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Archive for April, 2013

Wolf, Canis Lupus

Posted in Facts and Figures, Wolf Research on April 30, 2013| 1 Comment »


Wolf Geographic

Photograph by Joel Sartore

“Gray wolves once populated large portions of North America, Europe, and Asia, but were hunted to near extinction.

Wolves are legendary because of their spine-tingling howl, which they use to communicate. A lone wolf howls to attract the attention of his pack, while communal howls may send territorial messages from one pack to another. Some howls are confrontational. Much like barking domestic dogs, wolves may simply begin howling because a nearby wolf has already begun.

Wolves are the largest members of the dog family. Adaptable gray wolves are by far the most common and were once found all over the Northern Hemisphere. But wolves and humans have a long adversarial history. Though they almost never attack humans, wolves are considered one of the animal world’s most fearsome natural villains. They do attack domestic animals, and countless wolves have been shot, trapped, and poisoned because of this tendency.

In the lower 48 states, gray wolves were hunted to near extinction, though some populations survived and others have since been reintroduced. Few gray wolves survive in Europe, though many live in Alaska, Canada, and Asia.

Red wolves live in the southeastern United States, where they are endangered. These animals actually became extinct in the wild in 1980. Scientists established a breeding program with a small number of captive red wolves and have reintroduced the animal to North Carolina. Today, perhaps 100 red wolves survive in the wild.

The maned wolf, a distant relative of the more familiar gray and red wolves, lives in South America. Physically, this animal resembles a large, red fox more than its wolf relatives.

Wolves live and hunt in packs of around six to ten animals. They are known to roam large distances, perhaps 12 miles (20 kilometers) in a single day. These social animals cooperate on their preferred prey—large animals such as deer, elk, and moose. When they are successful, wolves do not eat in moderation. A single animal can consume 20 pounds (9 kilograms) of meat at a sitting. Wolves also eat smaller mammals, birds, fish, lizards, snakes, and fruit.

Wolfpacks are established according to a strict hierarchy, with a dominant male at the top and his mate not far behind. Usually this male and female are the only animals of the pack to breed. All of a pack’s adults help to care for young pups by bringing them food and watching them while others hunt.”

Fast Facts:

Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m) man:

Wolf Size and Human

Type:
Mammal
Diet:
Carnivore
Average life span in the wild:
6 to 8 years
Size:
Head and body, 36 to 63 in (91 to 160 cm); Tail, 13 to 20 in (33 to 51 cm)
Weight:
40 to 175 lbs (18 to 79 kg)
Group name:
Pack
Protection status:
Endangered
 

**Special thanks to National Geographic for providing this information!

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The Secret Reasons Wolves Are Dying in Denali National Park

Posted in Wolf Current Events on April 26, 2013| 3 Comments »


wolf down

Takepart.com – Tue, Apr 23, 2013

“Of the top reasons tourists travel thousands of miles for a 12-hour round-trip bus ride into Denali National Park, wolves rank right up there with grizzly bears and the sight of 20,320-foot Mount McKinley on a rare bluebird day. To the few who know, members of Denali’s wolf population are also some of the longest, continuously studied animal groups in the world, besting even Jane Goodall’s chimps. But in recent years, wolf numbers in the 7,370-square-mile park have decreased even faster than the TV audience of Sarah Palin’s Alaska on TLC. In 2007, Denali Park biologists counted 147 wolves in nine groups that roamed the 93-year-old park. But in their most recent count, taken last autumn, numbers had declined to 54, the lowest since 1986.

Some, like the Alaska Board of Game, blame this die-off on natural causes—wolves killing wolves and low sheep populations. But others, including private citizens, park biologists, and members of the environmental advocacy group the Alaska Wildife Alliance (AWA), believe there are more sinister reasons. According to some AWA members, the recent, radical decline of the park’s most visible wolves—called the Grant Creek group—is the result of three main factors: the dissolution of Denali’s protective buffer zone, the Palin-appointed Alaska Board of Game, and the acute, ethically questionable actions of a small handful of local trappers, including a man named Coke Wallace.

