Coming Home: Reintroducing the Gray Wolf to Colorado
Reintroducing the gray wolf to Colorado will benefit native ecosystems, the economy, and recreational activities.
Ecological Benefits
As an apex predator, the gray wolf has many ecological benefits. They help regulate many of the species that inhabit the lower Rocky Mountain region, including elk, which have become overabundant in this region. The overabundance of elk and many other ungulates results in the loss of plant biomass and diversity as a result of browsing. The reintroduction of wolves into this region will instill a natural fear back into these ungulates (Licht et al. 2010) This would decrease the amount of time elk spend browsing on vegetation, allowing plants to grow. Additionally, the presence of wolf kills will increase the activity of scavengers (Licht et al. 2010). The increase of carrion and scavengers will help to increase nutrient recycling, making the ecosystem healthier. Wolves help thin ungulate herds and are very selective hunters, especially in the winter (Smith et al. 2003) and will prey on the sick, injured, and weak members of the herd. They also help balance natural ecosystems, which allows more evenness of plant
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In Yellowstone National Park, for example, the presence of wolves increased visitation and ecotourism (Licht et al. 2010). The presence of wolf populations is believed to bring in millions of dollars to the economy. Visitors come from all over the world to view wildlife and report positive viewing experiences (Licht et al (2010).
We understand the fears people have regarding wolves, but we feel the benefits outweigh the negatives. We believe wolves can coexist with people with little conflict. In Wisconsin, for example, wolves are successfully inhabiting more areas than was originally predicted (Carroll et al.
“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown” ― H.P. Lovecraft. Fear drives mankind to hate what he cannot comprehend. With this irrational fear mankind is controlled and set on a path of destruction and chaos. In the autobiography Never Cry Wolf written by Farley Mowat, the main character (Farley Mowat), journeys to the Canadian tundra to study the much-feared wolf. There he discovers the fear brought upon by men, and how it can result horribly for the wolves. The human race was so frightened by the unknown species that they began to blame the wolves for cold slaughters, portrayed them as vicious killers, and because of the fear of the unknown tried to exterminate wolves all together.
The history behind the extirpation of the grey wolf in the United States dates back to the very first European settlers that colonized eastern North America in the late 16th century. The killing of gray wolves was done primarily out of fear in an attempt to protect livestock, and, in some cases, to protect human life within the colonies. As more settlers expanded West, the practice of killing wolves was considerably increased to protect livestock that included cows, pigs, and chickens. As waves of European settlers expanded westward, they began to deplete the deer, moose, and elk populations. The gray wolves food source continual depletion gave rise to wolf populations actively targeting the settler’s livestock, causing great financial loss. The fiscal loss of livestock became such an issue to wealthy ranchers and settlers that they began to offer cash rewards for wolf pelts. This practice gave birth to a lucrative cottage industry of professional hunters and trappers. As the wolves began to move further West, and into Wyoming, they began to diminish the elk and moose population. To respond to this threat, Congress approved funding in 1914, to eliminate the native gray wolves from
This makes them seem less menacing and scary like the first article makes them look. Sharon Levy says in part "It is only in the two decades that biologists have started to build a clearer picture of wolf ecology….Instead of seeing rogue man-eaters and savage packs, we now understand that wolves have evolved to live in extended family groups.." (ll 19-22) This article also explains the positive overall effects of the wolves moving back to Yellowstone. Not only did the wolves have a new home filled with beautiful elk for prey they were also protected from hunters. This changed the attitude of the wolves as well as their population, of course their population grew and stayed more
Gray Wolf Optimization Gray wolf optimization is presented in the following subsections based on the work in [13]. 1) Inspiration: Grey wolves are considered as apex predators, meaning that they are at the top of the food chain. Grey wolves mostly prefer to live in a pack. The group size is 512 on average. They have a very strict social dominant hierarchy.
...I think that repopulating wolves in an area where they might have to deal with people is kind of a feeble-witted idea. Wolves are not an animal with a great reputation, even though they might not deserve that reputation most people do not like. I think that people as a whole would probably rather have deer in their back yard rather than wolves. Therefore, the questions what can happen, what should happen, and what will happen, with the deer problem all three have different answers. These answers will differ due to the area that the deer are in and the peoples' feeling towards these deer. It is too bad that there is not one perfect solution to the deer problem. Maybe in the future there will be, but until then we will have to deal with each problem that comes up individually.
