Transcript
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A PUBL ICAT ION OF THE INTERNATIONAL WOLF CENTERSPR ING 2006

WOLVES ON THE HUNT INYELLOWSTONE, page 4

RESTORING WOLVES TO THE SOUTHERN

ROCKIES, page 8

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2 As a Matter of Fact

3 From the Executive Director

12 International Wolf Center Notes From Home

15 Tracking the Pack

16 Wolves of the World

21 News and Notes

22 Personal Encounter

26 Book Review

27 Wild Kids

28 A Look Beyond

Features

THE QUARTERLY PUBLICATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL WOLF CENTER VOLUME 16, NO. 1 SPRING 2006

On The Cover"Alpha Kisses" photographed by Monty SloanAn alpha male is greeted by a lower-ranking pack member.

Monty Sloan has been photographingwolves since 1984. Monty has been a handler, educator, researcher andphotographer at Wolf Park in BattleGround, Indiana, since 1988.

To view and purchase additional photog-raphy, visit www.wolfphotography.com.

Departments

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South From Yellowstone—What Remains to Be Done

In the three-plus decades since Congress protected wolves by passing the Endangered Species Act, wolves have been repatriated to a few key parts of their formerrange. The Southern Rockies Wolf Restoration ProjectSteering Committee maintains that if we evaluate howmuch of the species’ former range remains unoccupied, it becomes clear that much work toward wolf recovery isleft unfinished. They describe what remains to be done.

M i c h a e l R o b i n s o n , D a v e P a r s o n s ,

a n d R o b E d w a r d

Wolves on the HuntIn March 2005, artist and photographer

Peter Dettling and a colleague arrived in theLamar Valley in Yellowstone National Park andsaw a huge herd of elk gathered in a tight circle at the highest point of a prominent hill. Dettlingshares their experience of this wolf-elk encounter.

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Publications DirectorMary Ortiz

Magazine CoordinatorTerri Ellman

Graphics CoordinatorCarissa L.W. Knaack

Consulting EditorMary Keirstead

Technical Editor L. David Mech

Graphic DesignerTricia Austin

International Wolf (1089-683X) is publishedquarterly and copyrighted, 2006, by theInternational Wolf Center, 12615 Co.Road 9,Minneapolis, MN 55441, USA. e-mail: [email protected]. All rightsreserved.

Publications agreement no. 1536338

Membership in the International WolfCenter includes a subscription toInternational Wolf magazine, free admissionto the Center, and discounts on programsand merchandise. • Lone Wolf membershipsare U.S. $35 • Wolf Pack $60 • WolfAssociate $125 • Wolf Sponsor $500 • Alpha Wolf $1000. Canada and othercountries, add U.S. $15 per year for airmailpostage, $7 for surface postage. Contact theInternational Wolf Center, 1396 Highway169, Ely, MN 55731-8129, USA; e-mail:[email protected]; phone: 1-800-ELY-WOLF

International Wolf is a forum for airingfacts, ideas and attitudes about wolf-relatedissues. Articles and materials printed inInternational Wolf do not necessarily reflectthe viewpoint of the International WolfCenter or its board of directors.

International Wolf welcomes submissions ofpersonal adventures with wolves and wolfphotographs. Prior to submission of othertypes of manuscripts, address queries toMary Ortiz, publications director.

International Wolf is printed entirely withsoy ink on recycled and recyclable paper (text pages contain 20% post-consumerwaste, cover paper contains 10% post-consumer waste). We encourage you to recycle this magazine.

PHOTOS: Unless otherwise noted, or obvious from the caption or article text,photos are of captive wolves.

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Answer: RLU stands for Raised Leg Urination, which representstwo forms of wolf communication: body language and olfactorycommunication. This raised-hind-leg stance is taken when a dominant wolf is marking its territory through urination. �

Question: What is RLU?

Are there any wolvesin Oregon?

New Question

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Of Wolves and Wild Lands

The headline in Minnesota’s largest newspaper read “Land Rush . . . The

‘For Sale’ signs are everywhere.” The article refers to the rapid increase

in sales and subdivision of rural land in Minnesota’s north country—

the same area that serves as home to the largest population of wolves in the

conterminous United States. And while no one is suggesting that this trend

in development will threaten the wolf population in the near

term, it does raise questions: What will the north-country land-

scape ultimately look like? Which species will adapt well to the

changing landscape, and which ones won’t? These are issues not

only in northern Minnesota but in much of the country, but they

are far overshadowed by other issues in the news everyday—

energy policy, terrorism, politics and natural disasters.

Meanwhile development continues with little or no public

policy framework that might enhance the protection of highly

productive farm fields, that might protect forests threatened

with fragmentation, that might save the scraps of wilderness remaining in

this country, and that might look to future generations as the “customers” of our

environmental decisions of today. Regrettably our national economic policy

does not assign value to much of what we hold dear—a wilderness experience,

a natural vista, wildlife (unless it is consumed) and plain old open space.

The mantras of “let market forces dictate” and “less government is better

government” should not apply to environmental matters, especially those that

define America’s natural landscape. It is ironic that while we have invested in

identifying and protecting endangered and threatened species (with more to come)

on state and federal levels, the long-term threats of habitat loss remain a constant.

Those of us who care about the future of wolves and a host of other species

can’t separate their well-being from the land and waters on which they depend.

Many groups are making significant progress acquiring land, negotiating con-

servation easements and working with governmental agencies to plan future

development. Our challenge as citizens is to elevate the discussion about land

protection and, in the case of wolves, wild land protection such that they

become state and national priorities. �

From the Executive DirectorINTERNATIONAL

WOLF CENTER

BOARD OF DIRECTORSNancy jo Tubbs

Chair

Dr. L. David MechVice Chair

Dr. Rolf O. PetersonSecretary

Paul B. AndersonTreasurer

Dr. Larry D. Anderson

Thomas T. Dwight

Nancy Gibson

Hélène Grimaud

Cree Bradley

Cornelia Hutt

Dean Johnson

Mike Phillips

Deborah Reynolds

Jerry Sanders

Paul Schurke

Ted Spaulding

Teri Williams

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Walter M. Medwid

MISSION

The International WolfCenter advances the survival

of wolf populations byteaching about wolves, their

relationship to wild lands andthe human role in their future.

Educational services and informational resources

are available at:

1396 Highway 169Ely, MN 55731-8129, USA

1-800-ELY-WOLF1-218-365-4695

e-mail address:[email protected]

Web site: http://www.wolf.org

I n t e r n a t i o n a l W o l f S p r i n g 2 0 0 6 3

Walter Medwid

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Artist and photographer Peter Dettlinghas traveled all over the worldphotographing and painting wildlifeand wild places. He grew up in analpine village in Switzerland, andalthough he remains deeply attachedto that beautiful country, he has lived in Canada since 1996. Fromthe rugged landscapes of the YukonTerritory in Canada to the RockyMountains of the western United

States, Dettling has found ways to combine his art with his commit-ment to the conservation of wild lands and the animals that livethere. “To be able to go out hiking into these vast lands where therivers still run wild, where the grizzly is still the lord of its kingdom,where the call of the loon still echoes from the serene lakes, andwhere the eagle watches the salmon run from high up on his perchis spectacular.” In March 2005, Dettling and his Italian friend andcolleague Milko photographed a wolf-elk encounter in YellowstoneNational Park. Peter is glad to share this profound experiencethrough his words and his pictures.

On March 16, 2005, my colleague Milko

and I arrived in Yellowstone’s famous

Lamar Valley. About 10:30 in the morning,

we saw from a distance many people standing

beside the road, all armed with tripods, spotting

scopes and binoculars. We knew they must be wolf

observers and that they had located some canids.

When we arrived at the scene, we unpacked our binoc-ulars and began to scan the steep slopes north of the road.The first thing to catch our attention was a huge herd of elkgathered in a tight circle at the highest point of a prominenthill. Like a fortress they stood there, motionless and tenselyalert. We swept our binoculars along the lower slope and discovered the reason for the herd’s behavior. There ona snow patch, a few hundred meters below the elk, a wolfpack was resting. Incredibly, the wolves didn’t seem to be

T e x t a n d p h o t o s b yP E T E R A . D E T T L I N G

WOLVES ON THE HUNTWOLVES ON THE HUNT

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interested in the elk but instead laythere enjoying their morning siesta!

