Posted on 01/08/2005 6:26:35 PM PST by Dan from Michigan
Once-Hated Gray Wolf Thrives in the U.S. Rockies
Wed Jan 5,10:07 AM ET Science - Reuters
By Judith Crosson
DENVER (Reuters) - As the gray wolf hovered on the brink of extinction a decade ago, U.S. officials embarked on a controversial plan to open the vast refuge of Yellowstone National Park to the pack-based predators in the hopes of rebuilding the species.
Seeking to reintroduce an animal that had been an icon of the West even though it was reviled by ranchers, the Clinton administration 10 years ago this month released gray wolves imported from Canada into Yellowstone with great fanfare. The following year they introduced more into nearby Idaho.
The effort has been a resounding success. From just 14 when the program began, the population has risen to 165 wolves in 15 packs in Yellowstone, a 3,472-square-mile expanse that lies mostly in Wyoming. Including those that have migrated outside the park, their number stands at about 850.
"The area just cried out for wolves. We knew if we could just get them in they'd be successful," Ed Bangs, wolf recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said.
Environmentalists call the gray wolf's revival in the western United States a rare success in the politically charged battles over conservation. They claim that frequently the interests of developers are favored at the urging of a solidly Republican caucus of state governors.
The key to the wolf's survival is its anchor in the safe habitat of Yellowstone -- which is bigger than Delaware and Rhode Island combined and is billed as the world's first national park. There, the only people "hunting" for it are armed with cameras and binoculars. Other species that live on lands that also play host to ranching or oil and natural gas development do not always fare as well.
Still the case for saving the gray wolf was complicated by the visceral hatred American ranchers feel for an animal they have feared since the days of the first settlers as a threat to livestock, analysts say.
The gray wolf had not been seen in the region since the 1930s, a victim of late 19th century slaughter that took its toll on a number of species including the bison.
The first year 14 gray wolves caught in Canada were taken to Yellowstone in cages and fed road kill in the early days before they gradually were allowed to roam. The next year about 50 were taken to Idaho.
The animal thrives because it lives in packs where members help each other, increasing their chance of success. Protection under the Endangered Species Act means it cannot be hunted.
But in late 1994 the real question was would the program even proceed. Lawsuits were filed as ranchers feared the great predator would attack their livestock.
Bangs said one disappointment is that the gray wolf is still listed on the Endangered Species list. For it to be delisted, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming must have wolf management plans, but Wyoming's program has been deemed inadequate in part because hunting would be allowed in certain portions of the state. The dispute remains in federal court.
Separately, the federal government has proposed delisting what is called the "eastern distinct population" of gray wolf that lives in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.
NO HOME ON THE RANGE
If there is one resounding tale from the early days after settlers landed in the American West it is the rancher's antipathy to the wolf.
Ranchers feel the same way today as they did in the 19th century, according to Jeff Eisenberg, executive director of the Public Lands Council for National Cattlemen's Beef Association (news - web sites). "It's part of a traditional battle of ranchers seeking to work with the land to support a ranch," he said.
But programs have been developed to help ranchers, according to David Gaillard, Northern Rocky Mountain program director for the Predator Conservation Alliance. "We launched a pilot project (in which volunteers) accompany the cows as they move along their summer pastures," he said.
In January, the federal government announced it would relax rules in areas in Montana and Idaho near Yellowstone Park that would allow ranchers to kill wolves that bother livestock.
"Under he old rule it had to have its teeth in the livestock and under the new rule it can be a foot away chasing them," Bangs of the Fish and Wildlife Service said. He said only about 6 percent of wolves cause problems -- such as killing livestock -- and experts do not believe the new rules will imperil the wolf.
One big surprise from the past decade has been how visible the shy gray wolf -- which lives anywhere from the tundra in the North to as far south as Mexico -- has become.
While the gray wolf shuns humans, wolf enthusiasts have reported 150,000 sightings at Yellowstone. "For more than 1,300 consecutive days wolves have been spotted somewhere in the park," Yellowstone spokeswoman Cheryl Matthews said.
