Oregon lawmakers debating a bill to better compensate victims of wolf attacks.

Right now if your cow or sheep is killed by wolves you must notify the Fish & Wildlife folks to come out and confirm the kill. Then the state cuts you a check.

But for ranchers in the mountains, like Baker County in eastern Oregon, by the time they find a dead animal it's already a day or two old. By the time someone from the state makes it up to confirm the kill the carcass is long gone.

At least 77 wolves in 9 packs live in northeast Oregon. Normally a rancher can expect to lose one or two animals a year to wolves, but in 2013 one Baker County rancher lost 12 adult cows and 12 calves!

[SOURCE: East Oregonian]

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