 We’ll start with the protective buffer zone. Between 1966 and 2009, celebrated wolf biologist Gorden Haber studied wolves, on the ground, in Denali, hundreds of hours each year. During his extensive observation, Haber witnessed wolves wandering just outside the park and trappers laying their snares along the park’s boundary to kill these wolves. Thanks to his studies, Haber was able, in 2000, to convince the then-Board of Game to establish a protective buffer along the outside edge of the park, within a finger of state land, where wolf trapping was otherwise legal. Tragically, Haber died in a plane crash while observing wolves in late 2009. And the following March, the Board of Game rescinded the protective area.

Trappers once again position their snares along the park boundary, killing not only adult wolves, but pups. And last May, in an act that infuriated both wolf advocates and the usually detached Denali Park Service, the local trapper, Coke Wallace, hitched a dead horse to his four-wheeler, dragged it to the park boundary, and used it to lure and snare the pregnant alpha female of the park’s wolf group, Grant Creek.

AWA member Marybeth Holleman studied these ongoing events as she wrote her forthcoming book, Among Wolves, a profile of the late biologist Gordon Haber. She says that Denali Park biologist Tom Meier (also recently deceased) reported that he and other park biologists believed declining wolf populations weren’t the result of declining prey. Nor did they blame habitat, which is abundant in the 6.3 million-acre park. That, Meier said, left two causes: trapping on park borders and the vigorous predator-control program against bears and wolves currently under way in areas adjacent to the park. “What Tom told me is that when game officials do intensive predator control, it creates a vacuum,” says Holleman. “He believed that Denali wolves may have expanded their territory to fill it.”

Holleman, along with several wolf advocacy groups, have petitioned the Board of Game to “reinstate the protective buffer.” But in about six attempts, between 2010 and present, the Board refused and created a potentially illegal eight-year “moratorium” on even discussing the buffer zone. At its January meeting, the Board also discussed the petition “behind closed doors,” possibly violating the Alaska Open Meetings Act. The AWA has filed a lawsuit contesting the Board’s conduct with that meeting, results withstanding.

Another petition to reinstate the buffer will be discussed at the next meeting of the Board of Game, this May.”

*Special thanks to http://news.yahoo.com/secret-reasons-wolves-dying-denali-212011543.html?bcmt=1366763539830-6fe0d306-033a-4655-b7a9-42b6a9d169c4_00002s000000000000000000000000-82acbcc7-8567-4b35-ad73-3b7c4a4277d6&bcmt_s=e#mediacommentsugc_container, for providing this information!

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Feds confirm employee killed Mexican gray wolf

Posted in Wolf Current Events, Wolf Preservation Efforts on April 25, 2013| 2 Comments »


Gray Wolf Pup

“ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—Officials confirmed Wednesday that an animal killed by a federal employee in southwestern New Mexico in January was a Mexican gray wolf.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said genetic tests confirmed it was a small, uncollared female. More tests are under way to determine which pack the wolf was associated with.

In January, an employee with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services shot what officials described at the time as a “canine.” The employee reported the shooting because the animal looked like a Mexican wolf after closer inspection.

The wolf was shot from about 250 yards away, officials said.

“Our specialist, at the time, was upset and that’s why he reported it. Still, we’re disappointed that it occurred,” said Carol Bannerman, a spokeswoman at Wildlife Services headquarters.

The Mexican gray wolf was added to the federal endangered species list in 1976. The effort to reintroduce the wolves in New Mexico and Arizona has stumbled due to legal battles, illegal shootings and other problems.

Federal officials have been tightlipped about the January shooting. They have not said what prompted the employee to shoot but implied that he may have thought it was a coyote. The employee was in the Mangas area investigating cattle deaths when the shooting occurred.

Bannerman said the employee remains on the job and the agency is cooperating with the Fish and Wildlife Service.  The case been turned over to the U.S. attorney’s office for review.”

*Special thanks to The Associated Press, http://www.ruidosonews.com/ci_23098618/feds-confirm-employee-killed-mexican-gray-wolf for providing this information!

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DNR may get power to allow hunts

Posted in Wolf Legislation on April 24, 2013| 1 Comment »


wolf hunted

**Animal activists say bill denies voters a voice**

“LANSING, Mich. (WOOD) – Michigan lawmakers are looking to shift the power of deciding which animals — including gray wolves — can be hunted from the legislature to the Department of Natural Resources.

The sponsors of  Senate Bill 288 say the issue is about science and believe the Michigan DNR’s  Natural Resources Commission is better suited than the legislature to determine if an animal like a wolf should be placed on the state’s gaming list, meaning it can be hunted.