After watching this scene for 15minutes with no movement fromeither the elk or the wolves, I decidedto talk to one of the other wolfwatchers along the road. Why, weasked, were the elk clustered on thepinnacle while the wolves weresleeping below them? Why didn’t theelk simply run away? It seemed abizarre situation to us, almost asthough the elk were patiently waitingfor the wolves to attack. The wolfwatchers had no ready explanationexcept that perhaps the elk knew thewolves were close by but could notfigure out their exact location. Perhapsthey were waiting in the best possibledefensive position for the wolves to

appear. Perhaps an escape route overthe ridge was impassable because ofdeep snow on the north slope.

The minutes dragged on intohours, and by 1:00 p.m., people startedto leave the scene. Milko and I, tiredfrom the long hours of working in the park, discussed our strategy. Toleave the scene would be a crime in my opinion, and so we decided to wait.To kill some time, we discussed thepossible strategy of the wolves shouldthey decide to attack. Would they runstraight up the slope toward the elk, or would they try to get as close aspossible to the herd without beingseen? Would anything happen at all?

About 1:30, the elk began to loosentheir defensive circle. Spreading outin every direction, some began to graze

while others lay down to rest. “Milko,this is starting to get interesting. Let’s get prepared,” I said. We got out of our car, set up our tripods andreadied the cameras.

I wasn’t quite ready whensuddenly I heard someone behind me call out, “Here we go!” Quickly Isnatched up my binoculars and sawsome of the wolves getting up fromtheir naps and stretching. Then oneblack wolf started to trot slowly in a straight line toward the herd. Theelk, sensing the presence of danger,dashed back to their defensive posi-tion on the hilltop.

Great excitement overcame me,and with trembling hands, I rushed to finish setting up my camera gear.What if I missed this great photoopportunity? Camera on the tripod. . .focus . . . and I was ready for the show!

What happened next exceeded all expectations. The scattered elk ran

Peter Dettling and hiscolleague Milko joined agroup of wolf observers in the Lamar Valley, all

armed with tripods, spottingscopes and binoculars.

The first thing to catch our attention was a

huge herd of elk gathered in a tight circle at the

highest point of a prominent hill.

Like a fortress they stood there, motionless and tensely alert.

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covered the ground on this south-facing slope, so the elk were able tooutrun their pursuers, and the wolvesreturned to the main battlefield.

About 2:00, a single elk bravelyconfronted an attacking wolf andsuddenly found herself isolated fromthe herd. Realizing this, five wolvesquickly attacked the lone elk. One bigblack wolf seemed for a moment tohave grabbed the elk by the throat. Thevictim, realizing her mistake, changedstrategy and managed to fight her way through the circle of attackers.Bursting away, she ran down the hillclosely followed by the five wolves.

All of us standing by the roadgasped as the elk and her pursuersdisappeared behind a low ridge on the slope. We waited for them toemerge on the other side, but nothinghappened, and someone said, “Lookslike all the action is taking place

behind that little rise.” But fortunatelyfor the elk and for us, all the wolvesreappeared and returned to the rest of the pack, which were still in fullattack on the remaining 29 elk on thesummit. Soon after, these elk brokethe attackers’ line and thundereddown the hill to our left. It was now afew minutes after 2:00, and the wolvesremained in hot pursuit until, aftersome distance, they gave up the chase.

All that effort on the part of thewolves seemed to count for nothing,although they may have injured oneelk and could return later to continuethe hunt. But after watching all thewolves disappear over the hill inanother direction, that possibilityseemed unlikely.

After it was apparent that thechase was off, I could feel the excite-ment from the spectators gatheredaround me. Emotion overcame Milkoand me, and we happily gave eachother a huge high-five followed byyelps of pure enthusiasm.

This was one of the most excitingevents of our nature photographycareers. Incredibly, in the five days we were in Yellowstone National Park,we watched a total of 36 wolves.Where else on earth can someoneobserve something like that? �

up to the summit of the hill with 11wolves close on their heels. Turningto face the attack, the elk formed amassive wall of huge bodies anddeadly hooves. How could the wolvespossibly penetrate this fortress? Theirstrategy quickly became obvious.Surrounding the herd, some bravewolves ran directly into the circle,trying to separate a few animals fromthe group. At first, that strategy failedas the wolves were fought off by thestrongest and most courageous elk atthe front line of the defensive circle.

But the wolves didn’t give up. Onecharge was followed by another andthen another until some of the elkpanicked and tried to run. Each timethis scene was repeated, the circle ofdefensive elk got smaller. Each time asmall group of elk peeled away fromthe herd and rushed down the hill, afew wolves followed them. No snow

Above and opposite page top: The wolves charged the circle of elk until some of the elk panicked and tried to run. Each time this scene wasrepeated, the circle of defensive elk got smaller.

No snow covered the ground on this south-facing slope,

Each time a small group of elk peeled away from the herd

and rushed down the hill, a few wolves followed them.

so the elk were able to outrun their pursuers,

and the wolves returned to the main battlefield.

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Below: Finally, the elkbroke the attackers’line and thundereddown the hill. The

wolves remained inhot pursuit until, after

some distance, theygave up the chase.

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b y

M I C H A E LR O B I N S O N ,

D A V E P A R S O N S ,

a n d

R O B E D W A R D

( m e m b e r s o f t h e S o u t h e r nR o c k i e s W o l f R e s t o r a t i o nP r o j e c t S t e e r i n g C o m m i t t e e )

South FromYellowstoneWhat Remains to Be Done In the three-plus decades since

Congress protected wolves bypassing the Endangered Species

Act, wolves have been repatriated to a few key parts of their former range.Yet, if we evaluate how much of thespecies’ former range remains unoc-cupied, it becomes clear that muchwork toward wolf recovery is leftunfinished. In fact, by the measuresestablished by Congress, progresstoward recovery across the species’former range remains insignificant—literally. Two recent court rulingsunderscore this fact.

A Significant ShortfallThe Endangered Species Act

defines a threatened or endangeredspecies as one facing extinctionthroughout “all or a significantportion of its former range.” Wildlifemanagers have used this benchmarkto declare victory for species in-cluding the brown pelican, peregrinefalcon and American alligator.

Unfortunately, the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service (USFWS) ignoredCongress’s emphasis on the word sig-nificant in 2003 when establishing atemplate for removing the gray wolf from federal protection. Wolvespresently occupy less than 5 percent of their historic range in the lower 48 states, and would occupy onlyslightly more under criteria thatwould be developed under theUSFWS’s April 1, 2003, FederalRegister rule (that was struck down in

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two successive federal court decisionsthis year). By any reasonable standard,much of the remaining unoccupied90-plus percent has to be considered asignificant portion of historic range.

The USFWS must accomplishwolf recovery in new areas. Fewplaces more poignantly highlight the shortfalls of wolf recovery thanthe southern portion of the RockyMountains, where the USFWS hasnot yet developed a wolf recoveryplan, and in the arid Southwest,where the same agency ignores scien-tists’ warnings that its managementof reintroduced Mexican gray wolvesjeopardizes the population.

A Mother Lode for WolvesThe Southern Rocky Mountains

stretch from south-central Wyomingto northern New Mexico, encom-passing nearly 41 million acres—25 million acres of which is publicland. This vast landscape includesnearly all of the western third ofColorado and hosts North America’slargest elk population (over 275,000animals) and one of the largest deerpopulations (over 600,000 animals).

Two scientific studies concludedthat the region could support over1,000 wolves, and two associatedpublic surveys revealed widespreadurban and rural support for wolfrestoration. Wolf scientist (and IWCboard member) Mike Phillips de-scribed the Southern Rockies as “themother lode for wolves.” Unfortu-nately, the USFWS has actively soughtto divest itself of its responsibility forwolf recovery in significant portions ofthe Southern Rockies.

The Land of El LoboSouth of the Southern Rocky

Mountains, the landscape transitionsinto rolling hills of piñon pine,ponderosa pine and juniper. Evenfarther south, in the desert moun-tains of Mexico and of southwesternNew Mexico and southeasternArizona, a distinctive wolf evolved.The Mexican gray wolf preyed onsmaller animals and traversed pricklydeserts, which helped shape the

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and New Mexico, only slightlynorth of their native range. Yet,despite this effort, the programis failing to meet expectations.

