Farmer shot Wearwolf attacking cattles @ US/Canada Border

[matamafia]

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44243644

'Wolf-like' creature shot near Montana ranch puzzles experts

• 25 May 2018

• Share this with Facebook
• Share this with Twitter
• Share this with Messenger
• Share this with Email
• Share

Image copyright Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks
Image caption Bizarre theories have circulated online that it could be a werewolf or relative of Bigfoot
US wildlife experts are baffled by a "wolf-like" animal that was killed by a Montana farmer.

The rancher near the town of Denton shot the creature last week when it came within several hundred metres of his livestock, said officials.

State wildlife experts said they have been unable to pinpoint its species.

After inspecting the creature, they said they doubt it's a wolf as its teeth were too short, front paws abnormally small and claws too large.

Bizarre theories have circulated online that it could be a werewolf, a young grizzly bear or a relative of Bigfoot.

In a news release, the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (FWP) said it was a "young, non-lactating female and a canid, a member of the dog family that includes dogs, foxes, coyotes and wolves".

"We have no idea what this was until we get a DNA report back," a spokesman for the agency, Bruce Auchly, told the Great Falls Tribune.

He added that it may be up to a week before results come in, which should help identify the cryptid.

Image copyright Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks
Image caption Experts say its body shape is different from a pure wolf
Image copyright Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks
Image caption Its fur is different from wolves, experts say
"Several things grabbed my attention when I saw the pictures," Ty Smucker, wolf management specialist for Montana FWP, told the newspaper.

"The ears are too big. The legs look a little short. The feet look a little small, and the coat looks weird.

"There's just something off about it."

Image copyright Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks
Image caption Its front paws are abnormally small for a wolf
The agency noted the "mythical" theories swirling online, including that it could be a direwolf.

"First off [dire wolf] was a song by the Grateful Dead from 1971," Mr Auchly joked.

"I know, I listened to it many times.

"Number two, it's a prehistoric animal, like mastodons and saber toothed tigers; so it doesn't exist."

It's too far north to be the legendary Chupacabra, some say, with others wondering if it may be a "Dogman".

But others think it is a coywolf (a coyote wolf hybrid), or perhaps a wolfdog bred in captivity and later released into the wild.

Wolf hunting is permitted in the state and residents are allowed to kill wolves that threaten their property, the wildlife agency noted in their news release.

Last week, Montana state wolf researchers estimated there to be around 900 wolves across the state.

You may also be interested in:

• Mysterious sea creature found on beach
• US parents win battle to evict son 30
• Sea creature remains baffle beach goers

 

[matamafia]

https://www.greatfallstribune.com/s...us-creature-montanans-look-answers/634379002/

Mysterious wolf-like creature shot in northcentral Montana near Denton
David Murray, [email protected] Published 2:34 p.m. MT May 24, 2018 | Updated 9:31 a.m. MT May 25, 2018


Days after a wolf-like creature was fatally shot on a ranch in Denton, Montana, officials are still unable to determine what type of animal it is. Buzz60

TWEETLINKEDIN 87 COMMENTEMAILMORE
Was it a wolf, some type of hybrid, or a creature that hasn't been seen in Montana since the Ice Age?

On May 16 a lone wolf-like animal was shot and killed on a ranch outside Denton. With long grayish fur, a large head and an extended snout, the animal shared many of the same characteristics as a wolf; but its ears were too large, it's legs and body too short, its fur uncharacteristic of that common to a wolf.

So far, the exact species is a mystery

So what was it? At this point, no one is 100 percent sure.

More: Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks' official response

"We have no idea what this was until we get a DNA report back," said Bruce Auchly, information manager for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. "It was near a rancher's place, it was shot, and our game wardens went to investigate. The whole animal was sent to our lab in Bozeman. That's the last I ever heard of it."

Canid creature shot near Denton (Photo: Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks)

Social media from around the Lewistown area was buzzing last week; with many people chiming in on what they believed the creature to be.

Grizzly cub? Dogman? Dire wolf? Or what?
"That's a grizzly cub," one commentator wrote. "Under a year and starving from the look."

Subscribe today: Our Memorial Day Sale ends on May 31.

"Maybe a dire wolf," wrote another, "because I don't believe they are all gone."

Speculation roamed as far as identifying that animal as a crypto-canid species said to roam the forests of North America.