Animal rights activists, however, disagree.

Once  gray wolves were removed from the endangered species list in 2012,  legislation was passed allowing for them to be hunted in Michigan. The wolf population in Michigan sits at 658, mainly in the Upper Peninsula.

Since then, animal rights organizations like the Humane Society and Keep Michigan Wolves Protected have gathered more than 250,000 signatures to place a referendum on next year’s ballot to repeal part of that law and stop the wolf hunt.

But Senate Bill 288 could override those ballot efforts and pave the way for wolf hunting as early as this fall.

Currently, adding a species to the gaming list has to go through the elected legislature.  SB 288 would give that power exclusively to the Natural Resources Commission — a seven-member, non-elected, governor-appointed panel.

“Basically, the Natural Resources Commission can continue to make these decisions so our wildlife in Michigan is managed based on sound science,” said bill co-sponsor Sen. Dave Hildenbrand (R-Lowell). “We have a lot of data about the population, about disease control, about public safety and there’s a lot of research being done on that for all of our species, all of our game all of our wildlife.”

SB 288 would also, in effect,  allow the NRC to override any ballot challenges put forth through a public referendum that could repeal the hunting of wolves. Animals rights groups say that silences the public’s voice.

“We just turned in more than a quarter-million signatures to the Secretary of State’s Office from Michigan voters saying that they do not want to see wolves hunted and trapped in our state, so in issues like this of great importance to citizens, they want to be able to use their voice to speak up,” State Humane Society Director and Keep Michigan Wolves Protected member Jill Fritz told 24 Hour News 8 in a phone interview.

Hildenbrand said lawmakers are still tweaking SB 288 and plan to remove a controversial $1 million appropriation that would have prevented the public from challenging SB 288 itself later through ballot referendum.

But if SB 288 passes, the NRC will still hold  public hearings. One is already scheduled for next month, during which members will vote on whether or not to hold a wolf hunt.

Even if SB 288 passes, the legislature will still hold the power to remove a species from the gaming list, though they cannot add one, DNR spokesman Ed Golden said. Even if an animal is added to the list, it does not mean they will for absolutely be open to hunt. The NRC will have to hold public hearings first.

Fritz also said there are already laws in place that will not be effected by SB 288 that allow farmers or residents to kill wolves that are actively attacking live stock or pets. This is another reason Keep Michigan Wolves Protects feels it is not necessary to allow an active hunt of wolves.

A vote is expected Thursday. If it passes in the Senate, it will go to the House for a vote. ”

*Special thanks to Marc Thompson, http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/michigan/senate-bill-would-give-dnr-hunt-creation-power for providing this information!

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Wolves in danger? Letter writers say they’re worried bill would silence voices in wildlife issues

Posted in Wolf Current Events, Wolf Legislation, Wolf Preservation Efforts on April 20, 2013| Leave a Comment »


Gray Wolf Pup

“GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Does a proposed law working through the state Senate put Michigan wolves in danger?

A number of letter writers say the public should have a direct say in protecting wildlife from hunters, and stand in opposition to a bill co-sponsored by Grand Rapids-area state Sens. David Hildenbrand, R-Lowell, and Arlan Meekhof, R-West Olive.

Pat Hartsoe attended a recent hearing in Lansing:

Last week I attended the Senate Committee on Natural Resources, Environment and Great Lakes. I came away feeling marginalized by the thinly-veiled political process I witnessed. Senate Bill 288 (co-sponsored by State Sen. Dave Hildenbrand, R-Lowell) was discussed.

SB 288 would allow the Natural Resources Commission to designate animals as “game species.” This bill was quickly introduced April 9, shortly after 250,000 registered voter signatures were delivered to the Secretary of State office in Lansing. I helped collect those signatures during bitter winter weather. The petition would require a public vote in 2014 on wolf hunting.
One problem with SB 288 is that if the NRC designates an animal a game species, concerned citizens would not be able to reverse this decision with a ballot referendum as they could with legislative decisions. Further, the NRC is an appointed, not elected, group.

Only one member has a science background. Two nationally-recognized scientists from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula with 30 years of wolf research experience were never consulted. After hearing public input, a 5 to 2 vote in favor was quickly taken. The bill moved to the Senate and could become law in less than two weeks.

