Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Katie Davidson February 14, 2008 SEA-DISC Save the Gray Wolf! Home The Gray Wolf, scientifically called Canis Lupis, like so many creatures are misunderstood and feared. The Gray Wolf could, at one time, be found throughout all of North America, but were killed off at an astonishingly fast rate by the mid-1930’s. Due to fear of the animal, severe habitat loss, and specific food requirements of the animals this magnificent creature has found itself on the endangered species list. The Gray Wolf is a vital part of our ecosystem and if we continue on this deadly trend we may lose one of the most beautiful animals of our time. Getting Acquainted Demographics The Gray Wolf is a proud predator and the largest member of the wolf family. They have narrow chests and neutrally colored fur that vary according to their habitat. Its fur comes in a range of colors, varying from gray to reddish brown, to white, or black. (The Wild Ones, 2000) They weigh an average of 55 to 130 pounds, but can grow to be as large as 175 pounds. Males are typically taller and heavier than females. They stand anywhere from 26 to 32 inches tall at the shoulder. The further north, the larger the wolf. Their normal trot speed is about 5 mph. They can reach up to 45 mph in a short sprint but can also run 25 mph for several miles (Defenders of Wildlife, 2008). Gray wolves are very social and live in packs of two to 15, but usually four to seven other wolves, usually family members. The strongest and largest wolf is the leader who is dominant over the entire pack. Gray Wolves are not brutal killers, unlike many people believe. In fact they often demonstrate deep affection for their family and may even sacrifice themselves to protect their family. (The Wild Ones, 2000) Range and Communication Historically, Gray Wolves have the largest range of any land mammal. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Gray Wolves once roamed everywhere in the U.S. except for a part in California, the southwest corner of Arizona, and the red wolf ange in the southeastern U.S. In the mid 1930s, Humans had killed off most of the gray wolves and sadly in 1974, the gray wolf was listed as Endangered. Today their range includes parts of Canada and Alaska, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Gray Wolves have adapted to every, except for tropical rainforest and true desert. Due to the fact that Gray Wolves travel up to 50 miles a day they need a very large amount of space to live. Before humans invaded their habitat and took away the majority of their homes, Gray Wolves were flourishing in a variety of biomes within North America including boreal forest, temperate deciduous forest, and temperate grassland. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2007) The Gray Wolf is not only adaptive to different habitats, but also to different names. For instance, in the Arctic it is known as the Arctic Wolf. Just like humans, the gray wolf develops strong social bonds and close relationships with his/her pack. They often demonstrate deep affection for their family and may even sacrifice themselves to protect the family unit. Though they are social amongst themselves, they try to avoid human contact for their own safety because believe it or not, we pose a threat to them. Wolves communicate through howling, barks, whines, growls, body language, and scent. Howling is used to assemble the pack, talk to other packs, and to assert territorial claims. They use urine and feces to mark their territory as well. Wolves, like us, use their facial expressions and tails (unlike us) to indicate their emotion and status in the pack. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2007) While they don’t howl at the moon, they do howl more when it’s light at night, which occurs more often than the full moon. (Defenders of Wildlife, 2008) On a quiet night, howls can be heard from as far as 120 miles away. Reproduction When a Gray Wolf finds a mate, they are together for life. The gray wolf has a short mating season during the months of January and or February. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2007) The average gestation period is 63 days, or about 2 months. Then the pups arrive! A litter size is 4-7 pups large. These adorable little puppies are born blind a defenseless so the pack cares for the pups until they are about 10 months old. For the first six weeks, pups remain and are cared for inside the safety of the den. For that first month of life, they depend solely on their mother’s milk for nourishment. Then they are gradually weaned off the milk and are fed regurgitated meat brought to them by members of their pack. At seven to eight months of age the pups get the hang of things and begin to travel and learn to hunt with their pack. When they reach one or two years old they leave their pack to find a life-long mate and start a pack of their own. Wolves will live to about 13 years old and can reproduce past 10 years old. (Defenders of Wildlife, 2008) Diet and Eating Habits The gray wolf is mostly a carnivore, but at times has been known to scavenge for its food as well. The Gray Wolf may travel up to 30 miles in one day searching for prey. They have excellent hearing and super smell, which is great for seeking out prey. The gray wolf feeds mainly on large hoofed mammals like elk, deer, moose and caribou. However they have also been known to eat beaver, rabbits and other small prey. On the occasion that they scavenge for their food, they eat animals that have died due to other causes like starvation and disease. (Defenders of Wild Life, 2008) Importance in the Environment As a keystone species, the Gray Wolf is crucial to the ecosystem it inhabits. Wolves support a wide variety of other animals, especially scavenger species. Ravens, foxes, wolverines, coyotes, bald eagles, and even bears have been found feeding on the remains of carcasses of animals killed by gray wolves. Wolves are key in helping maintain the balance between hoofed animals, such as deer, elk, and goats and their food supply, which in turn leaves more food for other plant-eaters such as beavers and small rodents. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2007) Wolves are one of the primary controllers of deer, moose, and elk populations. One wolf eats about 15 to 20 adult deer per year. If the wolf population drops it would cause a huge rise in the deer population, ultimately leading to the deer’s demise. There are about 2,500 wolves in Minnesota and if they were to all die that would leave an excess of about 36,000 deer. With so many deer, there isn’t enough food to go around and so then the deer population would starve and then their population would plummet as well. