Wolves
When you hear the word wolf, what thoughts and pictures come to mind? Do you think of the big bad wolf from childhood fairy tales? Do the phrases lone wolf or wolf in sheep’s clothing come to mind? Does the book The Call of the Wild come to mind? Authors often projected human vices—like greed, gluttony, and cruelty—onto wolves, making them more of a villain than a animal. Do you have friends or family in the ranching industry that blame wolves for killing their livestock? Let’s just say wolves have gotten a bad rap.
Wolves are in a constant tug of war between federal and state governments on who should manage their populations. Let’s start with current status, in most of the lower 48, wolves are protected under the Endangered Species Act. Wolves are estimated to be found in about 7 states with the vast majority (about 9500) found in Alaska. There are three main types of wolves found in North America. The gray wolf is the most populous type and were reintroduced to Yellowstone in the 1990’s. Next is the Mexican gray wolf that was reintroduced to the southwest with approximately 380 in the wild. Finally, there is the red wolf which was essentially extinct in the wild until they were reintroduced to a small area in North Carolina where there are less than 25 still present.
It is argued that wolves are “good” for an ecosystem based on the Trophic Cascade concept. When a top predator (an apex predator) is added or removed from an environment, it triggers a chain reaction that spills down through every level of the food web, eventually changing the physical geography of the land itself. Wolves control the prey population which prevents over-grazing and herd health by eliminating the sick in a herd. They effect prey behavior increasing the movement of prey which leads to healthier vegetation. They boost biodiversity in an ecosystem. They manage mid-sized predators like coyotes. Additionally, they strengthen the soil and rivers. The perfect example of this is Yellowstone. After wolves were reintroduced in 1995, the elk population stabilized, the songbird population increased as trees grew back, and the physical shape of the rivers actually changed because the stabilized banks stopped meandering so wildly. This is clearly a benefit to the environment.
Even with all this, wolves do come with concerns mostly from livestock champions. At any given time, there are approximately 90 million cattle and 5 million sheep in the US. Estimates are the wolves account for between 0.01% to 0.05% of livestock deaths in states where they are located. The overwhelming majority of livestock deaths (95% - 98%) are caused by non-predatory factors: respiratory disease, digestive problems, birthing complications, and extreme weather (freezes/lightning). Recent studies indicate there is an additional indirect loss to cattle from weight loss, lower reproductive rates and increased labor costs due to stress on livestock when wolves are in the area. Most states offer compensation for confirmed wolf kills on livestock.
Check back tomorrow as I finish up conservation week by discussing things that can be done to mitigate livestock and wolf interaction and conflict with hunters.