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WOLF CONSERVATION
By Kachelle & Kayla
The Endangered Species Act
The Endangered Species Act
provides protection for the
organisms placed on the
endangered species list because
the species can not be killed,
collected, wounded or harassed.
Wolf Conservation Programs
The state and federal agencies, zoos,
citizens and wildlife organizations
cooperatively work together in wolf
conservation programs to uphold
protection laws, preserve and enhance
wolf habitats, and develop breeding
programs.
Northern Rockies
In the early part of the 20th century
wolves were completely eliminated
from Idaho, Montana, and
Wyoming. By the 1980’s, their
population recovered because the
wolves migrated into mountainous
parts of northern Montana.
Northern Rockies Cont.
1995 and 1996 was an
important milestone in wolf
recovery because the number
of wolves would start to grow
more and more.
Northern Rockies Cont.
In the northern Rockies anti-wolf
sentiment is strong because they
believed that reintroduction of
wolves to Yellowstone and
central Idaho was illegal.
Alaska
Some people in Alaska think that
there are far too many wolves and
that are a threat to Caribou
populations but others think that is
not the case because wolves had
lived with Caribou for thousands of
years.
Alaska
In Alaska wolves are not
protected under the ESA,
so trapping and hunting
wolves is legal.
Upper Midwest
Biologists estimate that 2,445
wolves live in Minnesota.
The Southwest-The Mexican Wolf
A captive breeding program was necessary to keep
the Mexican wolfs from disappearing forever because
they were already extinct in the wild.
The reintroduction of the 34 Mexican wolves
had not been successful because the were eating
cattle, others had been killed by cars, and several
had been shot.
A shortcoming of Captive Breeding Programs
was that because the wolves were captive-bred they
did not fear humans.
Eastern North Carolina- The Red Wolf
The future of the red wolf remains cloudy because their
number in the wild are also limited, and the potential
for hybridization with coyotes threatens the red wolves
genetic integrity.
The adaptive management plan recently implemented
by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service minimized
hybridization between red wolves and coyotes.
Other Regions
Having established populations of wolves in just
a few areas will not guarantee the survival of the
species because disease or a natural disaster cold
easily wipe out an entire population.
Future reintroduction sites are chosen if the area is
capable of supporting wolves. The criteria includes a
sufficient prey base, adequate land area, a low
human population, and low road density.