Wolves: Monster or Necessary?

    Does   this   look  like  a  cold  blooded,   calculating   sheep   stealing,  calf   eating,   vandal   and   murder   to  you?  If  you  answered   yes  to  this question   than   you  are   as  naive,   uneducated,   closed   minded   and   blind  as   the   farmers   and   ranchers   in  southern   Canada   and   the   northern  Midwest   and  western   United   States. These   individuals   are   miss  informed   on  the   natural   behavior   of  Canius   Lupus   the   gray   wolf  –  and  all   wolves   –  an  endangered   species   and   to  shed   light   on  how conserving   our   natural   resources   and   all  species   currently   on  the  planet   specifically   keystone   species   such   as  the   gray   wolf  is  not   only advantageous   but   also   profitable.

    The   majority   of  the   individuals   who  want   to  see   wolves  eliminated   from   the   Yellowstone   region   and   Alaska   and   thus   pushed  closer   yet   to  extinction   typically   are   farmers   and   ranchers   in  the  region   who  think   the  wolves   are   going   to  eat   their   livestock.  While   wolves   have   on  occasion   taken   a  sickly sheep or one of  the   young   they  do  this  not  out  of  malice   but   out  of  need. Studies   have   shown   that   the   opponents   of  wolf  reintroduction  typically   incorrectly   assume   that   when   predators   –  specifically  wolves  - are   present,   ranchers,   local   communities   and   hunters  will  suffer.   Yet since   reintroduction   has   begun   the   ranching   communities   near   the  reintroduction   location   have   experienced   few  livestock   losses   due   to wolves. Outside   of  Yellowstone   and   the   Denali  Preserve   wolf  prey   is extremely   scarce   and   some   years   the   prey   population   suffers   from  various   ills  to  shrink   them   to  the   point   that   the   wolves   naturally  attempt   to  find  enough   prey   to  feed   their   packs.  Typically   they   do  this   by  wondering   out  of  the   parks   into  the  surrounding   areas.   If  when   the   farmers   and   ranchers   –  and   developers building   hotels   and   homes   against   the   parks   –  began   “taming”   their  property   they   did  not   destroy   ALL  the   habitats   of  the   native   mammal  populations   these   prey   populations   would   be  larger   –  but   not  unmanageable   and   the   wolves   would   have   plenty   of  prey  and   would  not   consider   the   ranchers   sheep,   calves,   and   old  lame   cows.  There   are  several   trusts   set   up  to  pay  back   individuals   who  do loose   animals   –  i.e.  profits   –  one   such   is  Defenders’   Wolf Compensation   Fund.

    Towns   boarding   Yellowstone  have a thriving “Wolf  tourism”   and   sales   of  wolf related   merchandise   boomed   in  the   first   year   (1996)   following   the  return   of  the   gray   wolf  to  the   park   and   in  the   past   20  years   hunting  license   sales   and   deer   harvest   figures   in  all  states   with   wolves   have  increased   steadily.

    Wolves   are   naturally   curious   –  like  all  members   of  the   canus  genus   which   they   share   with   all  other   “dogs”   on  the   planet   including  your   family  dog.   Wolves   are   not  naturally   aggress   or  dangerous   to people.   For   example   in  North   America   they   have   only  been   18 reported   attacks  by  wolves   on  humans   in  the   last  36  years   –  none   of them   fatal,   while   on  the   other   hand   the   domesticated   dog   is responsible   for  more   than   4.7  MILLION   reported   bits  and   dozens   of reported   fatalities   PER YEAR!!.

Wolf  prey,   when   their   natural   populations   are   not   decimated   by human   actions,   typically  include   Caribou,   moose,   elk,  dall  sheep,  beavers,   snow   shoe   hare,   cotton   tail  hare,   and   various   species   of rodents   such   as  the   ground   squirrels   with   the   large   deer   species  taking   up  the   majority   of the   diet   of  various   wolf  packs   especially  in North   America.

