Should wolves be reintroduced into Scotland? Recently I read a news article on the reintroduction of wolves into Scotland. This sparked my interest because I felt that most people have misconceptions about what they eat, why they kill and how dangerous they are to people. It seems that the re-introduction of wolves could have a massive impact on the environment. Would you rather let in the deer’s natural predator and help restore the natural ecosystem or have them shot one by one? Firstly the locals of Lochinver, Sutherland in the highlands of Scotland the affected people would have to have a lengthy fence, which could ruin the natural beauty of a highly visited forest destroying their livelihood. When the re-introduction of wolves was first mentioned to the locals at a meeting they seemed to be embracing the idea with open-minds until the three metre tall …show more content…
This could be because over the years they have been anthropomorphically characterised as brutal unrelenting beasts in such films as “The Grey” and “Frozen” even “Little Red Riding Hood” although in history there have only been two reported cases where people were killed by wolves . There are still people who are misinformed and this in turn makes it more difficult to introduce. This means it could be difficult to make people believe the re-introduction of wolves makes sense. At the same time, in Sutherland where the re-introduction of wolves will take place, there are few sheep and very few inhabitants. As there are so few people specifically sheep farmers the effects of the re-introduction of wolves are minimal. For instance, in the whole county of Sutherland the population is just slightly under that of a typical medium sized town in southern Scotland . Furthermore in June of 2014 there were less than 0.1 sheep per hectare of land. The sparsely populated area would seem perfect for the re-introduction of
For one, by 1980, wolves doubled to 50. By then it was apparent, ‘balance of nature’ seems to be the force that guides nature. This shows that wolves should be introduced because they are needed for balance
First of all, we should pass the Red Wolf Protection Act to repopulate them. The Red Wolves, are currently with 50 Red Wolves out in the wild roaming the lands. We need to repopulate
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.
The biggest impact the reintroduction of wolves would make is that they control the population of large mammals such as elk. Without wolves in an ecosystem coyotes step into the role of the biggest predator. However coyotes are almost 2.5 times smaller than an average wolf so they are not big enough to kill much of the elk. The elk population then increases rapidly and hurts the ecosystem. Wolves also help reduce the spreading of disease by hunting on the elk that have been injured or have diseases. It gives the wolves a better chance of taking down the large animal and prevents
Also, the government wanted to step in and help the economy, so bounties were set in order to encourage the hunting of the creatures. Communities began to see the "bounty hunters" as heroes, and these men felt as such. The attitude towards wolves spiraled out of control, causing hunts based on vengeance and hatred, and inhumane practices of poisoning, trapping, and torturing began. Even a former governor of Alaska, Jay Hammond, felt that flying in a plane and shooting down hundreds of wolves was necessary to protect the citizens of the state. Wolf furs were coveted, the animals were loathed, and the image of the wolf as a cowardly murderer stuck based on old-fashioned beliefs and legend-based fears. Nothing was done to stop the practices, and the hunts continued to be encouraged, until there were basically no wolves left to hunt (Lopez 139-145). It was nearly too late once the problem was noticed, but the government finally stepped in to address the problem. The wolves were going extinct, and it became clear that the animals were an important part of the ecosystem. The timber (gray) wolf was placed on the endangered species list, and severe consequences were put into action for anyone who hunted the animals illegally. The Wisconsin DNR began a very carefully regulated action plan to reintroduce the wolf to the state, which included radio collars and careful tracking of the animals in order to monitor their progress, as well as make sure they stay in
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 introduction of the wolves, 300 sheep, 66 cattle, 1 horse, and 20 dogs have been killed by these predators, and to call them anything else would be wrong.
Recently I watched a news article on the reintroduction of wolves to Scotland. This sparked my interest because I felt there was a large misconception about what they eat, why they kill it and how dangerous they are to people. It seems that it could have a vast impact on the environment the questions are: Should large predators such as the wolf be re-introduced into the wild? And is it truly safe?
In “Scared to Death” by Ed Yong and Sharon Levy’s “Wolf Family Values,” we read about the need to protect the population of wolves in North America. These two articles have very different ways to go about this. Ed Yong talks about the wolf effects on elk as well as the rest of the environment. Levy’s approach is about wolf social structure and how it is impacted by hunting. Both of these make some valid points on why more conservation efforts should be made; however, I believe Ed Yong made the stronger case.
Wolf recovery would be a big step in maintaining wildlife. For instance, in Yellowstone a
-1926 marked the last few wolves being killed however, wolf sightings still occurred occasionally. Scientist stated that even though few wolves may exist populations would not be sustainable.
After some research humans seem to be the biggest concern to the depletion of wolves because of over trapping and poaching. The only thing to do is put wolves on the endangered species list and set strict rules and regulations so wolves are not threatened. Due to the placement of the Endangered Species Act wolves are now able to begin to replenish back to a normal population size. Wolves should remain on the endangered species list until their population size begins to become
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
The wolf was once a much slandered animal. In the western world, people feared and hated wolves, and this legacy is reflected in stories such as Little Red Riding Hood and The Boy Who Cried Wolf. In these popular children's tales the wolf is made out to be a prowler and a killer of livestock and people. There is some basis for The Boy Who Cried Wolf, for wolves have killed cattle and sheep. But what of Little Red Riding Hood? There are no records of wolves killing humans in Canada or the United States. Yet, when wolves were spotted near rural communities, fear used to grip the populace, but over time this has become less prevalent.
After years of selective breeding and taming, the hunters finally came across some wolves that were able to listen to commands and do what they were ordered to do. These wolves did not look like the first ones with which humans came into contact. Their size, coloring, senses and even the length of their coat or swimming ability reflected the environment in which they lived. These environments could have ranged from anything since hunters do not stay in one place for very long. These wolves probably did not reflect their gray ancestors much anymore. The color of their coat could have become brown, black, or even yellow depending on where they were taken. Their size could have been affected, too, depending on how the hunters had used them- they could have shrunken to the size