KETCHUM, Idaho (AP) — Federal officials have hunted down seven wolves believed responsible for killing sheep and cattle.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services with authorization from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game shot the animals from the air in the Stanley area last week, about 60 miles north of Ketchum.

Todd Grimm of Wildlife Services says that wolves from the Basin Butte pack carried out 14 incidents of depredation in recent months and in August killed 36 sheep in two nights.

But Jon Marvel of the group Western Watersheds Project says that blame for the livestock deaths shouldn't land fully on the wolves. He says the state doesn't require ranchers to take safety precautions.

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Information from: Idaho Mountain Express