Gray Wolf News
invites you to learn about wolves by exploring the history, legends, and myths
surrounding wolves, watching wolf videos, studying wolf recovery plans, researching
wolf studies, and reading wolf news reports from around the
world. Learn how to physically identify wolves and how to
identify wolf sign in the wild.
Learn about wolf predation on deer and elk herds;
see livestock predation reports; investigate
details concerning wolf attacks on pets, humans, and
livestock; read about how to properly deal with livestock
depredation on your ranch; learn about the diseases carried by wolves
and how to avoid them.
Learn about
political agendas and read news
headlines about wolves that are not reported by network
news. Listen to what people have to say who live, work, and
recreate in wolf country all around the world.
This site is a collaborative grass roots effort of many
individuals who have forwarded news reports and information
from around the world to help make this site an
informative source for factual wolf news and wolf information.
Wolf
populations have exceeded recovery goals
in
the (NRM) Northern Rocky Mountain and the Western Great Lakes
states.
Wolves
have been delisted in most of the
(NRM) states
and hunting seasons have occurred in
Idaho and Montana
in areas where wolves are impacting deer and elk herds or
causing
predation on
livestock and pets. Most people
expect responsible wolf management by the agencies, the big question
is: "What Is Responsible?"
What Do Wolves Eat
Studies have
shown that 1 wolf eats 17 elk or 44 deer per year. At
that rate 100 wolves will eat about 1700 elk or 4400 deer
per year, and 1000 wolves will eat about 17,000 elk or
44,000 deer per year. States must very carefully manage wolves so
that big game herds do not suffer extreme population
losses.
Wolves And Livestock
Wolves also eat Livestock and even though there are some reimbursement
programs, there have been many losses on livestock
throughout the west where an agent classifies
the kill as "non-conclusive" which results
in the rancher not getting reimbursed for their loss.
Another huge loss to ranchers is weight loss caused by
wolves harassing cattle while trying to make a kill, the
entire herd may lose weight and often times cattle average
50+ pounds lighter in the fall after sustaining repeated
wolf harassment. This
greatly effects ranch incomes and local economies. Increased predation is
also exhausting reimbursement programs in the west.
Livestock Losses
- Idaho Wildlife Services
"Some
wolf advocacy groups have pointed out that, in relative terms,
only a very small proportion of livestock losses (<1% for cattle
and <2.5% for sheep) nationwide are typically caused by wolves,
and that other predators, such as coyotes, are responsible for
many more livestock deaths than are wolves (Defenders of
Wildlife 2007). But this is misleading since they are using data
accumulated from across the US, and not just data from wolf
infected areas.
"By
determining the average number of livestock killed per each
individual predator on the landscape, and comparing these
figures among the four species, it turns out that individual
wolves in Idaho are about 170 times more likely to kill cattle
than are individual coyotes or black bears.
"Individual wolves were determined to be about 21 times more
likely to kill cattle than were individual mountain lions.....(read
the full story)
Warning : Videos and News Reports on this website share sensitive
stories and include graphic photos involving wolves and prey.
Are Wolves Dangerous
Most pro-wolf organizations
and pro-wolf biologists maintain that wolves pose little threat
to humans or livestock. Many pro management voices, hunters, and
ranchers claim that wolves are a threat to their lifestyle, to
their safety, to their ability to earn a living, and to the
management of wild game herds.
As wolf numbers rebound, so are incidents.
Recently a school teacher was killed by wild animals in Alaska.
Big media has not reported the incident much, but here is the
story....(teacher
attacked)
Why Hunt Wolves
Comparing the number of
wolf-human and wolf-livestock conflicts in areas where
wolves are regularly hunted verses areas where wolves are
seldom hunted, it is easy to conclude that hunting reinforces
wolves fear of humans and ranching operations. Therefore a
hunted population of wolves is far likelier to co-exist in today's
human occupied landscapes.
Management
strategies involving "Hunting" have worked well for
game species and other predators in North America. America's hunted species are
actually some of America's most abundant wildlife species, in fact, it's
many of the un-hunted species who's
existence is
the most threatened. Hunters are good wildlife stewards
with an interest in
maintaining healthy wildlife populations and providing the funding to accomplish that goal.
Western
Lifestyles
Rural citizens and small communities cannot afford for
wolves to attack livestock, spread disease, or reduce
big game herds. Rural economies depend on ranching
income and on the annual influx of sports dollars spent
by visiting hunters.
It's not yet known what affects wolves may have on
western lifestyles, health and safety, recreational
opportunities, or a rancher's ability to earn a living.
Ranching and Hunting are very important activities for rural
economies. If wolves are managed responsibly, wolves may fit into
modern ecosystems without destroying wild game herds or
causing excessive damage to domestic livestock and pets as they have done in the past.
Hydatid
Disease
Dr Val Geist, Professional Biologist,
Professor Emeritus of Environmental Science, University of
Calgary, in an e-mail to a concerned citizen, had this to say:
"There is no escape from this! Ten to
twenty years down the road, Hydatid Disease will raise its
head, in particular in persons who as toddlers crawled over
floors walked over by people and dogs carrying in hydatid
eggs from the outside. Please inform yourself what this is
likely to mean in terms of prognosis, suffering and costs!
Dr Geist suggests how to deal with this probability.....
62% of
Idaho wolves and 63% of Montana wolves are confirmed to be infected with
Hydatid Disease tapeworms.
Is there a contingency plan to address this
Disease.....(read
the full story)
Neospora Caninum
Here is another
story of extreme importance form the
UC Davis School of
Veterinary Medicine. Gray Wolf News has received an
unsubstantiated claim that 40% of wolves tested were
carrying this disease. The page states the costs to the
dairy cattle industry in California due to Neospora
Caninum , the costs likely go up substantially with the
inclusion of beef cattle...(the
full story)
This
dog was killed in the owner's back yard, the dog
is still on its chain. There are many documented wolf attacks on dogs
every year throughout wolf range.
"I was surprised that the DEIS did not make a
detailed study on the impact issue of diseases, worms, and
parasites (page 9). I believe an EIS (Environmental Impact
Statement) is not complete without a detailed study covering the
diseases, worms and parasites that wolves would carry, harbor,
and spread around....(read
the full story)
This live cow had to be killed after being attacked and eaten on by wolves,
"a
confirmed wolf attack".