I see a disturbing pattern developing in Michigan politics. In my opinion, if individuals get involved with legal, organized and timely opposition to an issue, politicians shouldn’t disenfranchise them by passing quickly-crafted and referendum-proof laws.

Think emergency manager. Think right to work. Think keep Michigan wolves protected. I am sorely disappointed by what I witnessed in Lansing.

PAT HARTSOE Grand Rapids

People should vote on hunting issues

In a deliberate attempt to circumvent the constitutional rights of the voters in Michigan, State Sen. Senator Tom Casperson (R-Escanaba) introduced Senate Bill-288 on April 9, 2013. It was approved by a 5 to 2 vote by the Natural Resources, Environment, and Great Lakes Committee and eventually goes to the Governor to be signed into law.

This bill would effectively nullify the efforts of a coalition of over 2,000 conservationists, Native American tribes, scientists and animal welfare interests who turned in more than 255,000 signatures from Michigan voters to place Public Act 520, listing wolves as a game species, to a referendum vote in November 2014.

SB 288 is an obvious attempt to prevent citizens from being able to conduct a constitutionally-guaranteed right to ballot referendum to reverse decisions by the legislature.

In 2006, Michigan voters overwhelmingly rejected a law to allow sport hunting of mourning doves – showing their desire to have the right to vote on wildlife issues. Voters rejected this, casting more votes against shooting doves than they did for any candidate that election. If SB 288 passes, this decisive outcome would be reversed.

SB 288 is a blatant display of political bullying that will put Michigan’s declining wolf population further at risk.

This bill is an extreme power grab by politicians and a deliberate attempt to subvert democracy and silence the voices of Michigan voters.

This type of political maneuvering by our elected officials must be stopped.

HARRY T. EDWARDS Kent City Wolf bill is an abuse of power

A few weeks ago, the Keep Michigan Wolves Protected campaign submitted over 255,000 signatures from registered Michigan voters opposed to sport hunting for wolves. This right to seek a voter referendum on legislation is guaranteed in the Michigan Constitution.

Unfortunately, the politicians in Lansing who most want to see wolves, recently introduced legislation (SB 288) which is exclusively aimed at nullifying this referendum and assuring that Michigan citizens never have a say again in hunting issues. This is not an exaggeration.

The legislation specifically removes all authority of citizens to have a voice about which animals are hunted in Michigan.

Even if you are in favor of hunting wolves, you should be very upset about this abuse of power. Drafting legislation specifically to silence Michigan voters who are following a constitutionally-guaranteed process is a stunning insult to democracy.

Please contact your state senator and state representative immediately and insist that they VOTE NO on SB 288.

TOM LYON New Era

People should decide on wolves

There is a new bill SB288 going through the State Senate this week that will take away all rights of the people of the state to make decisions on any wildlife.

Keep Michigan Wolves Protected collected and submitted 253,000 signatures from people around the state to put the upcoming wolf hunt on the Michigan Ballot in 11/2014. In the meantime, the hunt would be on hold until after the people voted.

Well, Sen. Tom Casperson submitted a bill this last week that would take all rights away from the citizens to have a say on any wildlife issues for all time. It would make the signatures mute, and silence the people and their wishes. This bill will change the constitution of the state and take away peoples voices on any wildlife issues.

He is upset because the wolf hunt which he had submitted, got the brakes put on it by the citizens of the state. So now he is attempting to take away all citizens rights when it comes to wildlife. People need to speak out.

They are changing a law that has been in place since 1908. And ballot proposals in the past that wanted to change our state constitution, were all readily defeated. This bill needs to be stopped. People need to contact their senators and reps……and quickly.  It could be law within eight days.

DOROTHY RODGERS Georgetown Township

Lawmakers not following will of the people

Not surprisingly, once again in our State legislature it appears that there is a “do as I say and not as I do” mentality. I am speaking in regard to SB 288 which is being fast tracked to a vote by State Sen. Tom Casperson R-Escanaba. This bill would sign legislation into law that would circumvent Michigan voter’s right to referendum, and includes a non-related appropriation that prevents the voters from rejecting the measure by referendum.

This bill, this is the good Senator’s response to the 253,000 signatures that were delivered to the Secretary of State in March, asking that another bill he was fast tracking; to allow a wolf hunt in Michigan, be put to Voter referendum in 2014.

