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| Mexican Gray Wolf Pup |
In
1973 when the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was first implemented several
species of wolves were the first species placed under these federal protections.
Under the protections of the ESA, wolf populations have begun to increase in
areas of the lower 48 states; with gray wolves in the northern Rockies and
Great Lakes, Mexican gray wolves in the Southwest and red wolves in the
Southeast. While significant progress has been made in recovering the wolf,
there is still suitable habitat remaining in many areas of the United States
that do not have wolves. Several realistic possibilities have been examined in
which it is believed that wolf recovery would be successful in increasing the
wolf populations of the US. Currently, gray wolves are listed as endangered in
Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, New Mexico and portions
of North Dakota, Utah, South Dakota, Ohio, Oregon and Washington.
To view the
Endangered Species Act of 1973 visit http://www.fws.gov/laws/lawsdigest/ESACT.HTML
In mid 2011 the US Fish and Wildlife Service announced that it would
be initiating a status review (which is required every five years for species
listed under the Endangered Species Act) of the endangered grey wolves in the
pacific northwest. In the USFWS’s surveyed region of the Pacific Northwest
there is only one confirmed breeding pack: the Lookout Pack in Washington.
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| The Original Lookout Pack of 2008 |
The
Lookout Pack has been all but decimated by illegal poaching. When the pack was
discovered around 2008 there were about 10 wolves, since then the wolves have
been reduced to only two individuals! At least two of the wolves were killed by
poachers in Methow Valley, and a third wolf (assumedly from the Lookout Pack)
was illegally murdered and found dumped on the side of Highway 20 in
Washington. Furthermore, it is believed that the disappearance of the pregnant
alpha of the Lookout Pack in 2010 is due to poachers. Today the wolves are
slowly returning to these areas, with the newest pack (the Smackout Pack)
living in the Selkirk Mountains. As of the beginning of 2012 there are 27
wolves in the area of Washington and three pairs have been reported as successful
breeding pairs.
To learn about wolves in other regions of North America visit http://www.defenders.org/programs_and_policy/wildlife_conservation/imperiled_species/wolves/wolf_recovery_efforts/index.php
The importance of taking action and how to get involved:
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| Gray Wolf Abandoned for Sport |
Poaching has become an epidemic and has
significantly slowed the comeback of wolves in the Northwest. Hunters murder wolves mainly for sport, skins, and protecting livestock, but regardless of their reasons the hunting of wolves is still illegal. Although we only
have one confirmed pack, several other wolves have been spotted in the Pacific
Northwest, and their protection is fundamental to our planet. Wolf restoration
efforts are incredibly important for our world because they help to ensure the
long-term survival of wolves and contribute to a healthy ecosystem. Predatory
behavior is fundamental in ensuring our ecosystem remains balanced and healthy. Wolves prey mostly on animals that are young, old, sick, injured, weak, or unfit, which keeps the prey populations
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| The Results of Wolf Poaching |
healthy, strong, and robust. The
destruction of wolves in large areas of the US in the 19th and early 20th
centuries altered the natural relationships among the animals ecologically connected
with wolves. This disruption led to increases in some species and declines in
others, significantly affecting biological diversity. This is an example of the
“circle of life” connecting all species to each other. When the wolves
disappear, the animals they prey on (in this example we will use coyotes)
experience a population boom and consequently, another animal population
experiences a significant, and possibly dangerous, population reduction because
the number of animals they are threatened by has increased (e.g. the wild
turkey experiences a population decrease after the amount of coyotes preying on
them increases).
To learn more about getting involved please visit http://www.defenders.org/programs_and_policy/wildlife_conservation/imperiled_species/wolves/take_action.php
Come back soon for more awesome info on wolves!
http://www.defenders.org/index_v2.html
http://www.conservationnw.org/
http://www.fws.gov/laws/
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