Program failures lie not inMexican wolves’ difficulty inadapting to the wild (almost all the captive-bred wolvesinstinctively know how to hunt and raise pups), but because of management dictated by theUSFWS’s accommodations tothe livestock industry. Unlikefor other endangered species,the USFWS has required itselfto remove Mexican wolves thatset up homes outside the

designated recovery area (evenif they are on other publiclands). Thus, in November2001 a nondepredating wolfwas run down by heli-copter until he collapsedand died. And in April2003, one of the initialwolves released in 1998was recaptured for moving

outside these arbitrarypolitical boundaries; five of

her wild-conceived pupssubsequently died in captivity.Another provision in the

Mexican wolf reintroduction pro-gram is similarly unprecedented anddetrimental to program success:Unlike rules pertaining to livestockcarcass management for the NorthernRockies wolf recovery program, rulesfor the Mexican wolf reintroductionproject do not allow managers torequire improved carcass managementas a prerequisite for control actions.

Wolves getting their first taste ofbeef from a carcass are highly likelyto prey on livestock later, virtuallyensuring they will be captured orkilled. The December 2004 draft five-year review of the Mexican wolfreintroduction program documentsthat 91 percent of Mexican wolvesthat scavenge on livestock carcasseseventually prey on livestock.

In May 2003, the USFWS shot aMexican wolf that was preying oncattle near where she had previouslyscavenged on a dead cow that was

not killed by wolves; the owner hadforbidden the USFWS to remove thecarcass. The wolf that had lost herpups after being rereleased in 2003was captured again for preying oncattle near where she had scavenged;she was accidentally killed in captivity.

In June 2001, four independentscientists led by Paul Paquet, Ph.D.,recommended requiring ranchers toremove livestock carcasses (or renderthem inedible, as by lime) beforewolves become habituated. Further,recognizing that wolves cannot read arbitrary lines on a map, the Paquetteam recommended allowing wolvesto roam at will unless they are cre-ating problems. The team predictedthat without these changes, the popu-lation would not meet projections.The USFWS did not act on the PaquetReport recommendations, and aftereight years of reintroductions, thewild population of Mexican wolves(comprising five to eight breedingpacks) is nowhere near the end-of-2005 projection of 83 wolves and15 packs.

Significant MidcourseCorrections

For wolves to fill their ecologicallyvital role within a significant portionof their historic range, the USFWSshould develop and implement arecovery plan for the Southern RockyMountains, a region with abundanthabitat and prey for wolves. Like-wise, if wolves are ever to roam asignificant portion of their formerrange in the Southwest—places likethe Sky Islands and the GrandCanyon ecoregions—the USFWSmust allow them to roam freely, andthe U.S. Forest Service, Bureau ofLand Management and ranchers mustmanage livestock carcasses, whichprobably facilitate wolves becominglivestock killers.

Together, the Southern RockyMountains and the Southwest repre-sent a tremendous opportunity toadvance the stewardship of wolves—and to meet the hopeful promise ofthe Endangered Species Act. �

U T A H

W Y O M I N G

C O L O R A D O

N E W M E X I C O

A R I Z O N A

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Albuquerque

Phoenix

“lobo” itself. The Mexican wolf isNorth America’s smallest gray wolfsubspecies and, according to thescientist who first identified andnamed it, represents a “remarkablyabrupt” morphological change fromits neighboring subspecies.

In 1982, the USFWS finalized arecovery plan for Mexican wolves,which had been reduced to a smallcaptive population descended fromonly seven wild ancestors. (No wildMexican wolves are known to existsouth of the border today.) In 1998,the USFWS began reintroducingthese survivors’ progeny to the BlueRange Wolf Recovery Area of Arizona

Top: Historic range of the gray wolf in NorthAmerica. Bottom: Southern Rockies ecoregionin Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico andthe Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area inArizona and New Mexico.

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Wolves presently occupy less than 5 percent of their

historic range in the lower 48states. . . . By any reasonable

standard, much of the remainingunoccupied 90-plus percent has to be considered a significant

portion of historic range.

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The Southern Rockies

Wolf Restoration Project

is a coalition of regional

and national conservation

organizations (Defenders of Wildlife,

The Center for Biological Diversity,

National Wildlife Federation, New

Mexico Wilderness Alliance, New

Mexico Wildlife Federation, Sierra Club,

and Sinapu) dedicated to the restoration

of wolves to their full ecological role

throughout the Southern Rocky

Mountains. For more information,

visit www.rockywolf.org.

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Tom Brady. Brady and hiswife, Mary Ann, had thepelt hanging on the wall oftheir log cabin for manyyears before deciding todonate it to the Center,where it will now be usedfor educational purposes.

From 1960 to 1965about 200 wolves were sub-mitted for bounty each yearin Minnesota . The lastbounty paid on a wolf in the state was in 1965. Publicharvest was allowed until1974, when the wolf wasprotected by the federalendangered species list.

Living Their Beliefs

Carol and Mac Montgomery of North Carolina are“living their beliefs.” A close encounter with wolves

in Yellowstone moved them to learn more about the wild creatures and the problems surrounding them. The couple visited the International Wolf Center’s inter-pretive center in Ely, Minnesota, to build on their base of wolf knowledge.

One issue they discovered was livestock depredation.The conclusion Carol and Mac came to was that cowsare actually the introduced species. And based on thatbelief, Carol bought a gift for Mac from the Wolf Denstore. The gift was a predator-friendly sweater created by livestock producers who use nonlethal measures to control and reduce depredation on livestock. Macsays he wears the sweater as frequently as weather inNorth Carolina allows.

The Montgomerys plan to continue building theirwardrobe of predator-friendly products and supportingthe push for a balance between wild and domesticatedanimals. Carol says that although she might find the products cheaper somewhere else, she will continue to buy from the Center to contribute to the mission ofteaching the world about wolves.

INTERNATIONAL WOLF CENTER

Notes From Home

Wolf Pelt Tells One Man’s Tale

Michael Sinko, shown here holding a coyote pelt, worked long traplines to earnmoney to put his daughter through college.

The donation of a wolf peltto the International Wolf

Center reveals the story of aman named Michael Sinko.Sinko was an experienced out-doorsman in northeasternMinnesota who, according to family members, respectedand revered the woods heworked in.

Sinko’s parents immi-grated to the United Statesfrom Russia. He eventuallylived in Winton, Minnesota,where he worked as a miner,game warden and trapper.He worked long traplines to earn money to put hisdaughter through college.She wanted to be a teacher.

Sinko trapped a widevariety of animals includingbobcats, beavers and foxes.Around 1960 he caught thewolf whose pelt is now atthe Center. The wolf wascaught in a snare, and hisears were clipped toturn in for a bounty.Sinko would havereceived a bountyof $35 at that time.

Sinko drownedwhile working onone of his trap-lines. His wolfpelt was passedon to his nephew

Mac Montgomery wears the predator-friendly sweater purchased for himby his wife, Carol, from the Wolf Den store.

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Center BoardMember Is“EnvironmentalHero”

The Wilderness Society hasrecognized International Wolf

Center board member Paul Schurkeas an environmental hero. The award

is given annually to individuals goingabove and beyond in their effort to

support the environment in Minnesota.Schurke is co-founder of the Ely,

Minnesota, chapter of NortheasternMinnesotans for Wilderness, and he has testified before Congress to protect theBoundary Waters Canoe Area Wildernessfrom expanded motorized vehicle use.

As part of the award, Schurke was given$1,000 to donate to a nonprofit of hischoosing. The Center is the proud recipient of that donation. �

The International WolfCenter’s conference

“Frontiers of Wolf Recovery”in Colorado Spr ings ,Colorado, in October 2005was not only a success for the International WolfCenter but inadvertentlyhelped give the YellowstoneNational Park wolf researchproject a big boost.

A philanthropist whoattended the “Values ofLong-Term Research” sessionwas so impressed that shecommitted a challenge grantof $100,000 per year for 10 years to the project. Dr. Presentations like Doug Smith’s at the “Frontiers of Wolf Recovery”

conference inspired the donation of a challenge grant to the YellowstoneWolf Project.