Apparently Mr. Casperson, who prides himself on being a “sportsman” has no problem trying to write legislation that takes away Michigan voter rights when he doesn’t get his way. In this case, a trophy wolf hunt. This is truly unsportsmanlike conduct in the highest degree as the Senator has little or no regard for due process, let alone the opinions of 253,000 voters…..which was simply to let us decide whether a wolf hunt would be in the best interest of all of Michigan’s residents.

Regardless of how you feel about hunting, this bill works to undermine our right to referendum and to keep our lawmakers in check. I urge you, call or write your legislators and urge them to vote no on SB288.

MARGO BURIAN Grand Rapids”

**Special thanks to:  MLive/Grand Rapids Press guest opinion The Grand Rapids Press, for providing this information!     

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Rogue Agency’s Agent Investigated in Wolf Killing

Posted in Wolf Current Events, Wolf Legislation on April 9, 2013| 5 Comments »


wolf down

“Something’s not right in New Mexico. A federal agent with the notorious Wildlife Services agency is under investigation for killing a Mexican gray wolf. Adding to the misery, the government has been keeping this incident from the public.

It’s no surprise that Wildlife Services, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is involved. This highly secretive agency has come under heavy fire over the past year because of the tens of thousands of animals it senselessly kills each year, often in the name of protecting livestock. Its methods are a lethal mix of medieval brutality and high-tech efficiency that include aerial gunning, trapping, deadly gases and poisons.

The agency was the focus of a recent blistering series in the Sacramento Bee that revealed the torturing of coyotes, the death of family pets and golden eagles — all done beneath the public’s radar. Members of Congress called for an investigation.

Help apparently didn’t come quick enough for the wolf in New Mexico.

The Southwest’s endangered Mexican gray wolves — with just three breeding pairs left in the wild — are hanging on by a thread in New Mexico and Arizona. The last thing they need is one of their own gunned down by an employee of the government that’s supposed to be nursing this wild population back to health.

Although the killing happened months ago, the public didn’t hear about it until it was reported in the Albuquerque Journal on Thursday afternoon. Government agencies, not surprisingly, have closed ranks and are refusing to talk about what happened.

Here’s what we’re piecing together: In January, a Wildlife Services employee apparently shot and killed a wolf, possibly a pup, while investigating the death of some livestock. The shooting evidently happened very close to the home range of the San Manteo wolf pack, which just added four pups to its family last year.

What’s more troubling about the latest incident in New Mexico is that the very agency that’s tasked with saving America’s wolves, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, apparently knew about the wolf killing but is refusing to say anything about it.

I can’t say it’s all that shocking. The Fish and Wildlife Service has long taken a lackluster approach to wolf recovery in New Mexico and Arizona.

Fifteen years after Mexican wolves were first reintroduced to the Southwest, there are only 75 wolves in the wild. Wildlife officials predicted in 1998 there would be more than 100 in the wild by 2006. The Fish and Wildlife Service hadn’t released a single wolf into the wild from its captive-breeding facilities in four years before one was finally let out earlier this year — only to be recaptured by government agents three weeks later.

Scientists believe the small Mexican wolf population is suffering from genetic inbreeding, with reduced litter size and pup survivorship.

But the apparent shooting of the wolf in New Mexico in January was more than bureaucratic indifference. It was an act of violence against an animal protected under the Endangered Species Act.

The government has correctly launched an investigation into what happened and we’ll be keen to see the results.

But one thing has already been made clear: By not coming out and talking about this incident publicly, these government agencies have  placed a veil of secrecy over the behavior of one of its own and the management of one of this nation’s flagship endangered species.

For anyone who cares about America’s wildlife, or accountability in their government, that should be unacceptable.”

**Special thanks to Kieran Suckling, Executive Director, Center for Biological Diversity, for providing this information in this article!

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“Montana Governor Steve Bullock and the Politics of Wolves” by Stephen Capra

Posted in Wolf Current Events, Wolf Preservation Efforts on April 9, 2013| 2 Comments »


mexicanwolf

“Common sense writing on Montana wolves, I  thought  it was worth sharing.

Are you listening to their howls Governor Bullock? Wolves are treasured by real Montanans who care about wild places and wilderness. Be bold! Don’t listen to the crazy rhetoric, it’s not grounded in fact.