The pioneers and early settlers turning over in their graves...they spent their lives getting rid of all the predators...two and four legged to raise their crops, livestock and children in safety and prosperity...and these morons are proud of bringing them back to pray on humans...
molon labe
Remember to put the collar on the roof of a local delivery truck.
If you've thought ahead, you've already got a raccoon in the live trap for that...
There are Coyotes in NYC (the Bronx).
Wow, I did not know that. Guess they're like rats - they can adapt to nearly anywhere.
We've got Coyotes all over the place here in Toledo, OH. We've had Puma sightings (even photos) in the suburbs with a few more sightings two counties to the north in Michigan.
You can see deer during the middle of the day here in some of our parks. When you're seeing deer in the populated areas a city of 350,000 at 3pm, it's a sign that you have too much food available for predators. Sooner or later, some of them are bound to show up.
There's even talk of some bear sightings a few hundred miles to the SE...
(If there is enough wildlife for them to feed upon, they will not need to venture near man to kill the cattle.)
Unfortunately, wild animals are lazy, and they love to feed on pets, chickens, and cattle because they are easy to catch, and they will kill all they can, not just what they need to eat.
The city of Philadelphia hired hunters a few years back to kill some of the deer that were overpopulating Fairmount Park (the PETA people were pissed). Supposedly, deer have been spotted in Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx, which wouldn't surprise me as 1. it borders suburban Westchester County, which has seen its deer population grow and 2. The Bronx, the only borough connected to the mainland, is over 20% parkland, including a 40 acre forest (!) in the botanical garden. Its no surprise that coyotes, chipmunck, rabbits, and possums are there.
Have you ever seen real life predators doing their killings, not just on television?
They come in and eat on baby calves before the mama cow can push them out. They will attack cats and dogs and eat them. These killers will be murdering kids and adults next.
Wolf, hmm wonder how it tastes.
OK, let's do that. With one caveat. For the next twenty years, every animal that is reintroduced -- and hey, while we're at it, every piece of land that is taken over by a state or the federal government -- must be in the NORTHEAST. Deal?
I'll second that!!
Too many deer? Venison is rather tasty. Lengthen the hunting season.
Want to see wolves? Visit Canada or put them on a preserve on an island. This is what will happen when the wolf lovers run out of funds to compensate the ranchers who unwillingly supply meat for the wolves.
No, I have never seen a predator kill anything in real life other than one of my cats killing a bird or a mouse before I could get to it and stop it.
I did talk to a ranger in Yellowstone about the wolves and he said that wolves are shy creatures and would not attack humans and that they stay away from humans.
We have coyotes here, I have not seen them, but the dog warden did tell me that a coyote probably killed my cat Patrick Buchanan. Thank goodness my old cats pretty much stay in the house.
Let me educate you about wolves or any other predator in modern times. Once, wolves and mountain lions and saber tooth tigres roamed around america and kille deer, antleope , buffalo and other game animals. They were hard to catch. Animals like the sabre tooth died out. Now, we have a different situation, much like th eon ethe faced the sabre tooth. The prey animals where the wolves live are limited. Sabre tooths couldn't catch just any animal and so they died out when the hunting got rough. so goes the way of the modern wolf. The wild animals are hard to catch. Cows and humans are easy. So, they will go for the easy prey. This is causing a lot of trouble in the areas around yellowstone and it isn't just the wolf that is causing problems. Griz are also causing problems attacking cows and the cow owners because they have expanded beyond the range of yellowstone. Animals can't read, therefore they don't know if they have gone beyond the parks bounderies. If you have a deer problem why don't you let hunters take care of it. I know quite a few here that would gladly make the trek to Virginia and help you get rid of a few whitetail.
What a maroon!
The species was doing just fine, as it was plentiful throughout Canada and Alasks, not to mention northern Eurasia.
It was merely rare in the continental US, south of the artificial boundary of the 49th parallel.
News flash! The gray wolf is extinct on Manhattan Island. The species is endangered.
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