"Gray wolves killed 12 dogs and injured seven others across the state since the beginning of 2010, according to Bob Manwell, a spokesperson for the Wisconsin Department of Resources. Eight of the incidents involved trailing hounds, and five of the incidents occurred in Ashland and Bayfield counties.

With the growth of the gray wolf population in Wisconsin and Michigan, there have been some problems with wolves killing livestock, pets and bear hunting dogs, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The bear trailing hound training season opened July 1.

A DNR news release states that transferring management of wolves to state natural resource agencies will allow better control of the population and greater protections for livestock and pet owners.

But the wolf is a federally endangered species, so the state agency is pushing for the U.S. Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service to remove the gray wolf from the endangered species list."

Claudia Broman reports for the Ashland Current August 10, 2010. [2]