"That could very well be what’s being called Dogman," one poster suggested. "They’re spotted each day and the government quells any and all reports. Several people report being strong armed into keeping quiet about their reports by men wearing black suits. These are just facts. Look into if if you don’t believe it."

More: Wolf killed near Judith Gap traveled all the way from Washington

Auchly doesn't.

"First off (dire wolf) was a song by the Grateful Dead from 1971," he said of the prehistoric species speculation. "I know; I listened to it many times. Number two, it's a prehistoric animal, like mastodons and saber toothed tigers; so it doesn't exist."

Canid creature shot near Denton (Photo: Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks)

As for the Dogman theory; there's a regular Friday night YouTube broadcast called "Dogman Encounters" for those who wish to follow up on that line of thought. It comes on right after "Bigfoot Eyewitness" radio.

Nonetheless, there remains an element of uncertainty about the creature, even among wildlife biologists.

More: Night of the Grizzlies: Lessons learned in 50 years since attacks

"Several things grabbed my attention when I saw the pictures," said Ty Smucker, wolf management specialist for Montana FWP. "The ears are too big. The legs look a little short. The feet look a little small, and the coat looks weird. There's just something off about it."

Possible wolf/dog hybrid
Smucker's own speculation runs toward some type of wolf/dog hybrid. He noted several occasions within the last few years in which canid predators, neither all wolf nor all dog were causing problems with ranchers east of the Continental Divide.

More: A hunt with heroes: Country thanks Purple Heart veterans with Montana deer hunting adventure

More: Creationism museum in eastern Montana connects dinosaurs, the Bible

"We've had a few instances of wolf/dog hybrids out there," Smucker said. "One was out somewhere in eastern central Montana killing sheep like crazy. Finally, we caught it and it turned out to be a hybrid."

A visitor at the Shy Wolf Sanctuary in Naples, Florida pets a wolfdog. According to the International Wolf Center, nearly all wolfdogs are bred in captivity. (Photo: Nicole Raucheisen/Naples Daily News)

Wolves and dogs are unique in the animal world, in that they can interbreed and produce offspring that can, in turn, produce their own litters. This is unlike the pairing of a horse and a donkey, which will produce a mule; but mules are always infertile and incapable of producing offspring on their own.

More: Wait, wait..the WOLF in the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame?

Wolfdog ownership and interbreeding by private citizens remains controversial.

According to the International Wolf Center, nearly all wolfdogs are bred in captivity. Wolves and dogs can breed in the wild, but this occurrence is very rare; largely because wolves are very territorial and more likely to kill an unfamiliar dog that enters their home range rather than accept it into a pack.

More: J'accuse! Famed Glacier black bear suspect in llama killings

Wolfdogs are heavily regulated and hybrids should have a tattoo identifier
The behavioral tendencies of wolfdogs are unpredictable, ranging from bold, aggressive and territorial; to placid, submissive and friendly - even among pups within a single litter. For that reason, the breeding of wolfdogs in captivity is highly regulated.

"If you have a wolfdog hybrid it's supposed to have a tattoo on a lip, and it's supposed to be registered with the state," Smucker said. "A lot of those people don't bother following regulations."

Linda and John Holden found two young grizzlies wandering around outside their home on Friday evening. Wochit

The unfortunate consequence is that some wolfdog owners discover they are either incapable or unwilling to care for their animals, and end up releasing them into the wild.

"Every year, thousands of pet wolves or hybrids are abandoned, rescued or euthanized because people purchase an animal they were not prepared to care for," the International Wolf Center states. "A few facilities exist around the country that take in unwanted canines, but their resources are usually very limited."

Aries is one of the 60 rescued or abused wolfdogs who lives at Full Moon Farm in Florida. (Photo: Abigail Margulis/amargulis@ashev)

It is not clear whether the animal shot in Denton falls into this category, but the problem of irresponsible wolfdog owners is well known by FWP officials.

"Over the years we've had incidences of hybrids where someone has a wolfdog - and I don't know if it gets too big or if it just wants to be free and wanders off,"

It is legal to shoot a wolf if it is preying on livestock on private property
The animal shot near Denton was not directly implicated in any livestock predation, but as FWP warden Zach Norris noted, the ranching family who shot it were well within their legal right to do so.