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2007) In an ecosystem it is important to remember that all organisms are interconnected and any one disturbance disturbs everybody. Population There used to be as many as 2 million gray wolves, but due to many factors, their population has dropped to the mere size of 200,000 total in 57 countries around the world. (Defenders of Wildlife, 2008) There are an estimated 7,000 to 11,200 wolves in Alaska and more than 5,000 in the lower 48 states; there are about 4,000 wolves in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. The good news is that Gray Wolves are coming back worldwide; due to research and recovery efforts. (PBS, 2008) Reasons for Endangerment An Irrational Fear Wolves have been feared and despised by humans for centuries. People tend to forget that their size, strength, and large teeth are meant for hunting their prey, and not meant for humans. Many fairy tales and myths tend to misrepresent wolves as villainous, dangerous creatures. Like the big bad wolf that eats your grandmother and the wolf who will huff and puff and blow your house down. Fictional characters like these have helped to create an irrational fear that has lead to many unfair and unwarranted attacks on and murders of the Gray Wolf. Gray Wolf attacks on humans are extremely rare, even in Canada and Alaska where there are usually the largest of the wolf population. You are more likely o be killed by a coconut falling off a palm tree than to be killed by a gray wolf. In the past 100 years there have only been a few reported attacks by wolves, but no fatalities and almost all attacks have been in areas where people fed the wolves or attracted them with garbage. Wolves are our furry friends but they generally avoid humans and are only a minor threat to human safety. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2007) Wolves can be very tolerant of human activity but they are wild animals and should be respected as such. We need to integrate ourselves into the wolf habitat, not take over it. Livestock Protection The most common cause of death for wolves is conflict with people over livestock losses. Way back when, settlers moving westward killed huge populations of bison, deer, elk, and moose; main food sources of the gray wolf. Wolves then had no other choice but to turn towards the sheep and cattle that the settlers brought onto the gray wolf’s land. To protect livestock, ranchers and government agencies began an eradication campaign. Bounty programs initiated in the 19th century continued as late as 1965, offering $20 to $50 per wolf. Wolves were trapped, shot, dug from their dens, and hunted with dogs. Poisoned animal carcasses were left out for wolves, a practice that also killed eagles, ravens, foxes, bears, and other animals that fed on the tainted carrion. However wolf predation on livestock was pretty uncommon then and still is now. So most wolves are sought out by ranchers and killed preemptively to protect the livestock. Lightning, accidents, loose dogs, and human vandals kill 100’s of livestock annually, far more than wolves have killed. Now there are some livestock owners are developing non-lethal methods to reduce the chances of a wolf attacking their livestock. These methods include fencing livestock, lighting, alarm systems and removing dead or dying livestock that may attract carnivores like wolves. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2007) Habitat Destruction Human intrusion of wolf territory has lead to habitat loss for wolves and their prey species. The main causes of habitat destruction is ranching and agriculture (Alderton, 1998) It’s not just the gray wolf’s habitat we’re infringing on but the elks, and deer and many other species as well. Because all organisms are interconnected the Gray Wolfs population obviously changes with the population of its prey. Wolves have suffered and lost so much of their population due to our harmful habits, it is only fair that we make it up to them by trying the bring back the size of their population. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2007) Recovery Plans and Laws Gray Wolves gained protection by the Endangered Species Act of 1973. The Endangered Species Act requires the US federal government to identify species threatened with extinction, identify habitat they need to survive, and help protect both. In doing so, the Act works to ensure the overall health of our ecosystems and protect the legacy of conservation we leave to future generations. (Defenders of Wildlife, 2008) At this time only a few hundred remained in Minnesota and an even smaller number in Michigan. Gray wolves were listed as endangered in the contiguous 48 States and in Mexico, due to their extremely low and decreasing population. Being under the Endangered Species Act the Gray wolf has made a remarkable comeback nationwide. This act increased scientific research and protection from unregulated killing, along with reintroduction and management programs and education efforts that increased public understanding of wolf biology and behavior. The recovery system has been so successful that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed the gray wolf in the western Great Lakes area from the threatened and endangered species list. Today there about 3,020 wolves live in the wild in Minnesota, 460 in Michigan, and about 465 in Wisconsin. A similar program took place in Yellowstone National Park and in Idaho. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reintroduced gray wolves into Yellowstone National Park and U.S. Forest Service lands in central Idaho in 1995 and 1996. Again this reintroduction was successful, and the recovery goals for this population were exceeded. By December 2006 there were about 1,100 wolves in the Yellowstone area and Idaho. Wolf recovery has been so successful in these areas, it seems like it would be a fairly easy way to continue to bring up the wolf population. Although the Gray wolf’s successful comeback due to these great programs, there are some dangers. The Gray wolf has been taken off the endangered species list in some areas and may continue on this trend in other areas. According to the Fish and Game Service; with wolf populations actually growing stronger in certain U.S. states, a move that could make states like Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho decide to implement “management policies" that open hunting season on wolves again. This would be very terrible for the wolf population, especially after all of the work they have done to come back. In the beginning of the 20th century, the U.S. government led a very successful war on their “enemies,” the gray wolf. In 1926, the last gray wolf in Yellowstone National Park was shot by a forest ranger. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2007) Opinion What you can do