Yellowstone National Park Wolf Project Funded

Doug Smith, Yellowstonewolf research project leader,w i l l n o w w o r k h a r d to obtain the matchingamount, which will totallyrestore his recently cutoperating budget.

In addition, the samedonor committed $40,000per year for 10 years to Dr.L. David Mech for graduatestudents at the University of Minnesota who study inYellowstone National Park.

The wolf conference and the long-term researchsession surely were the rightcatalysts at the right time.

Kelly

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frey

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cy jo

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bs

Wal

ter

Med

wid

Thank you for your continued support! Due to an increase in the cost of postage, utilities and

operating expenses, our membership rates are increasing beginning January 1, 2006. The best way you can continue

to support our work is by renewing your membership and continuing to make donations.

New annual membership rates are as follows:Lone Wolf $ 35Wolf Pack $ 60

Wolf Associate $ 115Wolf Sponsor $ 500

Alpha Wolf $1,000

*A $15 shipping charge will still be added to all non-U.S. memberships.

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14 S p r i n g 2 0 0 6 w w w . w o l f . o r g

INTERNATIONAL WOLF CENTER

Contributors

Challenge GrantLarry Anderson

Donna Baumgartner

DiAnne Davis

Barbara Farley

Neil Hutt

Dave Mech

Walter Medwid

Judy O’Connor

Rolf & Candy Peterson

Mike Phillips

Mario Quadracci

Debbie Reynolds

Mark and Carol Rickman

Jerry Sanders

Paul Schurke

Ted & Barbara Spaulding

Kelley Tees

Nancy jo Tubbs

Laura Tuthill

Michiel van Hoorik

Pamela W. Zalesky

Lloyd D. Zemmol

RoyaltiesRykodisc, Inc.

Voyageur Press, Inc.

In-KindDonationsTricia Austin

Nancy Hartman

Reid Zimmerman

MemorialsIn memory of Ralph Dowell:

Gayle Doukas

In memory of Samuel Gittlen:

James & GisselConigliaro

Pearl & Ed Politza

In memory of Nyssa:

Kenneth Housey

Michiel van Hoorik

In memory of Kathleen O’Connor:

Virginia Britten

Kelly Jewett

The Writing Kit, Inc.

In memory of Linda Salzarula:

Carolyn Pilagonia

In memory of Jeri Seuker:

James Jr. & Judy Frakes

James & Anne Halgerson

Mary & Richard Hoeg

Mary F. Leonard

Twin City Cat Fanciers

In memory of Ronald Turner:

Eileen Morton

In memory of Jan Volkman:

Marsha Penner

In memory of Anna Vrabec:

Mike Vrabec

In memory of James M. Weber:

Aunt Mary Keck & cousins:

Brian Keck and family

David Keck and family

Kevin Keck

Roger Keck

HonoraryIn honor of Erin Albers:

Terence and Roxanne Albers

In honor of Barb & Marc Farley:

Judy Henry

In honor of Sivar:

Michiel van Hoorik

In honor of Jerry Sanders:

Joan and Richard Hinchcliffe

In honor of Paul Schurke:

The Wilderness Society

Matching GiftsCheryl Briol and theAmerican ExpressFoundation Gift MatchingProgram

Judith Fech and the Wells Fargo CommunitySupport Campaign

Sherry Green and theMicrosoft GivingCampaign

Bruce D. Jackson and theWachovia FoundationMatching Gifts Program

Nancy Kail and the UBS Foundation MatchingGifts Program

John Kashwick and theNew York Times CompanyFoundation Matching GiftsProgram

Lisa Myers and thePatagonia, Inc. Matching Gifts Program

Brian Ogren and theAmerican ExpressFoundation Matching Gift Program

Debbie Reynolds and theMay Department StoresCompany Foundation

Cindy Walters and theGMAC-RFC MatchingGifts Program

SEPTEMBER–NOVEMBER 2005

ThankYou

Major DonorsJohn Bryant

John Cain & Tanya Reiss Cain

Tom Dwight

Nancy Gibson

Charles & Sharon Heck

Mrs. William Hunsberger

Neil Hutt

Robert & Kathleen Kulus

David Lee

Warren Loiler

Shane Martin

Dorothy Donnelley Moller

Sarah Morris

Wayne Munday

Rolf and Carolyn Peterson

Sherry A. Ray

Deborah Reynolds

Marilyn Robinson

David & Julie Shafer

David Smith

Nancy jo Tubbs

Helen Tyson

Lloyd Dale & Dee Van Vleck

Sandra S. Vonderembse

Voyageur Press, Inc.

Trish Zapinski

Isaac

Bab

cock

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I n t e r n a t i o n a l W o l f S p r i n g 2 0 0 6 15

Tracking the Pack

The Establishment of theOmega Positionb y L o r i S c h m i d t , W o l f C u r a t o r ,I n t e r n a t i o n a l W o l f C e n t e r

Posturing for dominance includesriding up on each other, in whicha wolf puts its forelegs on theback of another wolf in attemptsto force submission.

tered, these hormonal in-fluences are present—nodoubt subdued but present.In October 2005, Shadowand Malik began posturingfor dominance. These behav-iors included hip slams,resting their chin on theback of the other wolf,holding their tails high wheninteracting, and slow anddeliberate circling of eachother. By November, theposturing included riding upon each other, in which onewould put its forelegs on theback of the other in attemptsto force submission. Scruffbiting increased, and chasesensued, with the less confi-dent wolf running away withpinned ears, a tucked tail andoften a full hackle response,in which the hair on its neck,

back, rump and tail wouldstand up.

Shadow has clearly beenmore dominant in encoun-ters with Malik since theywere pups, but what haschanged their interactionthis year is the presence ofGrizzer, now mature. WhenShadow faces Malik, Grizzerrides up on Malik and at-tempts a scruff bite. For thefirst time in the Center’sExhibit Pack, there are threemales all vying for status.One of the wolves will be at the bottom of the order,termed the omega position,and indications are thatMalik will become thelowest-ranking wolf of theExhibit Pack. Why notMaya, since she’s the mostsubmissive? She isthe only female,and Shadowseems to guardher from thedominance

behaviors instigated by theother wolves. Thus she maintains a higher rankingin the pack.

These ritualized domi-nance behaviors can benoisy and quite intense butare generally short and don’tresult in injury. In fact, biol-ogists believe that by clearlyshowing dominance in suchritualized displays, pack mem-bers avoid more significantfights. These behaviors areinstinctual, derived from lifein the wild and present inthe captive wolves that serveas ambassadors. �

Stev

e Lo

kker

Since Nyssa’s death (see “Tracking the Pack” in the Winter 2005 issue),

the International WolfCenter’s Exhibit Pack hasundergone some changes.Initially, the pack was verysubdued, interacted little, and howled more than usualfor several weeks after theloss of its omega pack mem-ber. As summer arrived, thewolves returned to early-morning bouts of stalking,chasing and displaying domi-nance to establish their posi-tion within the rank ordercharacteristic of these socialanimals. The wolves swam inthe pond, dove for minnowsand chased ravens and eachother in ambush scenarioslikely stimulated by their predatory drive. As wolves inthe wild do, they slept duringthe warmest part of the day toavoid overheating. Wolf carestaff didn’t observe any be-havior that indicated anew omega position hadbeen established, butbehavior during thistime of the year is gen-erally less aggressive.

As fall and winterapproached, behaviorschanged. Researchershave long documented the influence of hormoneson a wolf’s behavior as thebreeding season approaches.Even in an exhibit wherewolves are spayed and neu-

Ritualized dominance behaviors can be noisyand quite intense but are generally short anddon’t result in injury.

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16 S p r i n g 2 0 0 6 w w w . w o l f . o r g

conservation organization, leads theeffort to implement a comprehensiveeducation program and to monitorwolf populations. The organizationseeks solutions to some major chal-lenges: What steps can be taken toreduce conflict with humans? Whatmeasures will improve habitat, reducepopulation fragmentation and mini-mize barriers to dispersal?

In neighboring Spain, wolves wereseverely persecuted until fairlyrecently. Subscribing to the oldnotion that a wolf-free country is a“civilized” country, Spain attemptedto eradicate its wolf population. As in the United States and elsewhere in the world, the government distrib-uted poison to landowners and paidbounties for wolves killed. Wolves inagricultural regions often became notso much predators as scavengers,adaptable opportunists that lived ongarbage, rodents and dead sheep andcows. In mountain regions where thecampesinos and pastores (farmers andshepherds) allowed livestock torange along the slopes and in thevalleys, wolves killed vulnerable live-stock in addition to their naturalprey—red deer, roe deer, rabbits andwild boars.

