LIVINGSTON, Mont. - Three wolves from a pack with a history of killing livestock have been released in the wild after undergoing an experimental program in which they were shocked if they approached cattle.
The adult males, the last remaining members of the Sheep Mountain Pack, were released Tuesday in their home range north of Dailey Lake.
Wildlife managers killed six other members of the pack in the past year after they were linked to a series of livestock killings in the area. One female died in captivity in June during the experiment.
The animals were trapped in May and placed in a half-acre pen on a Montana ranch owned by media mogul Ted Turner.
As part of an experimental aversion program, each wolf was fitted with an electronic collar that delivered a shock whenever it approached a cow hide or calf placed in the pen.
Val Asher, a wildlife biologist for the Ted Turner Endangered Species Fund which paid for the project, called the experiment a success, but said there are no guarantees the animals won't attack livestock again.
Ed Bangs, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's wolf recovery coordinator, said if the wolves do kill in the future, federal wildlife managers likely will be forced to shoot them.
''In an area like this, we may have a place where wolves can't make it,'' Bangs said Tuesday.
At the release, two of the wolves, at first reluctant to leave their aluminum crates, trotted away with their heads cocked back looking at the small crowd. Then they ran over a nearby ridgeline toward the Six Mile Creek drainage.
A third wolf, a 2-year-old black male, remained under the effect of the tranquilizers and was slow to leave the area before finally being chased off by Asher.
About 15 concerned with the federal wolf program people attended Tuesday's release, including ranchers, outfitters and a state representative.
''Wolves affect these people's livelihood and the way of life in this valley and they feel they're not being heard,'' said state Rep. John Esp, R-Big Timber, one of those who attended the release.