson to its own employees. But it forbids their killing for attacking livestock. Last Nov. 30, Mason told me the Ontonagon wolf shootings were necessary to protect people. Nothing you wrote was even remotely true, and it's terrifying that you believe every word. More wolves roam the western Great Lakes, about 4,200, than in the Pacific Northwest and Northern Rockies combined. Hours later, on a return visit, a motorist told him that cows were being chased on another part of the ranch. If you learned something from the story you're reading please consider supporting our work. Living in the U.P. There was just one problem: None of these harrowing accounts turned out to be true. (Photo courtesy Tom Dykstra), November 22, 2019John BarnesMichigan Environment Watch. We used to raise them and watched the wolves along the back fence line and never lost an animal - including free ranging dogs, ducks, geese, chickens, goats . For example, eight wolves from two packs were taken in winter 2012 after following deer to residential bird feeders near Ironwood. Greedy millionaire lawyers raping the taxpayers as small family ranchers are driven out of business.Clearly this reporter is bias. Bridge Michigan. By Christine Mlot Dec. 20, 2019 , 9:00 AM. Most payments were for Dyktra’s losses in 2016 — $28,915 for 20 cattle killed and 15 missing (and presumed killed), more than all other Michigan farms combined that year. Several weeks later, when DNR petitioned the federal government to approve the wolf killings, an agency memo reimagined the circumstances of Johnson’s April encounter with the wolf, making it sound like the wolf was comfortable enough to attack the calf while Johnson was in the field. Golder: “Brian: Can you please help answer this factual question for this reporter ‒ whether or not the wolf taken near Greenland was part of the Ontonagon Pack?”, Roell: “Why are we helping John Barnes yet again?”, Golder: “Just answering a factual question in this instance. Michigan's harvest season didn't even take enough animals to make up for annual pup recruitment. That is the definition of , “habituated”!!!!! DNR’s stonewalling, she argued, was an effort to retaliate against her for her outspoken opposition to wolf hunting. One popular bumper sticker has mock bullet holes and the message: “Michigan Wolves: Smoke a Pack a Day.”. The Arizona-based center is suing the U.S. “This is not okay.". (Photo courtesy Tom Dykstra). Dykstra trademarks its herd as “Michigan Craft Beef,” raised without antibiotics, hormones or genetically modified feed. . No, this wolf was not from the Ontonagon pack ‒ that is a sufficient answer for Mr. Barnes' purposes.”. Taken together, the incidents were powerful evidence that a resurgent wolf population in the U.P. Michigan stabbing latest 04:28. Running people off of private lands is what it is about isn’t it? You are making stuff up.Black bears kill more people than wolves. Documented wolf attacks – While I’m not a huge fan of Wikipedia for its wholehearted accuracy, this submission is very informative regarding wolf attacks on humans in North America. The great deer herds between Mass city and Bruce's Crossing was wipe out. The debate is on: Will wolves move to Michigan’s Lower Peninsula? (Genetic testing verified one wolf near Cross Village in 2014, but no mating pairs have been identified.). If you are concerned about CWD, then you should read the latest research which suggests wolves may limit the spread of CWD. As cattle losses mounted on the Dykstra farm in the spring of 2016, it was Casperson, the influential chairman of the Senate’s Natural Resources Committee, who intervened at the request of owner Tom Dykstra. Even when the agency finally confirmed the killings last November, it stuck by the argument that the wolves posed a danger to humans. Where do you get this misinformation? It’s not unusual for government offices to redact parts of a document. This is especially important during hunting season. Why? Let the calves stay with their mothers and let the mothers and other cattle keep their horns! They brought charges against John regarding the mules he was expected to care for in order to scare wolves. Well I do like Oscar the grouch. Then we may see what a vital roll they play in out survival. Your donation allows us to keep our Michigan-focused reporting and analysis free and accessible to all. John has since sold that acreage in the wolf saturated Co falling prey to the HSUS & Barnes. Aside from livestock, hunting dogs and occasionally pets are also killed, anywhere from a few per year to as many as 17 in 2014. Relocated island wolves outlasting mainland wolves in new Isle Royale home. That area is much larger than the Great Lakes. Or the Center for Biological Diversity raping the taxpayers. No one goes to jail. Anyway you sat I'd prolly rather be Russian than a dimocrat. Wolf attacks in Michigan's Upper Peninsula killed at least 26 cattle and 17 hunting dogs last year. "I was mistaken, I am accountable, and I am sorry," Casperson told colleagues in 2013. No wolves were seen prowling near preschoolers at recess in Ironwood. My email was forwarded by Golder to Roell, then to Mason, the wildlife chief, and Minzey, the author of the discredited 2016 report. Fantastic work covering this topic. lol, where do you think the gov't gets it's money? This is a minimum population since young of the year wolves are not surveyed. That excised paragraph said: “It is clear that the wolves are acting aggressively including in the presence of humans as documented by the attack on livestock while the MDNR technician was in the same field, ” wrote Scott Hicks, regional U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service authorized the lethal removal of three wolves that showed persistently, brazen behavior by killing livestock in the presence of the operator and our staff.”