===

BOLD VISIONS CONSERVATION

This week’s Sunday Sermon Vol. 1  No. 2

Montana Governor Steve Bullock

and the politics of Wolves

 Stephen Capra

 There was a time when I use to think politics really mattered. I remember going to a rally for Senator Eugene McCarthy, as he ran for President in 1968, in Madison Square Garden, the energy and belief could really change our nation, or so I thought.

I really believed that democrats would change our country, by the end of that year our heart had been stolen by too many bullets, to many great leader’s had fallen. I think of that today with the state of affairs in Montana, a state led by ignorance, political pandering and a Governor who fancies himself progressive.

This all comes back to our heart being stolen. In this case it’s not men that have fallen, its wolves. I have watched as Montana shared in the magical return of wolves to Yellowstone, watched as tourists have flocked from around the world, watched in Lamar Valley as you could not estimate the price of cameras in a one-mile stretch, all focused on wolves. Since President Obama sold wolves out and the Endangered Species Act on a rider that ensured another Democrat would get re-elected, Senator Jon Tester, clear thinking shows us that faith in political leaders is very overrated.

Over the past few months the Montana Legislature, seemingly some of the most ill-informed, and job destroying group of people God ever put under one roof, spent the majority of their time trying to find new ways of killing wildlife. Spear-hunting was a hot topic, yes spear-hunting. Of course, new ways to kill, more jobs. Yet, when it came to wolves and bison, this group could not have enough blood on their hands. If it was not so heartbreaking, it would be funny. Listening to Montana Game and Fish talk about “responsibly harvesting” predators, none of it with any science worth discussing.

This is a group designed to kill animals, not protect. New bills are now being introduced. to allow silencers on guns to protect the precious ears of hunters; continuing to allow dead wolf members to be used as traps set to kill the rest of the family; making licenses easier and cheaper. New non-resident permits can be had for $50.

When Governor Bullock panders to the wolf hating bunch, he opens the door to killing more beautiful animals and their family units slaughtered by ignorance and by the ego that demands reelection. If Democrats do not have the guts to stand up for wolves, [by standing up I mean vocally,] publicly, and ignore the stupidity of state Game and Fish departments, there will be shooting in the dens of newborn pups. Introduction of strong and important protections for wolves must happen now and end the shameless pain of trapping once and for all. The Governor is aware that people come from all over the world (meaning serious tourist dollars) to observe wolves.

  The whining rancher scenario is a SNORE.

I believe in wolves, I love bison. I am sick and tired of Democrats that want only their reelection and refuse to acknowledge how important wildlife is to our humanity. I challenge them to causality.

 It amazes me that some people can feel nothing when confronted with wild animals. For me it is so magical, such a spiritual experience. I have seen grizzlies in the wild, wolves and bison. It is a gift; there is more than enough land to share. Throughout our history we have destroyed as a means of growth for man to feel magisterial.

 William Beebe said it so well, “When the last individual of a race of living things breaths no more, another heaven and earth must pass before such a one can begin again.”

 I was inspired in 1968. I look forward to being inspired once again, but my Democratic party and Governors like Bullock must become inspiring, must take chances, and must become a voice for those who cannot speak.

 Don’t be redundant Governor, wolves belong! Be BOLD!

Let your soul heal in the wild spirit that wolves bring to us. Amen!”

 

**And of course, special thanks goes to Stephen Capra and “Howling for Justice” for providing and sharing the information in this article!

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How Do Wolves Live Together?

Posted in Facts and Figures, Wolf Organizations, Wolf Research on April 8, 2013| Leave a Comment »


wolf gang

“How do wolves live together?

Wolves live in groups of between two and twenty (averaging about six to eight) animals.  These groups are called packs.  Each pack of wolves maintains an area, called a territory, which belongs to it and which it defends from other wolves.  Within this territory, the pack hunts, sleeps, plays, and raises pups.  Territories range in size from 50 to 1,000 square miles, depending on how much prey is available.  Packs also vary in size depending on what kind of prey is available.  Wolf packs which hunt deer as a primary source of food will have fewer wolves than packs which hunt bison or moose.  These large animals are harder to catch and kill, and can also feed more wolves once caught.

