Wolfdogs killing livestock

By Tom Purdom
Staff Writer

CANDY KITCHEN — A pack of four wolfdogs escaped from the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary here a month ago and the animals have since killed.

The Ramah Navajo Police Department and the Zuni Department of Game and Fish are trying to trap the animals, but in the hundreds of square miles of rugged countryside, it is an almost impossible task at best.

No humans have been killed. Nor have any been attacked.

Val R. Panteah Sr., the Ramah Navajo Police Department chief, said four wolves escaped on Feb. 25.

Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary Executive Director Leyton Cougar reported the animals missing a week after the escape. Cougar was unavailable for comment.

Panteah said the wolves are light colored like a coyote, but a lot larger than a coyote. "The Ramah Navajo Police Department is currently working with the Zuni Game and Fish and the caretaker of the wolf ranch to capture or destroy these animals," Panteah said.

The police chief said the wolfdogs were raised in homes, but even so, out of captivity, they are considered a threat to livestock.

The animals attacked and killed an alpaca, a llama-like animal weighing between 400 to 500 pounds, and possibly attacked and severely injured an Arabian horse as well. The alpaca and horse were on a 300-acre ranch about two miles north of the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary.

The latest sighting was when two goats belonging to Harry Nez were killed by the wolves. One of the wolves was shot and killed during the attack. "Leyton Cougar confirmed the attack was done by his animals," Panteah said.

The wolf sanctuary is an 80-acre compound in Ponderosa pine trees at an elevation of about 7,600 feet north of Pinehill in Cibola County. The compound holds several large high fence enclosures. At one time it was called the Candy Kitchen Rescue Ranch and was founded in 1991.

Animals in the compound, both wolves and wolfdogs, come from all over the United States. Wolfdogs are a combination breed of both large dog and wolf. They do not make good pets and more often than not, they look like a wolf. The animals carry most of the characteristics of wolves and are powerful, but socializing animals.

Panteah said his department asked for public assistance a few weeks ago through a radio broadcast over the Ramah radio station.

As soon as the broadcast was made, results came. "We started getting reports from people in the (Navajo) community about seeing them," Panteah said. "We do not want to create any confusion, but we still need the assistance of the people."

Panteah's police force cannot be everywhere and the animals have several hundred square miles of territory in which to roam. "If anyone sees these animals, report it to the police immediately," Panteah said.

For the most part, Panteah said he does not want people shooting at the wolves unless the animal is a threat to livestock or humans and then only if the shot will not put other humans in danger. "If you have livestock that have been killed by animals, report that to us immediately too," Panteah said.

Clybert Peyketwa, a Ramah Navajo Police Department resource officer and police officer said there have been no more recent sightings. "From the last sightings (the killing of Nez's goats) we tracked them back into the Zuni Reservation," Peyketwa said.

Peyketwa said it appears the wolves escaped from the double cage enclosure by climbing over an inner high fence, and then slithering under the outer fence when they escaped on Feb. 25.

For now, Peyketwa said the wolves may be feeding on a winter-killed cow in the wilderness. "The stomach content of the wolf that was killed had beef in it," Peyketwa said.

The best avenue is to re-capture the animals, not shoot them. An added danger in shooting one of them, aside from hitting another human being, is wounding a wolf. Any wounded animal can become dangerous to humans.

Peyketwa said he is still stalking the wolves when a report comes in, but he needs fresh reports. "People must report sightings soon after they have seen the wolves," Peyketwa said. "Most of the tracking we've done is from tracks that are several days old."

The wolves could be feeding on wild animals too, Peyketwa said.

Because the wolfdogs were around people, they are not afraid of people. Peyketwa said a sighting two weeks ago put the animals right at a housing area in Pinehill.

Peyketwa said the wolfdogs can be a danger to humans. "We've got Navajo ladies out there tending to their sheep herds, children walking to their homes," Peyketwa said. "People are scared."

As one area resident said, "If they're not dangerous, why are they kept in high cages?"

To report a sighting call the Ramah Navajo Police at 775-3226.