Wolf Studies by UW and WSU Reach Different Conclusions

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Washington State University researchers raised eyebrows in 2014 with a study that said killing problem wolves can actually increase livestock attacks the following year by disrupting the social structure of packs.

Now, a dueling study from the University of Washington offers a different conclusion. Three UW researchers, who aren't wildlife biologists but were intrigued by the earlier study, analyzed the same data with a different statistical approach. The Spokesman-Review reports their work indicated that killing wolves that prey on livestock can lead to a short-term increase in attacks, particularly for sheep.

But the year after the wolves were killed, livestock attacks went down. The UW study was published last week in the journal PLOS ONE, which also published the earlier WSU research. WSU researchers are criticizing the new conclusions.