But the view of the wolf as ascourge, a “beast of waste and desola-tion,” is changing. For one thing, thepublic is more conservation conscious.For another, fewer people now residein the country, so in areas formerlydevoted to livestock raising and agri-culture, prey species such as roe deerand wild boars are on the increase.Wolves are increasing, too, even thoughthe wolf is classified as a game animalnorth of the Duero River and huntingis legal. South of the river, wolves arefully protected by the EuropeanUnion’s Habitat Directive.

According to current estimates(“Strategy for the Conservation andManagement of the Wolf [Canis

W O LV E S I N I B E R I A — S PA I N A N D P O R T U G A L

The Hazards of Habitat Fragmentation:What Can Wolf Tracking Teach Us?b y N e i l H u t t

S p a i n

F R A N C E

P o r t u g a l

River Duero

Madrid

Lisbon

The main threats to the long-term survival of wolves on theIberian Peninsula are the same

ones faced by large carnivores every-where in the world: destruction ofnatural prey and habitat fragmenta-tion. Once numerous in Portugal,wolves were on the decline by theearly 20th century. Fully protectedsince 1988, an estimated 250 to 300animals occupy approximately 30percent of their former range, mostlyin the north. Grupo Lobo, a nonprofit

In general our motto is not tooppose development or humanactivity (for example, by being critical of the construction of newroads or by blocking hunts) but to actively research the technicalmeans for making activities likeroad construction or huntingcompatible with conservation.

—Juan Carlos Blanco, member of Wolf Project, ConservationBiology Consultants, Spain

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I n t e r n a t i o n a l W o l f S p r i n g 2 0 0 6 17

lupus] in Spain,” December 2004)approximately 2,000 wolves live inSpain, and the population is stable,perhaps even growing. Spain has thelargest wolf population in WesternEurope, and on the European conti-nent, only Russia and Romania havemore wolves.

As wolves in Spain have begun torecover and to recolonize some of the more densely populated regionsof the country, researchers are recog-nizing that data on populationtrends, distribution and the interac-tion between wolves and livestockare essential to developing a conser-vation and management plan forthese controversial carnivores and for the endangered bear and theIberian lynx as well. Gathering thesevital data is especially importantbecause of the on-going constructionof fenced four-lane highways, manyof which are being built in wolfrange. For this reason, researchers

the researchers’ office via SMS (ShortMessage Service). Thus, the researcherscan record the latest GPS position ofthe wolf. In the case of no networkcoverage, the GPS GSM collar willretransmit the stored SMS informa-tion the next time the GSM coverageis available.

The results of the study (“Wolfresponse to two kinds of barriers inan agricultural habitat in Spain” byJuan Carlos Blanco, Yolanda Cortés,and Emilio Virgos) were presented atthe International Wolf Center confer-ence in Colorado Springs, Colorado,in October 2005. The paper, pub-lished in the Canadian Journal ofZoology (2005), can be downloaded asa PDF file (see below). It is fascinatingand well worth reading because itdemonstrates the need for addressingthe issue of habitat requirements inthe debate over how best to conservethe great carnivores and other largemammals everywhere.

Blanco and colleagues discoveredthat highway barriers alone did notseem to delay or retard the expansionof an increasing wolf population intheir study area, a flat, almost treelessagricultural region northwest ofMadrid. This region is densely popu-lated, and wolves are habituated tohuman activity. The study suggested,however, that the Duero River did, infact, delay expansion for a period of15 years. This was puzzling becausethe Duero in Spain is not much widerthan a four-lane highway, although in Portugal, the river is wider where it enters the ocean, and the habitat on both sides is more disturbed byhuman activity than it is in Spain.The researchers concluded thathabitat disturbance by humans onboth sides of the river (two-laneroads, railroads, channels, smallindustry etc.) multiplied the barriereffect. In other words, one obstaclealone might not be formidable

like Juan Carlos Blanco and YolandaCortés are using cutting-edge tech-nology to discover the location ofecological corridors that link carni-vore populations and to determinethe effect of barriers like highwaysand rivers on animal movements.

In an effort to discover whetherhabitat fragmentation by fencedhighways, along with natural barrierslike the Duero River (see map),deters or delays dispersal of wolvesand other large mammals, Blanco and Cortés are using radio-trackingcollars for monitoring wolves in aproject funded by the Ministry for the Environment. Since 1997, theresearch team has radio-collared 16wolves, 2 of them with GPS GSM(Global Positioning System–GlobalSystem for Mobile Communication)collars. A GPS GSM collar records thewolf’s movements with the GPS andsends the locations over the mobilephones network (GSM) directly to

Juan Carlos Blanco and Yolanda Cortés fitting a GPS GSM collar on a wolf.

Imag

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with their sheep. Domestic animalshave become a major food source forwolves in some regions of CentralAsia, and headlines hype the resultinganti-wolf sentiment. For example, anarticle with the title “Wolves TerrorizeNorthern Kyrgyzstan” reports that inone district, hungry wolves slaugh-tered 128 sheep in a single night.

Frustration and fear have mountedas reports abound of wolves ap-proaching villages. “Mad wolves,”those suspected of having rabies, areconsidered especially dangerous sincethey are thought to have little fear ofpeople. Wolf-dog hybrids can pose an additional threat because of theirboldness around humans.

In some villages, clusters of scare-crows demonstrate a futile effort to

18 S p r i n g 2 0 0 6 w w w . w o l f . o r g

enough to deter a wolf, but severalclose and parallel obstacles create adeterrent.

Blanco and colleagues concludeby recommending the constructionof wildlife crossings on new four-lane highways, particularly with theincrease in the number of gasstations, motels, restaurants andother facilities clustered along majorroadways. Similar studies have beenconducted in North America, demon-strating the critical importance ofconsidering the subject of land use in the discussion of large carnivoreconservation.

For the full paper “Wolf response to two kindsof barriers in an agricultural habitat in Spain,”Canadian Journal of Zoology 83: 312-23(2005), go to http://www.environmental-studies.de/projects/26/wolves-4.html, andclick on the link on the last page.

Close to home, their printsdarken the snow.

Come full moon,the whole night is anguished—

cattlestagger in their sheds

knocking the walls,churning fodder and litter;

wide-eyed in lamplightthey buck and bruise.

Under Stalinculls worked like clockwork—

wolves skinned from their peltswere hung out to dry,

as cotton stretched to new horizons,as Kazakhs ate the dust.

Now fences are mendedbolts shot home

and the shotgun proppedby the bed

is oiled and loaded.But sleep, sleep is fitful

as the lost packs masson the steppes of Kazakhstan.

—“Wolves Are Massing on the Steppes of Kazakhstan”by Sarah McGuire, Poetry Review, Spring 2004

Wolves in Kazakhstan areknown as “beasts,” theirmenacing reputations fueled

by stories of attacks on people and ofhuman bodies consumed by wolvesin wartime and during epidemics likethe Black Plague. Severely persecutedthroughout their extensive range,Eurasian wolves have suffered fromreduction in natural prey and fromland development—as have wolvesalmost everywhere in the world.

Wolf hunting in Central Asia was a profitable business under thegovernment of the U.S.S.R., but in thebeginning of the post-Soviet period,wolves were no longer routinelyculled, and their numbers haveincreased dramatically. In many local-ities, shepherds are prohibited by lawfrom carrying weapons while on duty

W O LV E S I N C E N T R A L A S I A

The Eurasian Wolf in Turkmenistan,Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan,Kazakhstan and Western Chinab y N e i l H u t t

Juan Carlos Blancoand Yolanda Cortésprepare to release aradio-collared wolf.

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deter wolves. Shepherds, thwarted bythe difficulty of getting permission touse firearms and by the expense ofacquiring guard dogs, often takematters into their own hands. Some areeven said to attempt an old method oftrying to keep wolves from the door.According to an ancient belief, if awolf is captured, dealt a disfiguringinjury and then released to return toits pack, the other wolves will under-stand the warning and stay away.

