Posted on 03/11/2006 11:00:51 AM PST by george76
Gnawing leisurely on the remains of a moose carcass, the wolf pack's alpha male seemed unaware that mortal danger was coming ever closer.
Suddenly the eight-member rival pack burst into view. The alpha scrambled to his feet, but too late.
Howling and barking, the enemy chased him down and mercilessly attacked, killing the hapless victim within a couple of minutes.
It's not unusual for the gray wolves on Isle Royale National Park to target each other, said John Vucetich, a Michigan Tech University wildlife biologist who witnessed the carnage from an airplane in January.
But the rival pack's brazen invasion of another's territory was a sign — the wolves are hungry.
The reason is a steady decline of moose, now at their lowest ebb in the 48 years ...
The moose population at 450 this winter, down from 540 last year.
Only four years ago, they totaled an abundant 1,100 in the national park...
Presently, there are about 15 moose for every wolf. The normal ratio is 40 to 50 moose per wolf.
Wolves feast mostly on calves and elderly moose, both of which are in short supply...
The moose's historic low ...
"One-third of the kills this winter were calves," Peterson said. "The wolves need to go down to give more calves a chance of reaching adulthood."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Howling and barking, the enemy chased him down and mercilessly attacked, killing the hapless victim within a couple of minutes.
I didn't know wolves were republicans.....
FMCDH(BITS)
Beautiful, but deadly animals. Too bad someone can't cull some food from over populated areas, and ship them over there.
Nature in all its "beauty"!
Or shoot some of the wolves.
Hmmm, endangered killing endangered?
There is a frikkin' herd of deer savaging every growing thing on my property - I would love to relocate 20-30 of them to this wonderful natural habitat :).
Yeah, some of the wolves could be shot. How close is this area in regards to human population, herd animals, etc? They'll start raiding soon. I have a problem with developers here in CA, building neighborhoods in the foothills. The people who buy them are possibly stupid enough not to know that they're going to be dealing with predators such as mountain lions and coyotes. I'm always seeing sob stories on the local news about Fluffy or Princess eaten by some horrible wild thing.
Alaska has a similar problem.
Many native Alaskans depend on moose to feed their families. It is not about what might end up over the fireplace.
It is about what should end up on the dining table.
Too many wolves killing too few moose.
That is an excellent suggestion! No, I'm really serious. The real result will be that your deer will continue to ravage your property, while the wolves will be shot.
I'm learning to live with hordes of rabbits. Right now they're cute, but I want to start a garden. Then it's going to be war!
Only four years ago, the moose totaled an abundant 1,100 in the national park... 450 moose left today...
located in northwestern Lake Superior and accessible only by boat or airplane...
in Isle Royale's closed environment..
I'm guessing that, apart from campers, the human population of Isle Royale is about 50.
No point really as nature will take it's course and further strengthen the packs.
ECO-PING
FReepmail me to be added or removed to the ECO-PING list!
Are wolves edible? Native Alaskans get their share of crap from PETA for traditional hunting. Wasn't PETA responsible for banning wolf hunting in the first place?
PETA, ELF, ALF...are part of the problem.
Even now, as the baby moose have no chance against a wolf pack, the liberals fight wolf pack management.
Probably not many campers this time of year.
That's a serious population decline. It is possible to reverse the statistics. Remove half the wolves to a different area. I don't like the idea of shooting them, but humans have obviously stuck their noses in, and this is what happens.
Hmmmm.... Wolf devouring Wolf...
We're seeing the same thing in "Palestine" and much of the Middle East....
Semper Fi
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