According to Karl N. Llewellyn and E. Adamson Hoebel, making new laws in our societies helps us to become more discipline and safe and it also prevents us from crimes such as rape, sexual assault or harassment, violent crime fraud, robbery, murder etc due to a larger society which Hoebel called “heterogeneous”. Many people in the modern society can not make their own decisions without hearing or listening to the people in power such as the government (legislatures), police, lawyers/ judges. Just like the “Cheyenne community”, the community they come to together to solve conflicts between individuals by involving individuals or the community as a whole for the protection of themselves.
Wolves have always been a symbol of the wild, free in spirit and roamers of the land. These animals are considered majestic and protectors of the wilderness. They have always roamed the western United States, although their population has fluctuated over time. Over the past 10 years wolf reintroduction into Yellowstone National Park has been a controversial topic to those of the United States. As of 1995, wolves have been reintroduced into the park. This has come with some strong opposition and yet has prevailed. The future of the wolf in Yellowstone park is now looking bright, although not certain since there still are those who want them banished again.
During 70 years of absence from the Rockies, the Grey Wolf had been protected under the Endangered Species Act that was passed in 1973. Since the wolf is under the protection of Endangered Species Act a person could be punished with up to a $100,000 fine and up to 1 year in jail for killing a wolf. Back in the 1850's there was a major population increase of the wolves in America, this was due to settlers moving west. These settlers killed more than 80 million bison, the wolves started to scavenge on the carcasses left behind.
The Gray Wolf’s environment can be either in the woods or tundra and grasslands. Those are three places where you can find them roaming around. Sometimes you can find them in the hot and dry desert. The Gray Wolf can also be seen roaming in urban areas eating trash out of somebody’s trash can.
Coyotes and bears are a common sight in the woods. These animals, along with others, are predators that help to control deer population but also decrease the amount of land allowed to the deer. In Western NC, deer rates have fallen and bag limits have been reduced. In Pennsylvania, biologists have conducted a lengthy study to determine fawn mortality and predation. Predators killed 46% of fawns, (Hart). A study about coyotes in Ohio found that even though they kill numerous fawns, the population of deer continues to grow, (Hart). It would be critical to maintain...
“…and this is why the caribou and the wolf are one; for the caribou feeds the wolf, but it is the wolf that keeps the caribou strong”― Farley Mowat. This quote is a great example of the wolves keeping balance in nature, and the partnership between two different animals. The gray wolf was reintroduced to Yellowstone in 1995. They were reintroduced by the government due to the endangerment of their species. The reintroduction of the gray wolf was beneficial because it improved Yellowstone’s ecosystem, protected the wolves, and it attracted tourists.
Over the past several years, the gray wolf, native to the Wisconsin area, has been listed federally as an endangered species due to the graphic and horrific treatment they had received during the industrialization periods of America, when they were frowned upon and hated because they are predatory creatures and did, on occasion, attack livestock and pets. Because the government was encouraging the hunting, including bounties for the animals, the wolves were hunted to near extinction. However, now Wisconsin faces a new problem. With the reintroduction of the wolves to the state, and their continued endangered status federally, the population has increased well beyond expectations, reaching what could be considered a problematic state. A regulated hunt and a population control procedure has become necessary in Wisconsin to protect state's economic endeavors of game, wildlife, and agriculture, and also the wolves themselves, to keep them from overpopulating and facing starvation and lack of land.
National Parks are the cornerstone of every country because it preserves the rich cultural and natural resources of a nation, such as Yellowstone in the United States of America. Yellowstone National Park is the World’s First National Park which brings millions of attraction each year, it is larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combine and have over a thousand species of plants and animal (Yellowstone Media). However, a very important type of species has been missing in Yellowstone National Park for a very long time. Wolves, which got reintroduce back into Yellowstone National Park, should stay there because without them the ecosystem would be out of balance.
Native plants in any given area have adapted to all the other organisms in a given area and genetically diverse ecosystems are generally maintained.
Predation: Reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone As a Biology 1A student, there are many interesting and complied topics to understand. Just like an ecosystem and the factors that contribute to maintaining the ecosystem. An ecosystem is a community of individuals in a certain area where they all interact with each other and the environment. There are two types of ecosystem terrestrial and aquatic, and the sub-ecosystems fall into one of these two choices. One of the factors that contribute a major role in any kind of ecosystem would be predation.