Gray Wolf News
is a directory of wolf news reports, pictures, videos,
wolf studies, and other wolf information from around the
world. Learn about wolf recovery plans, predation on deer and elk herds,
see photos and videos of wolf attacks on livestock, pets,
wild game, and humans. Study wolf diseases and how to avoid
them, learn how to identify wolves and wolf sign, and read
comments from people who actually live, work, and recreate
in wolf country. If you have a wolf story to share, or if
you see wolf news headlines, please forward the story, link,
photos, or info to:
info@graywolfnews.com
60,000+ Wolves In North America
Canada has an estimated 52,000-60,000 wolves. Nunavut,
Northwest Territories, and Yukon each have 5,000 wolves,
British Columbia has 8000 wolves, Alberta 4,200,
Saskatchewan 4,300, Manitoba 4,000-6,000, Ontario 9,000,
Quebec 5,000 and Labrador 2,000. The United States has up to
9,000 wolves which are increasing in number in all ranges,
Alaska has a stable population of 6,000-7,000 wolves,
Minnesota has a population of 2,900 wolves, both Wisconsin
and Michigan each have 600 wolves as of 2008. The Rocky
Mountain states (Wyoming, Idaho and Montana) have an
approximate population of 1,700 wolves. A small number of
wolves are known to inhabit Oregon and Washington, and there
are now at least 42 wild Mexican wolves in the southwest
United States. An undetermined number of wolves have been
found in Colorado and in the northeast US...
(information source)
Environmentalists Use Taxpayer $$$
Fox News reports that taxpayer money is being used by
Environmental groups
who are suing the government on a regular
basis and then using the taxpayers dollars awarded in the lawsuits to
pay environmental lawyers huge legal fees to file more lawsuits.
The end result is that taxpayer dollars are being used to manipulate environmental policy
in the United States. Over 2000 lawsuits were filed in only
9 years.
Watch the video story
below.
Status Of Wolf Management
Wolf populations have exceeded recovery
goals in the (NRM) Northern Rocky Mountains
and the Western Great Lakes states for many
years now. Wolves have recently been
delisted in Idaho and Montana by the US
Congress and President Obama. Wyoming
recently won a court case in support of
their management plan and the USFWS is
preparing to delist wolves in the Western
Great Lakes area. Wolf groups say wolves
need continued protection, but
pro-management groups say declining game
herds, increasing livestock and pet attacks,
and increasing wolf numbers indicate wolves
need managed. Use the news links on this
page to research the status of wolf
management.
Annual Livestock & Pet Losses
Wisconsin 2010 - Wolves are causing more trouble in Wisconsin.
That’s according a new report from the state DNR. It said grey
wolves killed 47 livestock calves, 34 dogs, 16 cows, and 6 sheep....(the
full story)
A total of 19 hounds were killed by wolves
during the 2010 bear hound training and hunting season in Wisconsin....(the
full story)
Michigan
2010 - Two dogs, 57 cattle, seven sheep and a guinea hen have
fallen victim to wolves this year...(the
full story)
Minnesota
2007 - Verified losses caused by wolves included 3 cows,
83 calves, 1 horse, 1 foal, 10 sheep, 365 turkeys, and 3 dogs...(the
full story)
Wyoming 2010 - As of mid-November, wolves have killed a
total of 63 domestic livestock and horses, although some
suspected depredations, injuries and deaths related
to wolf activity are not included in the total. A total
of 36 wolves have been killed for livestock depredations
by wildlife managers so far. Depredations reached a peak
in 2009, when 222 domestic pets and livestock, mostly
sheep, were killed...(the
full story)
Montana 2010
- Wolves killed or injured $512,981 worth of cattle,
calves, sheep, goats, horses, llamas guard dogs and pet
dogs. Four years ago, wolves damaged $73,269 worth of
livestock, pets and working dogs. Predator increases
have been caused by several factors...(the
full story)
The
number of dogs reported killed by wolves in Montana since 1990
is 40, according to preliminary data from FWP. That compares
with 22 in Wyoming and 60 in Idaho....(the
full story)
Warning: Videos and News Reports on this website share sensitive
stories and include graphic photos involving wolves and prey.
Wolf Attack Ratio On Livestock
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....(the
full story)
Are Wolves Dangerous To Humans
Most pro-wolf organizations and biologists maintain that
wolves pose little threat to humans or livestock. Many
pro-management voices, hunters, and ranchers claim wolves
are a threat to their lifestyle, their safety, their ability
to earn a living, and to the management of wild game herds.
