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Wolf conservation is an ongoing issue. Here are some conservation reports for
you to read. Also listed are some websites and e-groups that deal specifically
with conservation issues.
Wolf Conservation reports | Websites | E-Groups
CONSERVATION REPORTS (1995)
(Yellowstone Park)
Amid heated controversy, gray wolves returned to Yellowstone National Park in 1995, after an absence of nearly 70 years. In March, biologists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released 14 wolves as part of a program the service initiated in the 1970's to restore the natural ecosystem of the park. Ranchers had sued in a Wyoming federal district court in November 1994 to halt the wolf reintroduction, arguing that the wolves would leave the park to prey on cattle and sheep. Were that to occur, however, ranchers had the right to kill marauding wolves without penalty. In January 1995, a federal judge allowed the program to proceed.
Gray wolves were common throughout the Rocky Mountains when Yellowstone was established in 1872. As the West became more settled, ranchers, aided by the federal government, launched a program to eradicate gray wolves in order to protect their livestock. Park rangers killed the last two wolves in Yellowstone in 1926. Eventually the gray wolf was eliminated throughout the United States except in Alaska and Minnesota, and the species was designated as endangered.
Some conservationists felt that the gray wolf would have repopulated Yellowstone without help. For about 30 years, they had been crossing into the United States from Canada on their own. In the early 1990's, several had been sighted near the park. Had repopulation occurred naturally, someone caught killing a gray wolf would have been prosecuted under the Endangered Species Act, even if the wolf had preyed on livestock outside the park. The maximum penalty for anyone convicted of killing an endangered animal was two years in prison and a $150,000 fine.
But federal biologists said such natural reintroduction, if it occurred at all, would have taken many years. Further, they said, wolves are far more interested in elk, moose, mule deer, and other natural prey than in livestock. However, a few days after 15 wolves were released in a wilderness area of Idaho as part of the same reintroduction program, one animal apparently killed a calf on a ranch some 45 miles (72 kilometers) from the release site.
By late April, the wolves had formed packs that were preying on elk. Without predators, the park's elk population had exploded, seriously disrupting the ecological balance. The overgrazed land could not support the rising elk population, and consequently many starved to death. Biologists hoped that by the year 2002 wolves would number 100 to 150 — about 10 packs — which could reduce the current elk population by 20 percent. Since wolves prey on weak and sick animals, the overall health of the elk could improve as well.
In early May, a female wolf gave birth to eight pups. Because of the stress of capture and captivity, biologists did not expect reproduction until 1996 at the earliest. Then a man shot and killed the female's mate, a criminal offense since it occurred inside the park.
Meanwhile, program coordinators planned to introduce more wolves into Yellowstone to assure a diverse gene pool. Ranchers continued to seek ways to stop reintroduction, and in July, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a proposal introduced by Republican Senator Conrad Burns of Montana to cut funding for wolf restoration.
NOTE:
This article first appeared in an annual publication that supplemented The World Book Encyclopedia. It was written during the year in which the events took place and reflects the style and thinking of that time.
The
World Book Encyclopedia.
More to be added.
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Conservation Websites
Wolf.com
Wolf information, lots of it. and some very good e-groups.
http://www.wolf.com/
Wolf Haven International
A wolf reserve with international support.
http://www.wolfhaven.org
DENlines Defenders of Wildlife
Information on all endangered or hunted wildlife. Very informative.
http://www.defenders.org
NRDC
Natural Resources Defense Council. Protecting the environment
http://www.nrdc.org/
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Conservation E-Groups
Wolf.com
Wolf information, lots of it. and some very good e-groups.
http://www.wolf.com/
DENlines Defenders of Wildlife
Information on all endangered or hunted wildlife. Very informative.
http://www.defenders.org
NRDC
Natural Resources Defense Council. Protecting the environment
http://www.nrdc.org/
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