ODFW Called To Multiple Livestock Deaths In Grant County
Investigators with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife have been very busy in the John Day area over the past couple of days. On Friday, May 20th, crews were called out to the Middle Fork John Day area of Grant County after a livestock owner found a dead six-month old, 350-pound calf, in a 1200 acre, private-land pasture about 400 yards from his corrals. The carcass was mostly intact, but most tissue behind the back legs had been consumed. ODFW estimates the calf died the night before.
While crews were on scene, they found the remains of a one-month-old calf. ODFW says the 2nd calf had been seen with injuries to the back end three to four days prior.
Portions of the hide of the 1st calf carcass were shaved, and all remaining hide was skinned and examined. There were more than 25 bite scrapes, punctures, and associated pre-mortem hemorrhage on the hind legs, front legs, and back of the neck indicating the calf had been attacked by a predator. Pre-mortem bites scrapes were up to ¼” with underlying hemorrhaging on the hide as well as muscle tissue trauma on the front right leg above the hock. The bite scrape measurements, attack locations, and severity of the trauma is consistent with injuries caused by wolf attacks on calves. This area is known to be used by the Desolation pack with GPS collar location placing a wolf at the kill site around the suspected time of death.
The 2nd calf carcass was skinned and examined. There were multiple pre-mortem bite scrapes on the hind quarter and hemorrhaged muscle tissue trauma approximately two inches deep indicating a predator attack. There were several wounds, one of which was 5” diameter, that were rotted out and filled with maggots. There was evidence that the wounds were healing, and the calf did not die immediately from its injuries. The injuries occurred approximately three to four days prior to its death. GPS collar wolf locations were near where the calf was known to be on or about May 14th. The location of the bite marks and injuries to the calf are consistent with wolf attacks on live calves.
Both of these depredations were attributed to the Desolation Pack.
On Saturday morning, ODFW crews were called out to the area area where a wolf was observed at the carcass of a dead 1,000 pound cow. The entire cow was intact except for some missing skin in the abdominal area. It was estimated that the cow died the previous night. The cow carcass was shaved, skinned, and examined. The right leg above the elbow had post-mortem bite scrapes with spacing consistent with a wolf, however when the carcass was skinned there was no pre-mortem hemorrhaging associated with the marks. No premortem bite marks or hemorrhaging was found to indicate that a predator attacked the animal while it was alive.
ODFW says the death of this cow was not because of a wolf, so the death has been labeled “Other”.
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