More than 100 sheep dead in wolf attack

A local rancher took a huge hit to his livestock after wolves apparently attacked a flock of sheep near Victor.

The Siddoway Sheep Company lost 176 sheep from a herd six miles south of victor saturday morning.

Most of the sheep were forced into piles and suffocated, while a handful were actually bitten.

After the commotion, herders reported seeing two wolves on a ridge once dawn broke.

Idaho Fish and Game said this has been an issue in that area all summer.

“In this case, it was dealing with a wolf pack, the Pine Creek Wolf Pack that’s in our area, which is a really large wolf pack,”said Daryl Meints, regional wildlife manager. “Fogg Hill and this whole area is where we’ve been having problems since the end of June.”

Since the attack, fliers have been posted on trail heads to warn hikers that bears and other predators could be in the area feeding on the piles of carcasses.

He said instances like this call for an investigation by Wildlife Services.

“They’re basically looking to make sure the animal didn’t die from some other cause, and was just fed upon by a predator,” he said.

If it’s determined a predator did, in fact, kill the animals, wildlife services and fish and game start taking preventative measures.

“Then we work with Wildlife Services to come up with the best means to resolve the situation to try and reduce any further livestock loss,” like trapping the wolves for relocation, he said.

“Numerous wolves have been taken out of that area, and obviously they’re still are wolves that are there,” said Meints.

Manager J.C. Siddoway said the company also lost a pair of guard dogs to wolves last week.

The Siddoways said the lost lambs would have provided more than 17,000 3-ounce portions of food by fall.