Given the availability of naturalprey, wolves generally avoid humans.But the winter of 2004-05 was severein Central Asia, and wolves are re-puted to have attacked 20 people inwestern Uzbekistan (2 later diedaccording to reports). In Tajikistan,villagers live in fear of maraudingwolves killing livestock—and per-haps the villagers themselves. In aninterview with Radio Free Europe,one resident spoke with passion of thevillagers’ fears. “At night, the wolvesown the village. First, they ate all the dogs. Now they have begun to eatsheep, cows and other animals.Wolves dig through mud walls, breakinto sheds and attack animals.”

Reports of wolves taking a hugetoll on livestock are coming also from herdsmen in western China and Mongolia. As recently as 40 yearsago, wolves were randomly killedeverywhere in China. Not anymore.Protected by laws reflecting thecountry’s growing environmentalawareness, wolves appear to havebounced back from a reported lownumber in the 1980s.

Are the tales of huge livestocklosses and attacks on humans blownout of proportion to the truth?Perhaps some are. But exaggerated or not, such stories point out theneed for governments to pay atten-tion to wildlife and land-use issuesand to work with local people ondeveloping reasonable and workablemanagement plans in regions wherewolves and humans coexist. �

Neil Hutt is an educator andInternational Wolf Center board memberwho lives in Purcellville, Virginia.

Kyrgyzstan

Tajikistan

I R A N

R U S S I A

A F G H A N I S T A N

P A K I S T A N I N D I A

China

Kazakhstan

Turkmenistan

Uzbekistan

N E P A L

Camp can make a big difference in yourson’s life. We place him in an idealwilderness setting, teach him, help himmake friends and grow. Since 1951, our philosophy has evolved into a solidprogram that emphasizes fair play, fun, fitness and REAL CAMPING.

TRADITIONAL SUMMER CAMP FOR BOYS 10-17WILDERNESS CANOE & BACKPACK TRIPS

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the presence of a wild animal and not the other way around. Hundredsof thousands of human visitor dayshave been logged in wolf countrywithout wolf attacks.

Like other wild and domesticanimals, wolves are responsive to theactions of humans. Humans have aremarkable ability to influence andshape animal behavior, whether thatinvolves a black bear harassingcampers for food after being fed by an eager photographer, a raccoonrummaging through your trash canwhen the lid is not secured, or achickadee feeding contentedly at abackyard feeder while you watchthrough your kitchen window.

Our actions have the potential tocause immediate and sometimes dangerous behavioral changes inwildlife. Wolves are probably nodifferent from a chickadee in howsusceptible they are to habituation.By avoiding contact with wildlife orproviding negative stimulus in thepresence of a bold animal (yelling,banging pots and pans, throwingsticks), also known as aversive con-ditioning, we may be able to avoidhabituating animals to us.

Could this regrettable event havebeen prevented with appropriate waste disposal and aversive condi-tioning by those encountering wolves?We cannot know; we can simply beaware of the potential danger of habit-uating wild animals to us and takeaction against it in the future. �

Related links:

The process of habituation in wildlife:http://www.animalbehavioronline.com/habituation.html

(Case Study) Wolf Habituation as aConservation Conundrum by Diane Boyd:http://www.sinauer.com/groom/article.php?id=24

Wolf-human attacks in North America:http://www.wolf.org/wolves/learn/intermed/inter_human/wolf_human.asp

Wolves and Humans Series flyers:http://www.wolf.org/wolves/learn/basic/wolves_humans.asp

Four Wolves Suspected in Man’s Death in Remote Area of Canadab y J e s s E d b e r g , I n f o r m a t i o n S p e c i a l i s t

C a n a d a

La Ronge

Regina

Wollaston Lake

S A S K AT C H E WA N

M A N I T O B A

O N T A R I O

Q U E B E C

N O R T H W E S T T E R R I T O R I E S

A L B E R T A

B R I T I S HC O L U M B I A

An apparent wolf attack has been determined as the cause of death for 22-year-old

Kenton Joel Carnegie, whose bodywas found on Tuesday, November 8,at Points North Landing nearWollaston Lake in the Canadianprovince of Saskatchewan, about 450kilometers northeast of La Ronge.

The main theory in this case isthat Carnegie was attacked by a packof four wolves seen in the area forsome time that were showing signs of losing their natural fear of humans(an indication of habituation tohumans), according to SaskatchewanEnvironment and Resource Manage-ment wildlife biologist Tim Trottier,who is investigating the case. There is also evidence that Carnegie andothers had recently been interactingwith the wolves at close range.

Canadian wolf biologist Dr. PaulPaquet has also been investigating the incident and says that evidencepoints to approximately four wolves,based on blood and tracks present inthe area. Investigating conservationofficers, given permission to kill anywolves suspected in the incident, have killed two wolves from the area.Dr. Paquet’s examination of the animals

showed cloth, hair and flesh in thelarge intestine that resembled humanremains and are being tested forhuman origin.

Paquet said that the wolves sus-pected of attacking Carnegie probablyhad prior human contact and that the attack was likely spurred by theanimals’ interest in discarded food orgarbage.

“I suspect that ultimately we willfind that these are garbage-habituatedwolves that are either being inadver-tently fed or intentionally fed in thearea,” he said. “That is the commonthread to most wolf attacks that I’veinvestigated.”

If wolves are proven to have killedCarnegie, it will be the first docu-mented case of healthy, wild wolveskilling a human in North America.

Does this mean that all wolvesshould be considered a serious threatto humans living in or visiting wolfcountry? Not necessarily. Wolves and other wild animals have alwaysbeen unpredictable. Bears, mountainlions, bison, moose and even domesticpets have been known to present aserious threat to people under certaincircumstances. The danger may liemore in how we as humans behave in

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According to KPVI-TV, a U.S. Fishand Wildlife Service agent stated that“there was a considerable amount ofphysical evidence.”

ETHIOPIAN WOLVES, whichscience cannot yet say are truly

wolves or jackals, are the subject of a new Web site, by the Ethiopian WolfConservation Programme http://www.ethiopianwolf.org/.

WOLVES IN FRANCE are beingpoisoned illegally, along with

eagles and other wildlife. Both strych-nine and cyanide were being used,and four wolves and three goldeneagles were found dead from them. �

A MICHIGAN WOLF killed illegally in the state’s Upper

Peninsula led to a $910 fine, $1,500restitution fee, and three months pro-bation for a resident of Manistique.The man pled guilty of shooting the wolf in fall 2004 during huntingseason.

WOLF DELISTING, alwayscontroversial, was called for

once more in a petition thatWyoming filed in August with theU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Thestate noted that the federal recoverygoal for the West was 300 wolves andthat there are now about 835. TheU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service repliedin October that “substantial informa-tion exists indicating that delisting of this population may be warranted.”This finding is now being followedby a 12-month review.

WOLVES IN THE ARCTICwere one of the subjects of

a new Wildl i fe Monograph,“Cumulative Effects of HumanDevelopments on Arctic Wildlife” byChris J. Johnson and six co-authors.Wildlife Monograph 180 covers theeffects of mining, mineral explorationand outfitter camps on wolves, cari-bou, grizzly bears and wolverines.

POISONING WOLVES. TimSundles of Idaho has been

charged with using the pesticideTemik on federal lands without alicense. Sundles’ Web site has longfeatured “How to Poison Wolves,”and several dogs were found dead ofthe poison, possibly set out for wolves.

Dw

ight

And

rew

s

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action. Apparently the bison offeredenough food for satiated wolves andthe newly awakened bear.

Later that spring, at a Druid elkkill near Soda Butte Cone, I sawThumper, a grizzly notorious forbelly-flopping on tents and for onceeating a stash of gummie bears andmarijuana. Only a yearling wolfremained at the site; neither animalwas confrontational. Thumper playedwith a stick; the wolf played withsome grass. Both appeared to followmutually accepted roles, avoidingrisks and wasting no energy onaggression. The encounter endedwhen Thumper belly-flopped on thecarcass and watched, head on paws,as the wolf left.