. It stood it’s ground and stared at her before turning and traipsing down the road for a 1/4 of a mile before turning into a two track into the woods. After nine days in the hospital, Dwaine Taylor — COVID case #290 in Delta County — said he no longer believes the coronavirus is a hoax. North America: Prior to the 1700s there were no records kept on wolf attacks. But Golder also insists the decision to kill the Ontonagon wolves was not solely based on the Brad Johnson incident. I froze for about 3 seconds realizing it was alone. Warren found that argument preposterous. Tom Dykstra, of Moraine Park Farms near Zeeland, which owns the Ontonagon farm, declined to comment for this article. Even then, the state still insists the pack’s aggressiveness in the presence of humans (and not their killing of livestock) prompted the decision. DNR depredation specialist Brian Roell twice raised questions about the agency’s characterization of a wolf incident on the Dykstra farm. Seriously, who are the REAL traitors here? This September, DNR announced Mason was leaving his post as wildlife division chief to become the agency’s first executive in residence at Michigan State University’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Ontonagon is geographically closer to Fargo, North Dakota, than to Detroit, making this big snow country, averaging about 200 inches a winter. Yet there was Turner at Thursday’s impeachment hearing, repeatedly denouncing Democrats and the witnesses for turning up “hearsay” evidence. Think again! Excellent, informative article! The future of Michigan’s gray wolf population is uncertain, with the Trump administration weighing whether to delist the animals from its current protection under the U.S. The wolf population has tripled in our area in a very short time and will again if not controlled through a hunt. Not one has provided any concrete testimony or facts that Trump did anything wrong. Now the wolves are out of control but it is one of the DNR’s pet projects. But that is just based on data. The gov't reimburses for a cow that fed NOBODY but wolves! The reports are limited to the Upper Peninsula because that is where wolves dwell. Lori Holm of Ironwood told me she was home with children who were inside the house when she spotted a wolf on her lawn near her dog, a white Sheltie. And in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula illegal wolf kills are spiking. Not modern free Russia. "Decisions about the fate of endangered wildlife need to be based on science, not fabricated stories aimed at appeasing politicians,” she said. The agency’s internal records tell another story. Lol what these self appointed greedy lawyers want is a big payday. The last of the three 2016 shootings, on June 11, involved a female wearing a radio-collar that had traveled 55 miles north from Golden Lake. Wildlife officials say they can defuse the situation if they can just get gray wolves removed from the endangered species list. Casperson was not the only state official who had pressed the narrative of prowling wolves in Ironwood. Three days later, Minzey put his name to the memo describing the phantom wolf attack in front of Johnson. Generally, they’re allowed to block information if they can show it falls under one of several exemptions to public records, usually to protect someone’s privacy. I then watched cnn, msnbs etc for their take on what transpired. This video is unavailable. Likewise, the department also withheld a portion of the U.S. response which indicated just how influential Minzey’s account was in the federal government’s approval of the wolf kills. Tales of gray wolves menacing preschoolers and residents in Ironwood ‒ accounts amplified by state DNR officials and lawmakers ‒ would also fall apart under scrutiny. Brad Johnson, the field technician, had investigated missing cattle at the Dykstra farm three times the previous fall, filling out checklists on wolf activity reports after every visit. But Golder, the agency spokesman, acknowledged in an email a few months later that Mason knew the Brad Johnson wolf attack story was false “prior to the time of your interview.” Brian Roell, a DNR wildlife specialist, had told top officials what really happened two days before the interview. "Words matter. Something wasn't right, I approached slowly, uncertain. You would prob rather be Russian Than a democrat . “Even assuming the information were personal, the balancing test would favor disclosure because the information reveals information about [DNR’s] wolf-management policies.”. “However, wolves have attacked people in other areas of North America … and concerns for public safety are warranted in some situations.” Most wolf-dog conflicts occur during the bear training and hunting seasons, which overlaps with the time wolf pups are using homesites. Johnson had to drive three-quarters of a mile before he spotted a wolf. Wolves will defend their territories and may attack other wolves, coyotes and domestic dogs that are in their territory. Wolves have killed two women in eastern Tajikistan, prompting complaints from residents that they have been unable to defend themselves against wolf attacks … Muslims who want to get rid of our Constitution and live under Sharia Law. I do agree that the DNR should be forthwith and honest with the reports. Federal wildlife law permits the killing of protected gray wolves in defense of human life, or if wolves pose a “demonstrable but non-immediate threat to human safety.”. Its Black Angus are pampered right up to the moment they are slaughtered ‒ grazing on grass and alfalfa, with tart-cherry syrup, apples and wet beer barley added to give their meat a distinctive taste. The 68-year-old, who has two cattle farms in the Upper Peninsula, has the highest number of reported wolf attacks in Michigan. They also highlight fresh concerns about the rigor of Michigan’s public records law, which allows state or local governments to routinely delay or stonewall public requests for documents for months or even years, often with little consequence. And no pack congregated on the back deck of a local home. If cooler heads would prevail, a reasonable solution to the increasing wolf population should be attainable. Wolf attacks were at their lowest in several years in 2013. “It sounds like the conversation went downhill from there,” Minzey concluded. It was not until May 2018, two years after Warren first sought the records, that Michigan Court of Claims Judge Cynthia Diane Stephens ruled in Warren’s favor and ordered the public records released. Then we wandered freely with little regard for our safety outside of a possible bear in the woods . And in recent years, the chance, albeit slim, of seeing a wolf has been at least a possibility that has made the place pretty exciting. He 's one of the wolves, like bears, can be found in heavily lands! One of the wolves years ago since sold that acreage in the year. Misleading the public camp across the cove to another camp the wolf to Michigan ’ FOIA. Michigan ’ s partner was likely among the two males shot, as generally. Allows us to keep the wolf saw it doing that and commenced to first! 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