More: Sun River Valley rancher living life she loves despite MS

"It was real close to the cattle and residences," Norris noted. "There were domestic dogs in the area and then there were children. It was legitimate for the wolf-like animal to be shot based upon Senate Bill 200. Everything was okay with it."

Passed by the Montana legislature in 2013, SB 200 both established a wolf hunting season and made it legal for a landowner to kill a wolf at any time when the wolf is on the landowner's private property and poses "a potential threat to human safety, livestock or dogs."

Under SB 200, property owners who do kill a wolf are obligated to contact local authorities and allow them the chance to inspect the animal.

More: Two young grizzlies wander into couple's yard outside of Valier

"It had already been loaded up and taken to the residence of the landowner," Norris said of the Denton animal. "Typically if that kind of thing happens, we want the animal to lay where it died so we can investigate from the start."

Smucker was eager to clear up another misconception sometimes thrown at FWP officials; that the agency is in the habit of relocating problem wolves into areas where they don't belong.

"People think that we're out there dropping wolves off everywhere," Smucker said. "Fish, Wildlife and Parks has been managing wolves in Montana since 2003 or 2004, and we've not ever trans-located a problem wolf. The Fish and Wildlife Service tried to do that for awhile, but we just don't do that."

According to the department's official Grey Wolf Conservation and Management Report, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks works collaboratively with the federal Wildlife Services to eliminate (kill) Montana wolves with a documented history of livestock depredations.

More: Glacier Park Lodge touts its Hutterite ties

"I heard a guy talking about, 'Oh, I saw a Fish, Wildlife and Parks trailer out in eastern Montana at the gas station. I looked in the back and there's like a dozen wolves in there," Smucker recalled. "I was like, yeah - maybe there was a sled dog team in there? I don't know."

Conspiracies, government cover-ups, oddball alien sightings aside, aggressive wolf-like carnivores shot in cattle country Montana are a legitimate concern.

The body of the animal shot outside Denton has now been transported, examined and frozen. Results from its DNA testing will likely take weeks to process.

Smucker notes that the whole debate over positively identifying the Denton animal is something of a side issue. Yes it's interesting and fun to speculate about, but if a property owner can claim a legitimate threat to the well-being of their family or livestock from any animal; be it a wolf, dog, wolf/dog, dogman or some other mysterious creature, they have the legal right to defend those assets, up to and including using lethal force if necessary.

More: Shocking dashcam footage from MHP

"If you're letting your dog run wild and it's chasing livestock, the property owner has the right to shoot it," Smucker said. "Whether it's a wolf or a dog chasing cows, or a dog that looks like a wolf; in Montana on private land, property owners and livestock producers have every right to shoot a wolf."

"Tell us about it and we'll come and get it," he added. "That's about it."

 

[matamafia]

https://www.ajc.com/news/national/m...tumps-experts-montana/I60wUhtDzsH3dnLzO7a78L/

Montana Mystery ‘Wolf Creature’ Has Experts Shocked
Mystery wolf-like creature stumps experts in Montana
Updated May 25, 2018
By

• Lauren Padgett, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• 
  ...
  More

GREAT FALLS, MONT. —
A large wolf-like animal shot and killed by a rancher near Denton, Montana, has left wildlife officials puzzled over what it was.

>> Read more trending news

A rancher shot and killed the animal May 16 after it came within several hundred yards of his livestock, according to KRTV. He reported it to wildlife officials, as required by law.

The animal was first believed to be a wolf, but when specialists with Montana, Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) examined the animal, they doubted it was purebred.

The animal had long greyish fur that is uncharacteristic of a common wolf, with a short body, large head and extended snout, experts told the Great Falls Tribune. In addition, its ears were too large and the claws on the front paws were too long to be a wolf.

>>Read: Could DNA finally prove, disprove Loch Ness Monster’s existence?

Officials with FWP told KRTV that they do not want to speculate on what it was. The animal carcass will be shipped to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife service laboratory in Ashland, Oregon for further testing.

People on social media have been calling this creature everything from a wolf-hybrid to a werewolf.

The North American Dogman Project, a group of volunteer researchers that tracks sightings of mysterious wolflike creatures across the United States, posted a photo of the Montana animal on its Twitter page.

View the photo here.

 

[matamafia]