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See a wolf... what would you do?
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<blockquote data-quote="jamesmc2" data-source="post: 588924" data-attributes="member: 28212"><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">Thanks for all the reply's to my thread. I always learn a lot on this site. I usually hear a little hot air too! Ha Ha Ha!</span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">Obviously a lot of people have very strong opinions on this subject. I dug up some info based on actual research that should help shed a little light.</span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">Wolves and Elk Populations in Yellowstone:</span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">"During 2000–2004, the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks reduced antlerless permits for big game by 51% from 2,882 to 1,400. Initially, the effects of wolf predation on elk during the first five years of the recovery were not detected, as elk numbers were identical to those of 1980–1994. From the winter of 1995 to the winter of 2004 however, the elk greatly decreased in number, dropping from 16,791 to 8,335 as the number of wolves on the northern range increased from 21 to 106, though predation from bears, increased human harvests, winter and droughts were also factors. Since 2000, 45% of known deaths and 75% of predation-caused deaths of radio collared cow-elk have been confirmed to be attributable to wolves. Human caused deaths in the same period accounted for 8–30% of known deaths. Yellowstone elk comprise up to 92% of the winter diet of wolves, the overall kill rates of Yellowstone wolves on elk in winter being estimated at 22 ungulates per wolf annually. This is higher than the 12 ungulates per wolf rate predicted."</span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">Debate on Subspecies:</span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">"Historically, the wolf populations originally native to Yellowstone were classed under the subspecies <em>C. l. irremotus</em>. When the issue of what subspecies to use for the introduction was raised, park service representatives stated that the taxonomy of grey wolves had been revised numerous times, and that <em>C. l. irremotus</em> was not a distinct subspecies, but a geographical variant. Three publications were made on the appropriateness of using a founding population of Canadian wolves: Brewster and Fritz supported the motion, while Nowak determined that the original Yellowstone wolves were more similar to <em>C. l. nubilus</em>, a subspecies already present in Minnesota, and that the Canadian animals proposed by Brewster and Fritz were of the subspecies <em>C. l. occidentalis</em>, a significantly larger animal. The rationale behind Brewster and Fritz's favour was that wolves show little genetic diversity, and that the original population was extinct anyway. This was contradicted by Nowak, who contested that Minnesotan wolves were much more similar in size and shape to the original population than the proposed Canadian wolves, though he conceded that <em>C. l. occidentalis</em> was probably already migrating southward even before human intervention. The final use of Canadian wolves for the reintroduction was not without criticism: the <em>American Society of Mammalogists</em> criticized the project's lack of deference to the principle of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergmann%27s_rule" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0000ff">Bergmann's rule</span></a>, pointing out that the wolves used for the introduction were larger than the original park wolves, and were adapted to colder climates."</span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">These wolves are all the same species, there is a lot of controversy and debate about which how many wolf sub-species there are and where they lived. In reality they had large ranges which often overlapped. All sub-species are able to interbreed but each has/had slight morphologic differences and were better adapted to their individual habitats. Estimates on the number of different wolf sub-species ranges from only four to more than twenty. It would be fascinating if somehow DNA from the original Yellowstone wolves could be obtained and compared to wolves that were reintroduced. </span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">Idaho Wolf Harvest Data:</span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">Total Harvest from 2009-2010 = 188 Wolves</span></span></p><p><span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">Average female weight = 75-80 lbs</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">Average male weight = 95-100 lbs</span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">Largest wolf taken = 130 lbs</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">My opinion. And that is all it is… my opinion. Wolves have a role the Rocky Mountain ecosystem. If managed well and numbers are kept at low sustainable levels they can help control populations of animals inside Yellowstone and prevent overpopulation and disease in that eco-system. I like the Wyoming Wolf Management plan which would allow a hunting season on wolves in the "Greater Yellowstone Eco-system". Beyond this area the wolf would be designated as a predator and taken at will. I believe the current population is to high and well beyond original goals. This is leading to devastation of ungulate herds in some areas (see Idaho elk harvest graph) </span></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="jamesmc2, post: 588924, member: 28212"] [COLOR=black][FONT=Arial]Thanks for all the reply’s to my thread. I always learn a lot on this site. I usually hear a little hot air too! Ha Ha Ha![/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Arial]Obviously a lot of people have very strong opinions on this subject. I dug up some info based on actual research that should help shed a little light.