Hug-A-Wolf Foundation

NEWS RELEASE

2018 Lobos Lane, Narnia ID 19285

Contact: Jessica Billman

Telephone: (123) 456-7890
Cellular: (123) 456-0987
Fax: (987) 654-3210
Email: information@hugawolf.org

Release Date: April 26, 2015

THE BIG BAD WOLF

Menace or Misunderstood?
BOISE, Idaho (April 26, 2015) Turbofladry.
The word sounds like a species of small, fast-swimming fish, or perhaps some kind of
boat propeller. But to Mike Stevens, head of the Lava Lake Land and Livestock ranch in Idaho,
turbofladry is a promising method of nonlethal wolf management. Turbofladry combines
traditional fladry barriersfencing with small flags tied on to scare off predatorswith the
added zing of an electric charge. The result: a (literally) shockingly compelling deterrent to any
wolf that might otherwise decide that livestock look like a tasty treat.
Last summer, Lava Lake Land and Livestock lost 25 sheep to wolves in one pasture. But
this summer, Stevens and his crew combined new turbofladry installations with portable night
corrals, guard dogs, and night herders to protect the sheep. By the end of the summer, even
though the sheep were in close proximity to local wolves, not a single sheep was lost to wolves.
Practical, inexpensive and non-lethal methods help reduce losses and conflicts while
promoting better cooperation between ranchers, state and federal land managers and wildlife
conservationists, said Stevens.
More living livestock mean more money for ranchersand fewer wolves killed means
More

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greater biodiversity for the surrounding ecosystems. The effects of reintroducing wolves into
Yellowstone National Park in 1995 are strong evidence that top predators like wolves create and
maintain biodiversity within an ecosystem. Wolves manage the populations of large plant-eating
animals, like deer, and of smaller predators, like coyotes, helping to ensure the ecosystem stays
in a healthy balance.
The livelihoods of ranchers and farmers in the Northern Rocky Mountains depend on
the health of the land, and the health of the land depends on the presence of a stable wolf
population, said Narnia County wildlife manager Jessica Billman. As wolves and humans
move into the future together, its no longer a viable option to kill wolves to protect livestock.
Not only does this practice damage ecosystems, there is also evidence that killing wolves can
actually increase the likelihood of wolf attacks on livestock. A recent study found that with each
wolf killed, the probability of future wolf attacks increased by four to six percent, she said.
Turbofladry might sound like an imaginary word, but there is nothing imaginary about
nonlethal wolf management techniques. In an increasingly crowded future, wolves will need
humankinds help to thriveand humans will need wolves to help them keep the land healthy.
Seen as a menace for so many years, wolves now face an uphill battle to reclaim their
place in the Northern Rocky Mountains. But more ranchers and farmers are beginning to realize
that these watchful sentinels of the forest may be merely misunderstoodand are now in need of
a helping hand.
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Hug-A-Wolf Foundation (HAWF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting
peaceful coexistence between wolves and humans in the Northern Rocky Mountains (NRM) of
the U.S. HAWF seeks to distribute information about nonlethal wolf management techniques
and to foster understanding and acceptance of the critical role wolves play in maintaining healthy
ecosystems across the NRM. For more information, please visit www.hugawolf.org.