  Wolves   are   social  animals   and   prefer   to  live  in  packs   ranging  from   2 to  29  individuals   typically  having   at  least   one   breeding   pair,   if more   than   one  of  each   sex  of  mature   or  adolescent   wolves   are   present there   will  be  a  hierarchy   established,   often   challenged   yearly,  consisting   of  an   Alpha   female,   Beta   female,   etc,  and   an  Alpha   male,  Beta   male,   etc,   with   the   Alpha   female   being   dominant   to  all  members  of  her   pack   inducing   her   mate, the   alpha   male.   In  the  wolf  pack   there   are   typically several   pups   and   often   one   to  two  year  old   “adolescent”   wolves   that   are   all  close   relatives   to  the  breeding   pair,   typically   the   females   siblings or  their   pups   of  the  previous   year.

    Anyone who  has   had   more   than   one  dog  at  any  point   in  their   life or watched   your   dog  and   a  stray   dog  interacting   with   one   another  when they  first   met   you  will  observe   one   looking   like  he  or  she   is “bowing” down   to  the   other,   often   “smiling”   and   typically  waging   his or   her   tail and   the   other   dog  –  typically  a  female   –  will  be  standing  stiff   often with its  front   shoulder   perpendicular   to  the   other   with   her  head   turned   toward the   other   dog.  Their   posturing   is  typical   Canius  behavior;   they   are   establishing   who   is  dominant.   If  the   encounter   was  between   a  male   dog  and   a  female   dog  the  male   dog  almost   always  behaves   subservient   to  the   female,   if  the   encounter   was   between   two females   typically   the   one   who   was   “there   first”   or  is  older   will  behave  in    a  dominant   way  with  the  “newcomer”   or  younger   female   acting  subservient.


    Wolves   communicate   not  only  by  the   well  know   “wolf  howl”  but also   by  facial   expressions,   body   postures,   scent   marking,   barks,  whimpers,   growls,   and   other   vocalizations.   They  use   these   various  sounds   and   mannerisms   to  communicate   what   they  feel,  where   they are   and   what   they  need.  Wolves   who  are   allowed   to  live  a  natural   life  span   –  not encroached   upon   or  murdered   by  humans   –  typically  live  at  least   12 years.  While   most   wolves   in  North   America   living   less   than   5  years   at the  present   time   due   to  interactions   with   other   packs   and   above   all else because   of  assaults   by  humans.

    Currently   in  Yellowstone   National   Park   and   Denali  Nation   Park  and   Preserve   more   than   half  of  the   wolves   present   will  not  live  to  see  their   third   birthday.   The   Yellowstone   wolves   are   not  prevented   from  leaving   the   park   and   the   majority   of  the   Yellowstone   wolf  deaths   are  from   the locals   shooting   them   on  site   when   they   venture   out  of  the  park   –  even if  they   are   harming   no  person   nor  livestock.   The  remaining  deaths   of Yellowstone   wolves   are   due   to  encounters   with   neighboring  wolf  packs. The   wolves   of  Denali  National   Park   and   Perverse   not  only  die from   encounters   with   other   wolf  packs   but   the   vast   majority   of  these  wolf deaths   are   due   to  “subsistence   hunting   and   trapping”   allowed   by bad   legislation   that   was   passed   against   the   will  of  the   majority   of Alaskans   that   allows   these   activities   in  certain   areas   of  the   park   and  “general   trapping   and   sport   hunting”   that   is  also  allowed   by  this  same legislation   on  the   state   lands   bordering   Denali  with   the   exception   of  a small   125   square   mile  buffer   zone   outside   the   eastern   end   of  the   Park  that   was   established   to  help   protect   the   Denali  East   Fork   and   Mount  Margaret   Packs. Since   2000   many   of  the   national   conversation   laws   along   with many   long  standing   state   and   local  conservation   laws   have   been   over turned   including   MANY  put   in  place   to  protect   endangered   species  such as  the   gray   wolf. One   major   set  back   for  wolf  populations   in  Alaska   is the  grotesque   laws   that   the   state   legislature   passed   to  the   dismay   of 60% of  Alaskan   voters:   Aerial  wolf  kills  and   same-day  airborne   wolf  kills. In 2003   two  regions   of  Alaskan   issued   40   aerial   gunning   teams   permits which   resulted   in  the   deaths   of  147   wolves!   In 2004 100   permits   were   issued   resulting   in  the   murder   of  610   wolves!!!

