Human Control Project Analysis

Wolves have always been a symbol of the wild, free in spirit and roamers of the land. These animals are considered majestic and protectors of the wilderness. They have always roamed the western United States, although their population has fluctuated over time. Over the past 10 years wolf reintroduction into Yellowstone National Park has been a controversial topic to those of the United States. As of 1995, wolves have been reintroduced into the park. This has come with some strong opposition and yet has prevailed. The future of the wolf in Yellowstone park is now looking bright, although not certain since there still are those who want them banished again.

For the first time in 70 years, the howl of the Grey Wolf is being heard throughout Yellowstone Park (Sanders, 2000). In January of 1995, 14 wolves from separate packs in Canada were trapped and transported to Yellowstone. Once in the park the wolves were placed in one acre acclimation pens. In total there were three pens scattered across the northern portion of Yellowstone: one a Crystal Creek, another at Rose Creek, and the last at Soda Butte. During the wolves time spent in these pens they were fed winter kill, or road kill. The packs that were formed in these pens were released in the winters of 1995-1996 and also again in 1996-1997 for a second release period (Sanders, 2000). In 1995 fourteen wolves were released and in 1996 seventeen were released. In 1997 there were 64 pups born and since 1995, 33 wolves have died in the Yellowstone area.

On May 3, 1995 female wolf number nine gave birth to eight puppies, the first wolves to be born in the park in nearly 70 years. The mother and pups were recaptured and taken back to the acclimation pen, until the pups were weaned (Sanders par. 15). The reason for this recapture was because at this time, this wolf and her eight pups counted for almost 50% of the park’s wolf population. Since this time there have been no other human interventions preferring to let nature take its course on the population.

Since the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone they have created an astounding and advantageous trophic cascade. A trophic cascade is an ecological phenomenon triggered by the addition or removal of top predators and involving reciprocal changes in the relative populations of predator and prey through a food chain. These often result in dramatic changes in ecosystem structure and nutrient cycling. In a three-level food chain, an increase (or decrease) in carnivores causes a decrease (or increase) in herbivores and an increase (or decrease) in primary producers such as plants and phytoplankton according to briticanna (how to make better). The entire ecosystem was able to become whole again because the wolves, a key species, were reintroduced. Now this may seem weird, a predator comes into the area a begins to kill animals, how can this be beneficial in any way? Well the fact of the matter is that it is extremely beneficial. The reason being the problem in Yellowstone was the overpopulation of the elk. These elk had no predators, they were free to roam and reproduce, and they did this very well. Now elk are also a

Ed Yong makes very valid points on how the wolves of Yellowstone have impacted the overly populated elk herds. He has this to say about the herds; “Today the population stands at just over 6,000 down from 19,000 in the elk’s wolf-free heyday,” (ll57). This might seem like a terrible drop in the elk’s numbers, but it is actually a good thing. Yong tells us, “The large deer had run amok in the wolf-free decades, causing serious damage to the park’s trees,” (ll5-6). So in reality, while there are far less elk now, the trees can start to build back up again.

The author makes use of the symbolism of the wolves in order to explore conformity within society and how it impedes individual from pursuit of liberation. The first wolf symbolizes the freedom of an individual deviant against societal expectations.However both wolves represents the challenges and the fears of liberty of the bound man faces as he questions his limitations whether “he could amount to without it.”(pg.6). The first wolf proved to be the bound man’s attempt to conform with society, without the ropes “perhaps he would have tried to run away”(pg.5). In the moment he tried conquering his fear of freedom, it seemed completely paradoxical as his limitations allowed him to feel as free. However when his ropes was severed and consequently,

The declining wolf population has turned around and is now increasing at a steady pace. The National Park Service says “During the 1980s, wolves began to reestablish breeding packs in Northwestern Montana; 50-60 wolves inhabited Montana in 1994.”(NPS) We are very fortunate for the quick acts of transferring the wolves from Canada down to the Yellowstone National Park and to the intense research that has been done

