title: Wolf Lethal Control and Livestock Depredations: Counter-Evidence from Respecified Models.
abstract: We replicated the study conducted by Wielgus and Peebles (2014) on the effect of wolf mortality on livestock depredations in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho states in the US. Their best models were found to be misspecified due to the omission of the time index and incorrect functional form. When we respecified the models, this replication failed to confirm the magnitude, direction and often the very existence of the original results. Wielgus and Peebles (2014) reported that the increase in the number of wolves culled the previous year would increase the expected number of livestock killed this year by 4 to 6%. But our results showed that the culling of one wolf the previous year would decrease the expected number of cattle killed this year by 1.9%, and the expected number of sheep killed by 3.4%. However, for every wolf killed there is a corresponding 2.2% increase in the expected number of sheep killed in the same year. The increase in sheep depredation appears to be a short term phenomenon.
authors: School of Arts, Kathmandu University, Lalitpur, Nepal.
authors: Niraj
authors: N
authors: Poudyal
authors: School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, College of the Environment, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America.
authors: Nabin
authors: N
authors: Baral
authors: School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, College of the Environment, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America.
authors: Stanley T
authors: ST
authors: Asah
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D003670:Deer; D007061:Idaho; D058751:Livestock; D008954:Models, Biological; D009009:Montana; D011157:Population Dynamics; D011235:Predatory Behavior; D012756:Sheep; D034561:Sheep, Domestic; D019596:Wolves / Q000502:physiology*; D014959:Wyoming