At the next encounter I saw con-frontation. Druids had killed an elk inSoda Butte Creek and were having anafter-dinner snooze when Thumper

Wolf-Grizzly Interaction in Yellowstone National ParkT e x t a n d p h o t o s b y B e t s y D o w n e y

Since the 1995 restoration of wolves to Yellowstone National Park, these new top carnivores

have had significant interactions with the park’s older top carnivores,grizzly bears, usually over food andyoung. Opportunists, grizzlies rarelyhunt large prey, but they do feed on carcasses and other animals’ kills,taking over wolf kills so often thatYellowstone’s Wolf Project DirectorDoug Smith writes: “It’s not a matter of if the bears will come calling after a kill, but when.” Wolves rarely sur-render their kills graciously, and both

wolves and grizzlies vigorously defendtheir young. Conflict between them is common, often dramatic and fre-quently visible to visitors, especially in the park’s northeast corner. I’ve beenlucky to see many of their encounters.Two of them took place close enough tothe road for good photographs.

The first wolf-grizzly interactions I saw involved feeding. One took placeat Round Prairie in March 2004. TheDruid Peak pack had killed and fedon a bison. While the wolves nappedin the sun, a grizzly ambled out of the woods. The wolves went on fullalert: several followed the bear alongthe tree line, then lay back down towatch the bear feed on the carcass.There was no conflict or serious inter-

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a n o t h e r wol f ,”someone yelped,“Oh my gosh! It’s a black bear!” Soonthe “carcass grizzly”began to fight withan “intruder grizzly.”Seeing this, 302 (anopportunist, famousfor breeding with“unguarded” females) darted in tofeed on the carcass. After driving offthe intruder, the carcass grizzlychased 302 back to the bank, and asthe wolf settled down for anothernap, the black bear drove off theother intruding grizzly.

I have seen numerous interactionsat wolf dens. I once watched Druidwolves chase off a grizzly who cametoo near their den. As with Thumperand the Druid yearling, the interac-tion seemed ritualized. The wolvesran at the bear; the bear swatted atthe wolves; wolves and bear bothtook a “time out,” lay down and thenstarted in again. The wolves finally

Photos top to bottom: Ata Druid pack kill,Thumper, a well-knowngrizzly in Yellowstone,and a Druid wolf movein tandem toward theelk carcass in SodaButte Creek thatThumper has takenfrom the Druid wolves.

Not terribly troubled bythe wolf, Thumperwatches him and playswith a stick.

As the wolf comes closer,Thumper pays moreattention.

Thumper pauses for a scratch as the wolf movespast him toward the carcass. Soon after Thumperlay down on the carcass and watched as the wolfretreated.

I n t e r n a t i o n a l W o l f S p r i n g 2 0 0 6 23

appeared and began feeding (seephotos on next page). At firstThumper’s only challenger was wolf21, the Druid alpha male and the lastof the first pups born in 1995. Thepark’s oldest wolf, he died, likely ofnatural causes, a month later (see “The End of an Era: The Last Days of Wolf 21” in the Winter 2005 issue of International Wolf). The old wolftried several times to pass Thumperand get to the carcass. Thumper wasdetermined to stop him but was notaggressive, though once he chased thesnarling wolf into the trees. Wolf 21pooped in the woods—a messageperhaps—and returned to test the bear.Twenty-one and other wolves finallyentered the water near the carcass, butThumper ran them off and buried thecarcass in the middle of the stream.

Another dramatic interactionoccurred over a bison carcass near the east end of the Lamar Valley.Druid wolves and a black bear fed onthe carcass and sparred until the bearsimply went to sleep on it. The wolvesleft but returned later to resumefeeding and skirmishing until agrizzly drove the black bear off. Thisbear was a more formidable rival, andthe level of conflict escalated. Thewolves went after the grizzly fromseveral directions, feinting and nippingat it. The bear lunged at the wolves,swiping with its huge paws. Thewolves appeared to take serious risks,but the bear didn’t connect, not even with a bold yearling who had a broken leg. The wolves alwaysjumped away just in time. The grizzlyeventually left, and the black bearreturned. After more skirmishing the wolves finally trotted off.

The most memorable wolf-grizzlyencounter I witnessed in 2005 in-volved Druid wolf 302, a subordinatemale, and multiple bears. Three of us watched a grizzly feed on a carcassin the Soda Butte Creek–Lamar Riverconfluence while 302 dozed on abank nearby. Suddenly two grizzliesstarted across the flats toward thefeeding bear and sleeping wolf. Then a black shape popped up in the bushes near the carcass. “There’s

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ran the bear off without a real fight.In 2005, the natal den area of theSlough Creek pack was visible fromthe Slough Creek campground road;four females had bred, producingabout 15 or 16 pups. We witnessedfrequent dramas there as bears,mostly grizzlies, wandered too close.One grizzly actually stuck his noseinto a den hole; he was lucky it didn’tcome out with a wolf attached! But it came out with the breeding femaleclose behind, and she drove the

bear off alone. The bearsusually didn’t get that close;whenever a bear appeared,wolves erupted out of nowhereand provided the bear with abarking, snapping escort out oftheir territory.

These interactions illustrateimportant patterns of wolf and grizzly coexistence inYellowstone National Park.Dozens of encounters betweenthem have been recorded sincethe 1995 restoration; mostinvolve wolf kills and othercarcasses and the young of both species. Occasionally well-fed wolves allow bears to feedwithout interference. Sometimes

wolves and grizzliesfeed together uneasily.More often there isconflict. Skirmishesover food usually endwith the grizzly drivingoff the wolves. Thewolves control their

24 S p r i n g 2 0 0 6 w w w . w o l f . o r g

Left column, top to bottom: The grizzlyThumper feeds on the stomach of an elkkilled by Druids in Soda Butte Creek.

Wolf 21 tries to get by Thumper, who isblocking access to Soda Butte Creek andthe elk carcass.

Turned away from the carcass, wolf 21snarls at Thumper.

Thumper takes offense at wolf 21’s persistence and snarling and chases him into the trees.

Right column, top to bottom:Undeterred, wolf 21 goesinto Soda Butte Creek infront of Thumper.

Wolf 21 finally gets into thecreek and approaches thecarcass, but Thumper alsogets in and starts to runafter 21.

Thumper stands on the elkcarcass, lunges at wolf 21and runs him off.

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I n t e r n a t i o n a l W o l f S p r i n g 2 0 0 6 25

sharing Yellowstone with wolves,since wolf kills give them convenientaccess to more protein. Preciselywhat this means for the park’s eco-system is not yet clear. Is it contrib-uting to the growth and health of thegrizzly population? To stabilizing the wolf population? Will sharingtheir kills with grizzlies pressure the wolves to kill more elk? Morebison? Or will the bears and wolvestake what they need, depriving scavengers farther down the foodchain? What other ripple effects may occur? Park biologists continueto look for answers.

Meanwhile, many park personnelbelieve that one grizzly owes his life to wolves. As a “Problem Bear,”Thumper was headed for removal—or worse—until he turned from a life of campground crime to stealingwolf kills. The animal watchers aredelighted, but the wolves do not seemto appreciate their role in Thumper’srehabilitation. �

Betsy Downey, who wrote “Wolf MoonOver Yellowstone” for the Spring 2005issue of International Wolf, teacheshistory at Gonzaga University inSpokane, Washington, when she is notwatching wolves and bears in Yellowstone.She thanks Doug Smith, Director ofYellowstone’s Wolf Project, for reviewingthis article. For more on Yellowstone’swolves, see Decade of the Wolf:Returning the Wild to Yellowstone(2005) by Doug Smith and Gary Ferguson.

risks, and the encounters rarely lead tophysical contact. There are no knownwolf fatalities caused by grizzlies inYellowstone. Not surprisingly, noadult bears have been killed bywolves. However their young arevulnerable. So far, wolves have de-fended their young successfully.Grizzlies have not done so well; wolveshave killed three cubs. Most recently,in 2004, seven Slough Creek wolvesattacked a sow grizzly with three cubs in the Lamar Valley. The sowcould not protect all three cubs, andthe Slough Creek wolves got one. Iwas glad to miss that encounter,arriving just as the wolves disappearedover a ridge with tails held high.

Except for the cub fatalities, griz-zlies seem to have the advantage in

Thumper stands over the Druid pack’s elk kill,which he has taken over. A black Druid wolfwatches from the grass between the right bankand the two trees.

