Great Expectorations

When the Government banned the use of poison traps eight years ago, Wyoming Wool Grower John Lye began losing about 10% of his sheep to coyotes. When he tried shooting them, they started attacking at night. Says Lye: "They have an uncanny instinct for trouble." Then he hit upon an exotic ploy. Lye got three llamas, those feisty beasts with keen eyesight, fearsome spit, a mean kick--and a passable resemblance to sheep. At first the coyotes were buffaloed. Every time they came down for a hit the llamas would spit, then stomp and slash with their front hooves. "For two weeks, they were effective," says Lye. "Then the coyotes figured them out. They are the shrewdest predator that there is."

The coyotes began sending a lone decoy to pull the llamas away from the sheep while the rest of the pack went in for the kill. After two months of the range war, the llamas just drifted off by themselves. Since their departure last spring, Lye has lost 32 sheep. Now Lye has a new plan: to raise a baby llama in a herd of sheep so that it will grow up fierce as a llama, but loyal as a lamb. And if that does not work? Says Lye: "I'm about ready to quit sheep growing and start raising llamas."

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