As wolf numbers rebound, wolf attacks on humans are definitely
increasing. A teacher was recently attacked and killed
by wolves, see
the video story....(town
on edge)
Do Wolves Only Eat The
Weak
The Implications of
Parasitic Manipulation
Abstract
One of the most complex
and least understood transmission strategies
displayed by pathogenic parasites is that of
manipulation of host behaviour. A wide
variety of pathogens alter their host’s
behaviour, including species of medical and
veterinary importance, such as
Diplostomum spathaceum, Echinococcus
spp. and Toxoplasma gondii. The
manipulative ability of these parasites has
implications for pathology and transmission
dynamics. Domestic animals are hosts for
manipulative pathogens, either by being the
target host and acquiring the parasite as a
result of vector-host manipulation, or by
having their behaviour changed by
manipulative parasites. This review uses
several well-known pathogens to demonstrate
how host manipulation by parasites is
potentially important in epidemiology.
page 7
The hypothesis that
echinococcosis could increase host
vulnerability to predation came from an
anecdotal incident reported by Crisler
(1956), in which a caribou cow (Rangifer
tarandus) failed to escape from wolves.
Postmortem examination revealed that its
lungs were infested with several large cysts
of E. granulosus. In moose (Alces
alces), a large proportion of hydatid
cysts are found in the lungs and severe
infestations reduce the endurance of animals
trying to escape from grey wolves (Canis
lupus), one of the DHs of E.
granulosus (Messier et al., 1989).
Wolves and other carnivores selectively prey
on weaker animals and moose with cystic
hydatid disease may be more vulnerable to
predation (Messier et al., 1989; Joly and
Messier, 2004). However, no study to date
has empirically shown the direct link
between hydatid infestation, increased
predation risk and increased transmission
rates for the parasite.
Internal organs,
including the lungs, are often among the
first to be eaten by large carnivores, such
as wolves (Joly and Messier, 2004).
Therefore, it is possible that selection has
favoured the location of parasite cysts at
these sites to ensure rapid consumption by
the DHs rather than to enhance transmission
probability. Nevertheless, the pathological
effects of echinococcosis do modify the
escape behaviour of its IHs in a way that
could increase predation and parasite
transmission...
(information source)
Infection Rate Of Echinococcus Granulosus
Samples taken from 123 wolves in Idaho and Montana were tested
for parasites, 62% of the Idaho wolves and 63% of the Montana
wolves were found to be infected with Echinococcus Granulosus
tapeworms. Wolves act as a definitive host to spread eggs through
the countryside. Ungulates, livestock, pets, and even humans can
become infected from eggs which can form cysts in the liver,
lungs, or brain of the infected animal. This is known as
Hydatid Disease. Cysts grow slowly and may
take up to 10 or more years to develop, but these cysts can
potentially kill the infected host unless the cysts are
surgically removed
without rupturing the cyst....
(read the full story)
Echinococcus Granulosus is commonly spread by Canids to
sheep, cattle, ungulates, and even to humans in which the infection
is known as Hydatid Disease. Health workers have worked hard to
eradicate this parasite in other countries and to educate people on
how to avoid exposure.
The video below
shows
the life cycle and how
E. Granulosus
is spread.
Controlling Hydatid Disease
Wolves are establishing new territories
in Idaho, Montana, and neighboring states. Idaho and Montana
wolves have a high rate
of infection, therefore it's obvious that any areas that wolves
frequent will likely have egg infested feces left behind by wolves.
This greatly increases the risk that Echinococcus Granulosus
will spread to grazing animals like wild elk or livestock,
and to coyotes or dogs that may smell an infected wolf feces, or
even to humans gathering wild foods or handling infected
pets or wild animals. Rural residents, young
children, hunters, trappers, ranchers, veterinarians or
other wildlife professionals that come in contact with
infected feces or animals bear the greatest risk of
infection. This raises a serious question of whether
wide ranging wolves should be limited in numbers to prevent the
spread of E. Granulosus?....
(read more)
Wyoming Standing Tough
It has been said by many that Wyoming has
held up wolf management because they have only classified
wolves as protected in the most remote and suitable 12% of
the state. The Wyoming plan classifies wolves as
predators in 88% of Wyoming, where wolves may be shot on site if their wolf plan stands.
People in Wyoming maintain they don't want large numbers of
wolves in ranching and inhabited areas. In the end, Wyoming will
likely benefit for standing tough on wolves. Currently
Wyoming has at least 343 wolves, more than 3 times the
original target number. Montana and Idaho both
have far more wolves than WY.
How Much Do Wolves Eat
The amount of meat a wolf eats each year can vary. During a
study in Yellowstone Park, 24 wolves were observed for 1 month in
1997 and 57 wolves were observed for 1 month in 1998. A total
of 81 wolves were observed for a one month period and 114 kills
were observed. This included 106 elk, 6 moose, 1 mule deer,
and 1 bison. The average kill rate was 1.4 elk per wolf per
month. That study indicates that 1 wolf will eat 17 elk
per year. It would require 44 deer to equal the same
body mass as 17 elk. So 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...(USGS Study)
What To Do Next
The
following video illustrates the challenges of
wolf management. Wolf advocates are going to
have to accept that management means hunting
and killing wolves. Those in opposition to
wolves are going to have to accept that
there are going to be some wolves in the
lower 48 states. The challenge will be in
determining where wolves fit into our
modern environments, how many wolves are
suitable, and where wolves simply don't fit.
