Coexisting With Wolves In the Western United States There was a time when wolves could be found almost anywhere in North America. In the mid 1900's, Gray wolves, Mexican Gray Wolves, and Red Wolves were hunted to near extinction. Less than three hundred Gray Wolves lived near the Great Lakes, and there were fewer than fifty Red and Mexican Gray Wolves in captivity. However, a few years later, lone wolves were captured in Canada and were reintroduced into the United States. Since then they have slowly recovered, but they are far from a stable population.
Over one hundred years ago, America began the war with wolves. Wolves posed a threat to the American way of life. The U.S. Government implemented …show more content…
In 1980, all that remained of the Mexican Gray were four males and one female. They were bred in captivity, and a few years later, eleven Mexican Gray Wolves were released into The Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area. Since then, their population has grown slowly, but they are still critically endangered. As for the Red Wolf, in 1980, the remaining twenty wolves were put into breeding programs. Now, there are fifty to one hundred wild Red Wolves, and 207 captive Red Wolves in 38 breeding facilities across America.
Now that I’ve provided some background information on the topic, I’ll provide three claims that prove North America needs wolves. Let’s talk about some of the ways we can learn to live alongside wolves, and some of the ways we can help them recover.
Wolves have a lot of valuable information to offer. Radio/GPS collars and scientific research can help us receive this information, and allow us to help in recovery. Things we may learn about include, but aren't limited to: behavior, average pack size, pack and individual migration, eating habits, coat color, den location and use, age and mortality and common territory …show more content…
A balanced ecosystem is essential to life on Earth, and without wolves nature could change in many drastic, and dangerous ways. Wolves control the population of elk, deer, moose, vermin, and other small animals, but it all depends on the area in which they live. If these animals were not hunted regularly, their population would grow too large, too quickly and they would deplete all the resources in that area. As a result, it would cause predator and prey to starve. If one species grows too quickly, or dies off suddenly, it can have a ripple effect throughout the food chain.
Since the wolves returned to the U.S. in the 90’s, they have changed the landscape in many ways. The presence of wolves causes migration and foraging patterns of prey animals such as elk and deer to change, resulting in a new landscape with new plant growth. A study of Yellowstone National Park in 2001, showed that without the presence of wolves, the moose population grew more than five times its normal size. That caused the moose to deplete the vegetation in an area where many bird species nested. Without the vegetation the birds couldn't nest or find food, and it caused many of them to either leave the park or die. Studies have also shown that without elk, deer or moose in the area new plant growth has increased the amount of fish in streams and rivers, as well as beaver and birds
Over one hundred years ago, America began the war with wolves. Wolves posed a threat to the American way of life. The U.S. Government implemented …show more content…
In 1980, all that remained of the Mexican Gray were four males and one female. They were bred in captivity, and a few years later, eleven Mexican Gray Wolves were released into The Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area. Since then, their population has grown slowly, but they are still critically endangered. As for the Red Wolf, in 1980, the remaining twenty wolves were put into breeding programs. Now, there are fifty to one hundred wild Red Wolves, and 207 captive Red Wolves in 38 breeding facilities across America.
Now that I’ve provided some background information on the topic, I’ll provide three claims that prove North America needs wolves. Let’s talk about some of the ways we can learn to live alongside wolves, and some of the ways we can help them recover.
Wolves have a lot of valuable information to offer. Radio/GPS collars and scientific research can help us receive this information, and allow us to help in recovery. Things we may learn about include, but aren't limited to: behavior, average pack size, pack and individual migration, eating habits, coat color, den location and use, age and mortality and common territory …show more content…
A balanced ecosystem is essential to life on Earth, and without wolves nature could change in many drastic, and dangerous ways. Wolves control the population of elk, deer, moose, vermin, and other small animals, but it all depends on the area in which they live. If these animals were not hunted regularly, their population would grow too large, too quickly and they would deplete all the resources in that area. As a result, it would cause predator and prey to starve. If one species grows too quickly, or dies off suddenly, it can have a ripple effect throughout the food chain.
Since the wolves returned to the U.S. in the 90’s, they have changed the landscape in many ways. The presence of wolves causes migration and foraging patterns of prey animals such as elk and deer to change, resulting in a new landscape with new plant growth. A study of Yellowstone National Park in 2001, showed that without the presence of wolves, the moose population grew more than five times its normal size. That caused the moose to deplete the vegetation in an area where many bird species nested. Without the vegetation the birds couldn't nest or find food, and it caused many of them to either leave the park or die. Studies have also shown that without elk, deer or moose in the area new plant growth has increased the amount of fish in streams and rivers, as well as beaver and birds