The Ghost in the Dusk
A suspected timber wolf triggered a stampede, tearing down fences between neighbors and leaving a trail of questions.
What is believed to have been a timber wolf stampeded the dairy herd of Sam Allard one evening last week and in their mad dash the cattle swept away every fence between the Allard place and John Dumert’s. Mrs. Allard, who was home alone at the time, says the animal in the dusk looked to her like an unusually large coyote. John Grom, who has done considerable trapping in that country for several years, after examining tracks, says that he believes they were made by a timber wolf that he has been trying to trap for several weeks. None of the cattle were injured by the animal, although it was following close behind a yearling heifer when seen by Mrs. Allard.
“Mrs. Allard who was home alone at the time says the animal in the dusk looked to her like an unusually large coyote.”
Predator-livestock conflicts remain a persistent, often heated, topic in Washington’s rural lands. The mention of the 'timber wolf' highlights the ongoing, century-long struggle to coexist with apex predators in the Columbia Basin.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.