The True Benefits Of Wolves

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

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.

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.

Yellowstone National Park, untamed wild beauty. Stunning landscapes, beautiful waterfalls and rivers, breathtaking wildlife, and geothermal activity all come together to make Yellowstone an amazing place. People come from all over the world to witness the beauty of Yellowstone. It is a regulated national park for a reason, it is so amazing, so beautiful, so spectacular to not preserve it. It hosts bison, elk, deer, bald eagles, bears, moose, beavers, and amazing trout rivers, everything a perfect mountain ecosystem should hold. However now there is something else, something that is natural, was removed but has now returned, flourishing and benefiting its surroundings. Wolves, have been reintroduced into Yellowstone and have greatly benefited the area. These wolves have started a positive and beneficial renewal in the park. The reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park is beneficial because they created and natural and beneficial trophic cascade, other animals in the park benefited from the wolves, and because the land was able to regrow and flourish due to the wolves’ presence.

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

This all happened because yellowstone was named one of the many rehabilitation places where the gray wolf species would recover after almost being whipt out entirely in the west of the rockies.The wolves were brought to yellowstone from another part of the country.The rehabilitation was called a success so the federal government made a ackt to tack them of the endangered species list after a so called complete recovery but the scientist said that the wolves were not yet at a point to go to the game and wildlife control so they sud the government to stop them frum taking them of the endangered species

This so-called balanced view was presented in a program in which the “most misrepresented issues concerned the economic impact of wolves. Ranchers were allowed to claim unsubstantiated losses, with no attempt to validate the accuracy of these claims” (Laverty, par. 2). In granting the balanced view sought by the legislature, the “program portrayed the salt of the earth rancher as a poor victim of the federal government’s whim to restore the ‘killers’” (Laverty, par. 2).

Farmers, ranchers, and government agents have been contributors to this decline by poisoning wolves and over trapping (National Wildlife Federation, 1996-2015). From January 1, 2015- March 31, 2015 there have been a total of 13 wolf deaths in the state of Minnesota. A total of 3 were unknown, 3 incidental, 1 was hit by a vehicle, 1 natural death, 2 under investigation, and 3 were illegal that included 1 illegal shooting and 2 illegal snares. (Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, 2015) Humans have not only been the factor of decline in wolf population, but the decline in prey (bison, elk, white-tailed deer, moose, caribou, and beaver) has decreased wolf numbers as well. Being the white-tailed deer population has increased the wolf population is back on the rise. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, 2015, April 23) These factors are essential when it comes to determining the problem behind a decline in a specie population. We not only need to look at one factor, but a wide range of issues that can contribute to this

The gray wolf packs continue to be rarely seen in North Dakota. We can’t count how many packs there is today because there is only an exiguous amount left. Gray wolves remain threatened in North Dakota in addition to some of endangered in other areas of the United States of America. Clearly, ranchers are one of the primary reasons that gray wolves stay threatened. They are killing gray wolves for the reason that the wolves are killing off their livestock. Another reason why the gray wolves remain vulnerable is because the poachers set traps to kill the gray wolves. Gray wolves keep the ecosystem healthy by keeping the elk and deer population intact. However, some hunters could see this as not helping them so they would want to kill wolves.

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.