Gray Wolf

Canis lupus

    We often read cases where humans interact with the environment.  Habitat destruction, food chain disruptions, interactions between agriculture and the environment,  radical eradication  programs, environmental protection programs, environmental management successes, the politics of conservation, and  national park management are all talked about routinely in the news.  Rarely, however, do we have an opportunity to analyze all of these elements in a one single case.  The gray wolf in America is one case where all of these elements occur and, therefore, it makes a good example to examine HOW THESE POLICIES WORK IN PRACTICE.

    The Norther Rocky Mountain Gray Wolf once inhabited Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming.  During the 19th Century the U.S. population began moving westward at a rapid rate.  They had several effects on the wolves.  First of all, the settlers decimated the bison population as they created room for farmland and railroads (and killed countless others for no good reason).  The end of the bison had several effects on the wolf.  The bison were previously one key source of food.  However, as soon as this source was eliminated, another one appeared.  Settlers began using the land to raise livestock.

    The wolves adapted to their NEW environment.  They took to eating the livestock.  Predictably, this caused a conflict with the settlers, who began to fight back.  The effort to eliminate the wolves was extensive.  Local governments and private ranchers paid hunters to trap, poison and kill wolves.  The population was hurt badly by this attack, but it was not the only negative influence humans were having on the wolves.   The extensive and excessive hunting measures were accompanied concurrently with the loss of their traditional rangeland as land was converted to agriculture.

    This hit the wolves hard.  Although credible reports of wolf sightings were still being reported routinely, by the 1930's populations of large wolf packs had been eliminated.  By the mid-1970's wolf reports were becoming very rare.  In response to this extensive conservation AND RESTORATION plans were implemented.  Some key elements of restoration plan INCLUDE:

• Relocate wolves that are threatening livestock into designated areas
• Immunize wolves that are relocated
• Increase awareness of the wolves plight (particularly in Yellowstone Park)
• Work to limit wolf-human interaction by creating buffer zones between wolves and humans
• Work with the Canadian authorities to faciliate wolf migration into targeted recovery areas

    These efforts have shown some signs of success.  This has resulted in states working to delist the gray wolf from states endangered lists.  This step has been taken after some initial success from the program.  However, as wolves come back, the tensions that led to the wolves plight come back as well.  Recently, this has manifested itself in New Mexico, where a wolf killed two cows.  The county requested that the federal government remove the wolf and that request was denied. WERE THE COWS REMOVED?

    Despite these occasional conflicts and debates, there are many positive lessons to be learned from the case of the gray wolf.  First, conservation plans can be effective.  Second, conservation managers are now quantifying the population changes.  Stipulating that concrete steps are enacted as different population thresholds are met has added accountability to the process.   And lastly, the interaction between humans and wildlife necessitates a tepid relationship.  As human populations of animals are restored they will adapt TO NEW ENVIRONMENTS REQUIRING CONSERVATION POLICIES TO BE APPROPRIATELY AMENDED.

Sources: 

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services Animal Profile

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services Restoration Plan - 1987 (PDF)

States News Service.  May 18, 2007.  "Wyoming's Wolf Statute is State's Wolf Plan, Governor Said."  via Factiva

Associated Press Newswires.  May 11, 2007. "N.M. county says request to remove wolf meant to prevent problems." via Factiva 

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