Our legal efforts helped to allow the wolf population to grow by 1, animals during those eight years, from to 1, Now that management has been turned over to state wildlife managers, we fight to protect wolves from trophy hunting and other exploitation. The Center and allies in Colorado submitted petitions to place a wolf-reintroduction initiative on the ballot, and voters passed the measure in the election. Colorado Parks and Wildlife is now developing a wolf restoration and management plan to start wolf releases in western Colorado by Dec.
Separately, three wolf pups were born in northern Colorado, the first wild litter of wolves known in Colorado since the s. Reintroduction is still vital, and the Center is advocating for the plan to retain full protections for all wolves in the state. The Center and allies are fighting for maximum protection of the growing but still vulnerable population of wolves in the West Coast states of Washington, Oregon and California.
Besides being especially vulnerable to disease, vehicle collisions, and illegal shootings, these wolves are threatened by potential resumption of state-sanctioned hunts. In these efforts paid off, with DNA-test results showing at least one wild wolf roaming across Maine. The potential for wolves to return to the Northeast is one more reason federal protection should not be stripped from these animals.
We know, for example, that returning wolves to ecosystems sets off a chain of events that benefits many species, including songbirds and beavers that gain from a return of streamside vegetation — which thrives in the absence of browsing elk that must move more often to avoid wolves — and pronghorn and foxes aided by wolves' control of coyote populations.
Establishing wolf populations in remaining suitable habitat in the Northeast, southern Rocky Mountains, Southwest, Pacific Northwest, California and elsewhere would secure a future for wolves and allow them to play their valuable ecological role in more of their former home territory. The Center fights to stop wolf persecution and link isolated populations together, for the sake of wolves themselves as well as for ecosystem rejuvenation on a broader scale.
Get the latest on our work for biodiversity and learn how to help in our free weekly e-newsletter. MAP: U. Gray Wolf Habitat. Center report: Making Room for Wolf Recovery. The Center for Biological Diversity is a c 3 registered charitable organization. That, combined with wolves migrating south from Canada, led to isolated packs in Washington, Oregon, and California. In the Great Lakes region, the canines have slowly expanded on their own, boosted by a remnant population in Minnesota and Canada.
Alaska wolves, whose numbers have been stable, have never been protected as a threatened or endangered species. Few animals in the U. Read why Americans are so divided over saving wolves. Much of the modern-day debate centers on where wolves should live. A senior official for the U. Fish and Wildlife Service said in a media call on Thursday that a federal listing is not required for wolves to spread to other locations.
That argument rings false to many wolf researchers and conservation groups, such as Defenders of Wildlife, who call out more than 17 million acres of public land in western Colorado as one place where wolves could and, they argue, should be allowed to spread.
For instance, a new study published today and based on habitat models shows that wolves could thrive in 17 states , including portions of New England, the Southwest, and the Pacific Northwest. The question of whether to reintroduce wolves to Colorado, which has been discussed for years, will be voted on next Tuesday. If the initiative passes, wildlife officials would be required to release wolves into western Colorado by the end of Those packs could ultimately connect with wolves in other regions, such as the northern Rocky Mountains and New Mexico.
See unique pictures of wolves taken in Yellowstone. Many conservationists and wolf supporters, such as Phillips, say this move would allow the species to fully bounce back. Even without federal protections, the state of Colorado currently considers wolves endangered, as do some other states, including Washington , California , and Nebraska.
Fish and Wildlife Service official said on the Thursday call, "including deer, elk, wild turkeys, river otters, and many other game and non-game species that had been extirpated and restored to healthy populations.
All rights reserved. Share Tweet Email. The subspecies gained protection under the ESA in , and in , wolf recovery strategies began in the United States. Wolves are apex predators, so they are rarely threatened by other species in their natural environments. Disease, prey depletion, and habitat loss contribute to a portion of threats, as well.
The long history between wolves and humans is steeped in misrepresentation. Wolves are typically presented as villainous or dangerous; we are taught to fear them even in the fairy tales we grew up hearing as children.
Although unprovoked attacks against humans are rare, wolves pose a danger to livestock and domestic animals, especially in areas where their usual prey has become scarce. Even as we come to understand more about wolves and attitudes toward the animals change, wolf management and conservation remain controversial.
In areas where wolf populations overlap with agriculture, wolves are culled to reduce potential conflicts between wolves and livestock. Though populations have been known to rebound within four to five years, recovery is largely due to outside wolves coming in from neighboring areas in search of new habitats.
Human encroachment into wolf habitats leads to fragmentation and conflicts from vehicle collision as wolves are forced to cross roads and railways. Similarly, as agricultural land expands, farmers are more likely to kill wolves to protect their livestock.
A wide habitat range is especially important for gray wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains, who are over 11 times more likely to reproduce after forming new packs than when they stay in existing packs. Some researchers propose wolf culling as a means to protect populations of prey mammals; however, studies have found that wolves in southern Europe prey more on ungulates hoofed mammals in areas where wild prey is at higher densities than livestock.
Disease affects wolf populations in the wild less than in captivity, threatening recovery efforts for species like the red wolf, whose captive populations outnumber those in the wild more than A survey of captive red wolves from to found that out of deceased wolves, the greatest cause of death was cancerous growths, while the second was gastrointestinal disease. Rabies and canine distemper virus CDV are both large issues for endangered Ethiopian wolves.
Wolves help maintain the overall health of prey species by targeting weak animals and reducing heavy prey animal populations, allowing for more diversity and abundance of plant species. Wolf reintroduction can have a cascading effect on entire ecosystems.
The reintroduction project in Yellowstone led to important indirect interactions between wolves, elk, and plant species specifically aspen, cottonwood, and willow trees. Continuing scientific research is necessary to understand the interactions between wolves and people to influence future conservation efforts. As management responsibilities for gray wolves in the U. Individuals can help wolves by supporting organizations that preserve wildlands and by keeping an open mind about wolf management.
Coexistence between humans especially those who care for livestock and wolves is key to their survival. Phillips, M. Marino, J.
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