Wolf attacks reported on farms near Mayerthorpe

Farmers near Mayerthorpe are on high alert after wolves attacked animals in two separate incidents over the past two weeks.

Three cows were slaughtered in one case; a mare and donkey were attacked in the other.

The latter incident occurred earlier this month on Merle Arthur's horse and mule farm near Mayerthorpe. The attack shocked him because donkeys usually keep wolves at bay.

"If you or I were to run up and grab him by the hind leg, we wouldn't wake up for about a week — if we woke up," Arthur said.

"So he would have put up an awful fight. It would have been more than one wolf. It would have been a pack of wolves that did this."

Arthur had to shoot the donkey because it was so badly injured.

Cattle farmers can get compensation, but Arthur won't be able to claim anything for his donkey.

"They're not considered a specific meat-producing animal," said local wildlife officer Greg Gilbertson. "So the program doesn't cover those types of animals."

Arthur says the loss of his donkey will be a financial set-back as it was the only male he owned for breeding.

"This is my living," he said. "This is what I do and them wolves took a good part of it away."