Gray Wolf Delisting Advocated By Oregon Congressman Bentz

An Oregon Congressman is pushing to remove wolves from the Endangered Species list.

Representative Cliff Bentz chairs the Water, Wildlife and Fisheries subcommittee, and plans to hold a hearing on wolves in March. Bentz recently met with ranchers and local officials in Crook County.

What we heard in Prineville is going to play an important part in providing the foundation for the damage that wolves are doing to livestock operators and to others.

In addition to actual deaths caused by wolves, the Oregon Republican says the predator also causes psychological damage to cattle herds.

What that results in is a much lower calving percentage, so you take a 20-30% hit on the number of calves being born; that’s a huge hit. Usually, you only hear about the calves being killed.

In the 1990s, wolves were reintroduced in states to the east and eventually migrated into Oregon, where they now number nearly 200.

Bentz believes wolves no longer need protection as an Endangered Species and should be managed to protect farm and hunting operations. He says they cause too much damage to livestock herds, plus elk and deer populations.

We have all kinds of wolves, and they don’t need to be protected by that act. And what we need is more protection for people trying to make a living. It doesn’t mean that we want to get rid of all the wolves, even though I think many people would be happy if that were the case. No. What we need to do is make sure that we’re able to manage the wolf appropriately so it doesn’t drive people out of business.

READ MORE: It's an Old West Showdown - Wolves Versus Ranchers