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Arial]Wolves and Elk Populations in Yellowstone:[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Arial]"During 2000–2004, the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks reduced antlerless permits for big game by 51% from 2,882 to 1,400. Initially, the effects of wolf predation on elk during the first five years of the recovery were not detected, as elk numbers were identical to those of 1980–1994. From the winter of 1995 to the winter of 2004 however, the elk greatly decreased in number, dropping from 16,791 to 8,335 as the number of wolves on the northern range increased from 21 to 106, though predation from bears, increased human harvests, winter and droughts were also factors. Since 2000, 45% of known deaths and 75% of predation-caused deaths of radio collared cow-elk have been confirmed to be attributable to wolves. Human caused deaths in the same period accounted for 8–30% of known deaths. Yellowstone elk comprise up to 92% of the winter diet of wolves, the overall kill rates of Yellowstone wolves on elk in winter being estimated at 22 ungulates per wolf annually. This is higher than the 12 ungulates per wolf rate predicted."[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Arial]Debate on Subspecies:[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Arial]"Historically, the wolf populations originally native to Yellowstone were classed under the subspecies [I]C. l. irremotus[/I]. When the issue of what subspecies to use for the introduction was raised, park service representatives stated that the taxonomy of grey wolves had been revised numerous times, and that [I]C. l. irremotus[/I] was not a distinct subspecies, but a geographical variant. Three publications were made on the appropriateness of using a founding population of Canadian wolves: Brewster and Fritz supported the motion, while Nowak determined that the original Yellowstone wolves were more similar to [I]C. l. nubilus[/I], a subspecies already present in Minnesota, and that the Canadian animals proposed by Brewster and Fritz were of the subspecies [I]C. l. occidentalis[/I], a significantly larger animal. The rationale behind Brewster and Fritz's favour was that wolves show little genetic diversity, and that the original population was extinct anyway. This was contradicted by Nowak, who contested that Minnesotan wolves were much more similar in size and shape to the original population than the proposed Canadian wolves, though he conceded that [I]C. l. occidentalis[/I] was probably already migrating southward even before human intervention. The final use of Canadian wolves for the reintroduction was not without criticism: the [I]American Society of Mammalogists[/I] criticized the project's lack of deference to the principle of [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergmann%27s_rule"][COLOR=#0000ff]Bergmann's rule[/COLOR][/URL], pointing out that the wolves used for the introduction were larger than the original park wolves, and were adapted to colder climates."[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Arial]These wolves are all the same species, there is a lot of controversy and debate about which how many wolf sub-species there are and where they lived. In reality they had large ranges which often overlapped. All sub-species are able to interbreed but each has/had slight morphologic differences and were better adapted to their individual habitats. Estimates on the number of different wolf sub-species ranges from only four to more than twenty. It would be fascinating if somehow DNA from the original Yellowstone wolves could be obtained and compared to wolves that were reintroduced. [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Arial]Idaho Wolf Harvest Data:[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Arial]Total Harvest from 2009-2010 = 188 Wolves[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Arial]Average female weight = 75-80 lbs[/FONT][/COLOR] [FONT=Arial]Average male weight = 95-100 lbs[/FONT] [FONT=Arial]Largest wolf taken = 130 lbs[/FONT] [FONT=Arial]My opinion. And that is all it is… my opinion. Wolves have a role the Rocky Mountain ecosystem. If managed well and numbers are kept at low sustainable levels they can help control populations of animals inside Yellowstone and prevent overpopulation and disease in that eco-system. I like the Wyoming Wolf Management plan which would allow a hunting season on wolves in the “Greater Yellowstone Eco-system”. Beyond this area the wolf would be designated as a predator and taken at will. I believe the current population is to high and well beyond original goals. This is leading to devastation of ungulate herds in some areas (see Idaho elk harvest graph) [/FONT] [/QUOTE]
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