Wolves have a linear rank order, or hierarchy, which helps keep peace within the pack.  There is a separate line of rank for each sex: one for males and one for females.  At the top of the rank order is the alpha male and female.  The beta male and female are next highest in status.  At the bottom of the rank order is the omega “scapegoat” wolf, which may be either male or female.  In the rank order, each wolf has a set place.  When two wolves from the same pack cross paths, one is always dominant to the other, or higher in status than the other wolf.  The lower-ranking wolf is said to be submissive to the higher-ranking, dominant wolf.

The alpha wolves are not necessarily the strongest, the fastest, or the smartest.  High rank has more to do with attitude and confidence than size or strength.  Dominance also does not favor gender — either the alpha male or the alpha female may be the overall “leader of the pack”.

While dominant wolves generally act more self-confident than lower-ranking ones, wolves do not walk around constantly displaying their status.  They most often adopt a neutral pose, changing their expression towards dominance or submission depending on which other wolves are around.  (A wolf will show dominance to a lower-ranking animal, and submission to a higher-ranking one.)  A wolf displaying dominance stands up tall, looks directly at the other wolf, puts its ears forward, and will lift its tail (usually not much higher than its back, unless it is very excited).  A wolf displaying submission crouches down to look small, lowers or even tucks its tail, looks away from the other wolf, and puts its ears down and back.  This is usually all that happens when two wolves meet: wolves cannot afford to spend all their time fighting, and these subtle displays are all that is needed to maintain social stability.

Wolf communication involves a lot of signals like these.  The postures and facial expressions used will vary in intensity, or strength, depending on the context: an alpha wolf will often simply look hard at a wolf to send it a dominance message, and a submissive wolf will often just look away from a dominant wolf to give the appropriate response.  An excited alpha may give a stronger dominance message, and growl at a lower-ranking wolf or even hold it down.  Stronger submission signals include whining and pawing at the dominant wolf.  Mostly, signals just get louder and stronger the more excited the wolves get, and fighting rarely occurs.

The alpha wolves are not necessarily “in charge” or “leaders of the pack” at every moment.  They may decide where and when to hunt or they may not.  An alpha wolf is not always a leader so much as a wolf who has the right to do whatever it wants, whenever it wants.  Since they have so much social freedom to do what they like, alpha wolves often have more opportunity than lower-ranking wolves to start hunting or to choose a resting place.  The rest of the pack will then often follow and join in.  But when in home range, often younger wolves will take the lead on an outing.

The omega wolf ranks lower than any other wolf.  It usually sleeps away from the other pack members and may not engage in much social behavior, like howling or greeting.  The other wolves may make a “game” of picking on the omega wolf, biting it and driving it away from food.  At other times, the omega may be tolerated or even accepted into group activities.  This wolf may be able to eventually work itself back higher in the rank order or it may eventually choose to leave and form a new pack.

Rank order is not always linear and may be somewhat flexible in certain circumstances.  Puppies and yearlings, for example, have a rank order, but this order may change from month to month, week to week, or even from day to day in the case of young puppies.  (The rank order for adult wolves is usually more stable.)  “Playing” wolves, who are engaging in behaviors such as chasing and running for fun, may “switch” rank temporarily, and a lower-ranking wolf will be allowed to mock-dominate a higher-ranking one.  Some rank orders may be circular, with wolf A dominating wolf B who dominates wolf C who dominates wolf A, but this is rarely permanent.  Also, low-ranking wolves of one gender may be able to dominate high-ranking wolves of the other, without changing their rank in the social order of their respective sex.”

**Special thanks to “Wolf Park, http://www.wolfpark.org/aboutwolves.shtml, for providing this information!

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Are wolves and lions man’s best friends?

Posted in Facts and Figures on April 8, 2013| Leave a Comment »


Lobo Wolf

Although most humans fear wild animals, there’s evidence that they might be more people-friendly than we think.

“What were you, raised by wolves?”

“Parents usually ask this to cow an unruly child, but actually, when you think about it, the track record of wolf-raised children is pretty good. Mowgli anchored a best-selling book and a Disney movie; Romulus founded Rome. While wild animal encounters don’t always turn out as pleasant as “The Jungle Book,” there are plenty of children and adults that have been saved by wild creatures.

In 2005, a 12-year-old Ethiopian girl was reportedly saved from a group of kidnappers by three lions. Seven men had abducted the girl to try and force her into marrying one of them, and they had beaten her repeatedly. But the lions apparently chased off the men and stood guard over her until the police and her family came.