    What   is  aerial   and   same   day  airborne   wolf  kills  you  are   probably wondering.   They  are   similar   to  each   other   but   with   few  differences. Aerial   wolf  kills  is  where   gunners   in  airplanes   can   track   wolves  on  the   ground,   chase   the   wolves   until  the   wolves   are   exhausted   and  murder   them   from   the   air. Same   day  airborne   kills,  also   referred   to  as  “land   and   shoot”,   is where   airborne   gunners   track   wolves   on  the   ground,   chase   them   to exhaustion,   then   the   plane   lands,   the   gunner(s)   get   out   and   shot   the  wolves   where   they  cower in fear.  Both   methods   not  only allow  quick   decimation   of  a  keystone  species   and   the   wolf  pack   but also result   in  harassment   of  the   other  wildlife   and   often   wounding   some   of the   wolves   causing   them   to  suffer more.

    Why  would  wolf  conservation   or  conservation   in  general,   be important?   Wolves   as  I  have   mentioned   are   THE  MAJOR  keystone  species   of  their   ecosystems.   Their   predation   of  various   deer,   rodents,  and   other   small mammals   ensured   these   populations   stay  down   to  a manageable   size. Since   the   “wolf  hunts”   in  Alaska   have   been   allowed  moose   and   caribou   populations   have   sky  rocketed   causing the   Alaska   Board   of Game   to  lift  a  state   wide   ban   on  moose   calf  killing in  order   to DECREASE   moose   populations   in  a  large   area   near  Fairbanks   where   wolf  kills  has   been   the   most   severe.   Such  “eruptions”   in  moose   populations   are   typical   after   intense   “predator  control”   or  the   removal   of  a  keystone   species   such   as  the   gray   wolf  is to   this   and   most   areas   it  inhabits.  Eruptions   often   result   in  habitat   destruction   by  the   out   of control   population   and   ultimately   a  population   crash   due   to overcrowding and   starvation.

    You  might   be  naively  thinking...   “Well  there   MUST  have   been   an overpopulation   of  wolves   in  Alaska   to  merit   this   legislation   that  caused   all  these   problems”   ---  WRONG!!!   The  density   of  wolves   in most   of Alaska   is  low  to  moderate   in  abundance,   according   to  the  Alaska Department   of  Fish   and   Game   the   current   population   of  wolves in  Alaska   is  estimated   between   7,700   to  11,200   individuals   at  the  most.   With   wolves   being   hunted   and   trapped   on  over   99%  of  state  land   in  Alaska.   One   must   remember   the   majority   of  the   land   in  Alaska  is under   state   control.   All  the   wolves   in  Alaska   is  about   4000   less   than the   population   of  Taylor,   Texas,   with   these   11,200   individuals   being spread   over   586,412   square   miles…the   equivalent   to  one   fifth  the United   States.


    What   can   you  do  to  help  preserve   our  diversity   of  species   and  most   importantly   protect   endangered   species   from   extinction?   Many  things!!   To  help   stop   the   senseless   murder   of  the   wolves   in  Alaska  and   around Yellowstone   join  Defenders   of  Wildlife,  the   Sierra   Club,  National   Wildlife Federation,   Save   Alaskan   Wolves,   petition   the  Secretary   of  the   Interior   asking   him   to  put   an  IMMEDIATE  end   to  the  aerial   assault   on  wolves   in  Alaska   by  ENFORCING   the   federal  airborne   Hunting   Act,  Petition   your   federal   legislatures   to  speak   out against   the   continued   murder   of wolves   and   other   predators   that   is violating   the   FAHA,  petition   Alaska’s governor  about   this   disgusting   Act. And  above   all  else   keep   informed   by the   conservationist   on these   issues.

If  we  don’t  do  something   now………….

 ……….. This   is  the   sound   our   grandchildren   won’t  get   to  hear   if  we don’t  stop  the   senseless   murder   of  countless   wolves.