A wolf recently killed a hunting dog in easterb Jackson County. Anyone running a dog in that area is urged to use caution.
A hunting dog was killed by wolves July 22 in the Jackson County town of Knapp.
The
Department of Natural Resources confirmed that a five-year-old Plott
bear hound was the victim of a fatal attack in Jackson County Forest
land east of Potter’s Flowage. The DNR has posted a map marking a four-mile radius from the site of the attack and labeled it a “wolf caution area.”
DNR carnivore specialist Dave McFarland said the area remains open to dogs but advised caution.
“This is just a notice to be aware that there’s a caution area and heightened risk,” he said.
The area is one of the prime wolf habitats in the state. “That
portion of Jackson County and the central forest is what we would
consider traditional population, and there’s a healthy population
there,” McFarland said.
While wolves are highly
territorial and prone to attacking hunting dogs, McFarland said the risk
of a wolf attacking a human is “extremely low.” He said there isn’t a
documented case of a wolf attacking and injuring a human in Wisconsin
and that human encounters with wolves are very rare. “The
wolf population is low density compared to deer and other animals,”
McFarland said. “Many people who live in wolf country will never see a
wolf.”
The dog was the sixth killed by wolves in
Wisconsin this year. A dog was killed in Clark County near the Jackson
County border Jan. 1, and four others have been killed in northern
Wisconsin. Dog owners are eligible for reimbursement from the state up to a maximum of $2,500.
