Not just a predator: Wolves bring a suprising ecological recovery to Yellowstone

Boston Globe ^ | 9/30/2003 | Nicholas Thompson

[TroutStalker]

I was in the Lamar Valley three weeks ago. We took an 18 mile horse trip to the third meadow on Slough Creek to fish. Our guide has lived in the area his whole life and has accepted the fact that the wolves are back, but wants the ranchers to be able to shoot those that are killing livestock. He says that the elk calves are especially suffering from wolf predation, and it is starting to affect the herd populations.

While waiting for my mother-in-law at the dentist's office today, I was reading an article in Outside magazine about the consideration by the feds removing wolves from the endangered species list. It appears that the eco-extremists will only be happy when wolves have reached the population levels that existed before man settles this country.

[Myrddin]

In 1995 and 1996, wolves from Canada were brought to Yellowstone and to central Idaho.

These Canadian wolves are much larger than the native wolves that were originally exterminated from Idaho. They are killing domestic livestock and decimating the game animals in Idaho. They don't just kill to eat. Often they kill for entertainment and leave the carcass behind for scavengers. It was a bad idea to put big Canadian wolves into Idaho.

[Eska]

There's a reason why man has always killed wolves off. Here in Alaska, we have too many wolves; way out of balance. In some GMU's we are on the verge of moose collapse due to the fact each wolf takes 6-12 moose/year. Between the bears taking 85% of calf production each june and wolves working them over in winter; pretty tough on the moose and on the people who depend on moose also.

Sure its nice to hear them and watch where they sat up on rocks and jumped caribou on narrow creekbeds. Problem is the true balance of nature only allows 10% of caribou or moose that a land can support. Then people can't eat moose.

[ridesthemiles]

The public backlash will grow. There will be a death of a young child out camping somewhere who gets momentarily separated from their group, and gets attacked. THEN and only then will the average yuppie who donates to all the Sierra Club, Nature Conservancy type groups get a clue how dangerous these animals are.
The yuppies with the most money are moving further and further out into the rural fringes and they just can't understand what that coyote noise is at night and they can't understand why Fluffy the cat has disappeared within 6 months of moving into their $700,000+ home on a half acre in the foothills.
A fresh from the city new neighbor of mine about had heart failure when she saw my shotgun in plain view in the kitchen. I think she thought she had stumbled into a re-run of Deliverance!!!! Way too funny.

[Skooz]

Thank you. You make my point eloquently.