It’s not easy being a wolf in northern Minnesota.
Every year dozens of the animals die of starvation, disease, parasites, vehicle traffic and poaching.
But the No. 1 killer of Minnesota wolves may come as a surprise: agents of the federal government, acting with the full force of the law.
Here's an idea: instead of using shitton of cash to murder wolves, use a shitton of cash to pay for fencing that keeps wolves out. Like, if the government is really using millions of dollars to kill wolves, surely they could use that money to build fences instead, right? I'd be okay with that. They're gonna be spending the money anyway, and farmers/ranchers don't tend to have a whole lot of money unless they're corporate, so expecting them to use their own money probably isn't a great solution. Give them fencing instead.
They literally have done the thing you are suggesting, and there is an example linked in the article.
Rather have the wolves than the ranchers. Grow some damn potatoes, you fuckers.
There are about 2.2 million cows in the state, according to USDA data. The five or six dozen documented and verified wolf kills in a given year amount to a few thousandths of 1 percent of the total population.
But the USDA’s actions in response inflict a steep toll upon Minnesota’s wolves. The 142 kills amount to fully 5% of the state’s estimated wolf population.
Those are quite the statistics.