It was a few days after the two were chased back to their compound that another guy left for a walk along the lake and the people that found his remains that night of his walk figured he was attacked by at least two wolves and when he tried to make it back they hamstrung him and killed him. I doubt he tried to pet them. :)
Robbins, who owns the 150,000-acre HD High Island Ranch on Owl Creek near Thermopolis, said he was told by a state predator control officer that eight gray wolves were captured in one net on his land.
He said one 3-5 year old cow weighing 1,200 pounds is valued at about $1,000.
“We’re missing 10-15 head,” Robbins said. His neighbor, who runs 300 head, is missing five.
The federal government “turned my ranch into a recovery zone for the wolf,” adding they “are willing to sacrifice us to get (wolves) delisted.”
In 10 years Robbins says he has never received any payment for loss of cattle to predators.
In one case he said a predator control officer observed a wolf eating a dead cow, but could not say what killed it.
“They can’t verify it, so they don’t pay you.
http://www.codyenterprise.com/articles/2004/03/08/news/news2.txt