The case is particularly amazing because lions are well-known potential man-eaters. A 2005 study published in Nature found that lions had killed more than 563 people and injured 308 in Tanzania alone. But in this case, the lions may have been moved to sympathize with the girl because she was crying after being beaten.

“A young girl whimpering could be mistaken for the mewing sound from a lion cub, which in turn could explain why they didn’t eat her,” wildlife expert, Stuart Williams, in 2005, told the Associated Press.

Take heed: If you’re in need of leonine assistance, your best recourse may be to start sobbing uncontrollably.

If you’re looking for more long-term help from the animal kingdom, your better bet might lie with wolves, as Mowgli discovered. Don’t forget that Man’s Best Friend is almost genetically identical to a wolf; that’s why wolves and dogs can interbreed. Wolves do occasionally attack people – especially if they’re starving, habituated to humans or rabid – but despite their fierce portrayal in fairy tales and Liam Neeson movies, wolves actually are more likely to turn tail if they see a person.

“Most people don’t realize this, but wolves are wimps,” Utah State University ecologist and researcher Daniel MacNulty last year told National Geographic.

There are stories of wolves assisting children in the wilds of Russia and India, but these are hard to verify. One of the more famous stories of such wolf children, two girls, Amala and Kamala, was based on a single claim by the reverend who claimed to have discovered the girls.

Wild dogs have also occasionally been reported to take in runaway children, like the feral “Mowgli Boy” of Romania, who allegedly fled an abusive father.

Dolphins might be the most reliably altruistic animals in nature, with accounts of them saving humans stretching back to Greek mythology. There are numerous accounts of dolphins assisting injured podmates, beached whales and humans. A group of dolphins was reported to have circled around four swimmers in New Zealand to keep a great white shark at bay. Another pod protected a California surfer who had just been mauled by a great white.

Other cetaceans have a knack for altruism as well. In 2009, a beluga whale at a Chinese theme-park pushed a foundering freediver to the surface after the human’s legs cramped up.

It’s still unclear what motivates an animal to save a drowning swimmer or protect a girl from kidnappers,or raise a lost child; it seems to defy evolutionary sense. But altruism and cooperation may be just as natural as predation. Some experiments in humans suggest that generosity can induce the same kind of pleasurable reward in the brain that we get from food or sex. And if we’re hard-wired to enjoy being nice, there might be similar setups in brains across the animal kingdom.”

**Special thanks to , http://www.salon.com/2013/04/07/are_wolves_and_lions_mans_best_friends_partner/, for providing this information!

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Lies about wolves are pervasive

Posted in Facts and Figures, Wolf Current Events on April 7, 2013| 2 Comments »


three wolves

April 06, 2013 12:00 am

“Recently I attended a hearing in Helena where I heard numerous people,  including many in the state Legislature, asserting that wolves were “decimating”  Montana’s game herds. Unfortunately due to the widespread repetition of the lies  and distortions, the only thing being decimated is the truth.

According to MDFWP in 1992, three years before wolves were reintroduced into  Yellowstone and Idaho, there were an estimated 89,000 elk in Montana. By 2010,  elk had been so “decimated” that MDFWP estimated that elk numbers had grown to  140,000-150,000 animals.

Indeed, in 2012, according to MDFWP statistics, out of 127 elk management  units in the state, 68 are above objectives, 47 are at objectives, and only 12  are considered to be below objectives. And even among these 12 units, the causes  for elk declines are often complex and involve more than wolf predation. In at  least a few instances, overhunting by humans is the primary factor.

Beyond hunting, the presence of wolves has many other benefits. Wolves cull  sick animals such as those with brucellosis and Chronic Wasting Disease from  herds that could threaten both humans as well as livestock. Wolves shift  ungulates away from riparian areas, resulting in greater growth of willows and  other streamside vegetation. This, in turn, creates more habitat for wildlife  including songbirds, and beaver. Healthier riparian areas also results in  greater trout densities.

It is disturbing to me as a hunter and ecologist that MDFWP repeatedly fails  to aggressively counter the distortions and misinformation.

**Special thanks to George Wuerthner, for providing the information in this article! (http://billingsgazette.com/news/opinion/mailbag/article_357bf3f3-40aa-5bd1-90b5-0dfdf8c70446.html#.UWCFuBxtCGA.facebook)

 

 

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