STEVENS COUNTY, Wash. — Stevens County Sheriff Brad Manke testified on the recent depredations happening in the area.
Manke testified during the public comment period at the Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting on Friday.
During his testimony, Manke said wolves have wolves and cougars have "saturated" areas in northeast and southeast Washington with Manke also saying bear numbers are also higher than they've been in years.
"Wolf depredations are near an all-time high, cougars continuously must be removed due to depredations on domestic animals, and bears are causing more nuisance and property damage than ever," Manke said. "The reduction of ungulates and them being pushed out of their traditional areas is immeasurable all-over eastern Washington. This is not only affecting peoples’ safety and livelihoods but is drastically reducing the hunting opportunities that you as the commission are mandated to maintain."
Manke said livestock producers are suffering loss "at an alarming rate," to the point where some have gone out of business, in particular in the sheep and beef industries.
"Unfortunately, due to the loss of confidence in the Department and to some extent the Sheriffs that are sworn to protect them, many depredations are going unreported by producers. This is skewing the data terribly. Better WDFW-landowner relations could help this," Manke said.
Manke said the oversaturation of wolves is also hurting the local economy.
Manke clarified in his testimony that they do not want predators eliminated from the landscape, but rather, they be managed more effectively to reduce conflict and increase hunting and wildlife viewing opportunities.