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26 S p r i n g 2 0 0 6 w w w . w o l f . o r g

Fish and Wildlife Service andU.S.D.A. Wildlife Services, the Bureauof Biological Survey was captured in the early 20th century by powerfulwestern ranching interests intent on cleansing the American West ofpredators. Under the ranchers’ sway,the agency indiscriminately killedhundreds of thousands of wild predators, eliminating wolves, lynx,grizzly bears, black-footed ferrets,

lions, coyotes and other speciesfrom large portions of theAmerican West.

Many books have told thestory of this mass slaughter, butRobinson’s true subject is not the killing itself but the allianceof ranchers and bureaucrats thatdrove the killing. Political scien-tists have repeatedly shown thatgovernment agencies are oftendriven as much by the compul-sion to perpetuate themselvesas they are to fulfill their offi-cial mandates. In the early20th century, the Bureau ofBiological Survey was a tinyscientific research agencybadly in need of a constituencyto guarantee its survival. Inwalked the western ranchingindustry with a devil’sbargain: bureaucratic powerin exchange for killingpredators. The tiny agencyreadily accepted, guaran-teeing decades of growing

b y J i m W i l l i a m s , A s s i s t a n t D i r e c t o r f o rE d u c a t i o n , I n t e r n a t i o n a l W o l f C e n t e r

Predatory Bureaucracy: The Extermination of Wolves and the Transformation of the WestMichael J. Robinson

University Press of Colorado, 2005

In Predatory Bureaucracy: TheExtermination of Wolves and theTransformation of the West, long-

time wolf advocate Michael J.Robinson traces the development ofthe U.S. government’s policies towardpredators by following the evolutionof the federal agency originallycharged with executing those poli-cies, the U.S. Bureau of BiologicalSurvey. Progenitor of today’s U.S.

federal appropriations and dwindlingpredator populations.

Robinson is at his best when re-vealing the behind-the-scenes machi-nations and deft political feints thatallowed the Survey to continuekilling predators even as the tide ofpublic opinion turned against them.By misrepresenting the tortuousdeath of poisoned animals as quickand painless, hiding informationabout the scale of the killing fromlawmakers and citizens, promisingreforms that never materialized, andforming strategic alliances withpowerful figures at the local, state,and national levels, the agency wasable to continue its practices virtuallyundeterred for more than 50 years.

Predatory Bureaucracy is, first andforemost, a work of tremendousscholarship. The wealth of insightinto the workings of the federalbureaucracy is the product of 12years of arduous historical spade-work in archives and librariesthroughout the West. Surprisingly, itis also a beautifully written book thatcaptures the feel of western land-scapes and the ethos of early 20th-century America with an eloquenceunusual for a weighty, scholarly book.

The one noteworthy flaw of thebook is Robinson’s subtle but perva-sive tendency to let his pro-wolf,anti-ranching bias distort his analyt-ical vision. Robinson’s ahistoricalmoral judgments of people shaped ina different era, inadequate acknowl-edgment of the popular support formass predator killing through thefirst half of the 20th century, anduncritical regurgitation of the senti-mental folklore surrounding the lastwestern wolves diminish what isotherwise an outstanding book. �

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I n t e r n a t i o n a l W o l f S p r i n g 2 0 0 6 27

preparation a piece offood must go through tobe ready for the stomachdepends on what foodthe animal is eating.

An animal eating grassor branches has to bite,hold and pull. The frontteeth performing the bite are calledincisors. Molars per-form grindingand chewing; they are teeth with bigflat surfaces. A plant-eating animal iscalled an herbivore.

If an animal has to catch anotheranimal for food, it might need to holdthe prey with long, pointed teeth and cut it with sharp-edged teeth.These pointed canine teeth are toolsfor holding or tearing meat. A meat-eating animal is called a carnivore.

Sometimes animals have pointyteeth for tearing, and flat teeth forgrinding. These animals are omni-vores and eat both plants andanimals.

Open Wide!b y K e l l y B u r n s

Chew your food: Think about how you eat eachof the foods on this list. Doyou bite from the front or sideor use your back teeth?

• Carrot• Corn on the cob• Popcorn• Chicken wing• Apple• Ice cream cone

Count them out: Count how many teeth you have. ____________

Guess how many teeth a wolf has.____________

What difference does it make how many teeth an animal has?

Be a dental detective:

Take a look in the mirror at your

teeth and compare them to the

diagram. Do you have canine teeth?

Molars? Incisors? Based on what

you found, what kind of an “eater”

is a human?

Teeth are important keys tolearning about an animal. By exam-ining the teeth of an animal you candetermine what kind of “eater” it is.

Once you know what food ananimal eats, you can guess how itfinds its food. A carnivore must huntanimals or find dead animals in orderto eat. As long as the right plants areavailable, herbivores can graze orbrowse to get food. So the next timeyou walk outside, think about thekind of animal you would need to beto survive in your habitat. �

MolarsCanines

Incisors

Remember your last visit to the dentist? Were you sitting in a big moving chair, light brightly

shining, the dentist peeking into your mouth to examine your teeth?A dentist checks to make sure yourteeth are healthy. Each tooth has to beinspected since each one plays an im-portant job in how you eat your food.

Your teeth are your body’s eatingtools. Now I know what you arethinking, “Aren’t my fork, knife, andspoon my eating tools?” These toolshelp out before the food gets intoyour mouth. Your teeth take overafter that. Animals, on the otherhand, have to do all the work withtheir teeth.

Teeth can do amazing things, like tear, hold, grind and rip. Theseactions help get food into an animal’sbody so it can be passed on to thestomach for digestion. The type of

Editor’s note: This article originally appearedin the Summer 2002 issue.

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28 S p r i n g 2 0 0 6 w w w . w o l f . o r g

in some areas does not mean ourwork is done.

Next, the USFWS tried to circum-vent these rulings by issuingWisconsin and Michigan permits inApril under section 10(a)(1)(A) ofthe ESA to lethally take wolves thatkill livestock. This provision allowslimited take for scientific research,captive breeding and activities thatenhance the survival and propa-gation of species in the wild. It wasnot intended for general wolf man-agement or to replicate more flexiblerules that apply to threatened species.Inexplicably, the USFWS violated the ESA by issuing these permits

without giving the public requirednotice and opportunity to comment.Not surprisingly, a Washington, D.C.,federal judge struck down this actionas well.

The ESA contains the necessaryflexibility to restore wolves across theirrange and manage their growing populations, and the USFWS can ex-plore changing the status of gray wolvesin accordance with the ESA and bestavailable science. What the USFWScan’t do is violate the law and professshock when the courts step in. �

Jason C. Rylander is a staff attorney withDefenders of Wildlife in the organiza-tion’s Washington, D.C., headquarters.

Editor’s note: See “Gray WolfReclassification Derailed, Delisting inEastern United States Delayed,” in theWinter 2005 issue of International Wolffor an explanation of why the USFWSthought it was not violating the ESA.

Isaac

Bab

cock

The gray wolf’s recovery is one ofthe Endangered Species Act’s(ESA) true success stories. Wolf

resurgence in the Northern Rockiesand the Great Lakes is the result ofmany years of coordinated efforts byfederal and state governments, land-owners and environmental groups. Sowhy has the U.S. Fish and WildlifeService (USFWS) repeatedly violatedthe ESA to reduce federal protectionsfor the wolf?

What was once a faint hope—recovery of the wolf to the pointwhere the protections of the ESA areno longer required—may come topass, but USFWS officials should not profess shock that federal courtshave overturned efforts to use suc-cesses in the Great Lakes and NorthernRockies as an excuse to eliminateneeded protections in areas wherewolves have not yet recovered. Threefederal courts—in Oregon, Vermontand the District of Columbia —havenow rebuked the USFWS forviolating the ESA. What is shockingis not these rulings, but the USFWS’swillingness to reduce wolf protectionsat the expense of the law.

The Oregon and Vermont courtsboth struck down the 2003 wolfreclassification because the USFWSabandoned efforts to recover wolvesin New England and parts of theWest that lie outside of core recoveryareas. The changes in status were not based on sound science and con-flicted with the ESA’s goal to recoverwolves in significant portions of theirhistoric range. As the court noted,just because wolves have come back

Federal Courts Rebuff Attempts to Reduce Protections for Wolves Under the Endangered Species Act b y J a s o n C . R y l a n d e r


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