When herbivorous species such as white-tailed deer and elks are the main predators in a habitat, they create an imbalance in the habitat, and force other species in the habitat to go extinct. Natural predation also has a stronger impact in stabilizing or reducing the population of white-tailed deer than human hunting alone. One of the main reasons for the overpopulation of the deer was the extinction of their predators. Every animal in the food web is highly important in keeping the balance in the ecosystem. Yellowstone National Park was a great example of how every species support the

The text explains to the reader about the importance of wolves in the Yellowstone National Park and how they affect the environment around them. The book is written in a way so it does not seem like and it is informational but is giving the reader a great deal of facts. Information such as how the wolves were forced to leave the park, and the cause and effect relationships of their absence and reintroduction. George illustrates how the food chain works in the text, and how a domino effect can happen by human interference in the ecosystem.

Hunting the wolves can be very entertaining to some of the hunters because, it is a challenge. Also it gets rid of them, stops farmer’s sheep and

The effect of the new wolf population was a miracle beyond hope, the ecosystem began to recover and diversify greatly. When the wolves were introduced it was found that they killed elk and restored their numbers to something the ecosystem could carry in conjunction with other species who feed on similar resources. In this way a surge of beaver population can be noted, as a result of beaver population increase the rivers became more stable and lodging was created for a half dozen species. It was also found that with the hunting of elk wolves left behind food for other animals whose populations also greatly benefited from this new predator. With the reintroduction of this alpha predator, the ecosystem made great strides toward recovering and diversifying, stream traveled slowly, meandered less and forest began to grow anew. Despite some arguments that Grey Wolves are a menace to the area or sensationalist report trying to discredit the wolf the results are clear. While man was responsible for the over hunting of the Grey Wolf in the 20th century, at its end the mistakes were rectified and the ecosystem shifted back into

The cause of the local big game population dropping isn’t because animals are not reproducing. It is because wolves are killing too many big game animals and killing the ecosystem of the North Western United States. The population of Mule Deer in SouthEastern Idaho was cut in half in only 8 years, from 1995 to 2003 (IFG, 2006). What caused this sudden decline? Wolves did. Deer are not the only species suffering. Elk populations are seriously struggling to keep their numbers up. Wolves are killing them too fast and elk cannot keep up.

In “Scared To Death” by Ed Yong, he expressed how the fear of wolves has affected the elk in Yellowstone National Park. The “Landscape of Fear” has taken a toll on the ecosystems that are present there. Ed Yong’s perspective on this matter is taken into great consideration by an ecologist named Laundre. Landre finds it fascinating as she looks at it as a perpetual state of apprehension. Ed Yong discusses how the “Landscape of Fear” affects the ecosystem and the relationship between wolves and elk i8n Yellowstone National Park.

When the wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National park, the wolves’ prey decreased in populations, and the producers had increases in population. In The Importance of Predators, the Yellowstone Case, it shows that the Yellowstone valley had birds, bison, and beavers 150 years ago. Then in 1995, wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone after being killed in the 1930’s. These wolves ate animals such as the bison, whose population was starting to vanish in Yellowstone. This shows that due to the wolves’ reintroduction, bison was lost, which was one of the wolves’ main prey. Another piece of evidence is that the beaver population increased vastly during the wolves’ reintroduction in 1995. Beavers, which are not wolf prey, need willow trees

By eliminating the top predator in the Yellowstone National Park it left the gates wide open for the once preyed upon to rise up in numbers and create a vexing problem for the worlds first national park. As the elk number increased, the number of willow sapling decreased, this in part caused by the overconsumption of saplings before they are able to reach maturity by the continuously growing elk. The reduction in willows led to a decrease in beavers, which use the willows to create dams. These dams, which should have been created, would have created pooled areas for other animals and plants to thrive but never had the chance. The biodiversity of the area is decreased because of the removal of an apex predator that under normal circumstances would have been used to keep lower trophic level populations under control. The carcasses left behind also would have provided food for scavengers and plants, however, without these population controls and naturally provided services a disruption in the trophic cascade was created. With the removal of such predator, the lower trophic levels are able to expand in numbers to a point that is no longer sustainable for the ecosystem. A call for reconciliation ecology is thus sought for in the Yellowstone National Park as well as in other areas experiencing the effects from the removal of an