WOLF CONSERVATION

By Kachelle & Kayla

The Endangered Species Act

The Endangered Species Act provides protection for the organisms placed on

the endangered species list because the species can not be killed, collected, wounded or harassed.

Wolf Conservation Programs

The state and federal agencies, zoos, citizens and wildlife

organizations cooperatively work together in wolf conservation programs to uphold protection

laws, preserve and enhance wolf habitats, and develop breeding

programs.

Northern Rockies

In the early part of the 20th century wolves were

completely eliminated from Idaho, Montana, and

Wyoming. By the 1980’s, their population recovered

because the wolves migrated into mountainous parts of northern Montana.

Northern Rockies Cont.

1995 and 1996 was an important milestone in wolf recovery because the number of wolves

would start to grow more and more.

Northern Rockies Cont.

In the northern Rockies anti-wolf sentiment is strong

because they believed that reintroduction of wolves to

Yellowstone and central Idaho was illegal.

Alaska

Some people in Alaska think that there are far too many wolves and that are a threat to Caribou populations but others think that is not the case because wolves had

lived with Caribou for thousands of years.

Alaska

In Alaska wolves are not protected under the ESA, so trapping and hunting wolves

is legal.

Upper Midwest

Biologists estimate that 2,445 wolves live in

Minnesota.

The Southwest-The Mexican WolfA captive breeding program was necessary to keep the Mexican wolfs from disappearing forever because they were already extinct in the wild.

The reintroduction of the 34 Mexican wolves had not been successful because the were eating cattle, others had been killed by cars, and several had been shot.

A shortcoming of Captive Breeding Programs was that because the wolves were captive-bred they did not fear humans.

Eastern North Carolina- The Red Wolf

The future of the red wolf remains cloudy because their number in the wild are also limited, and the potential for hybridization with coyotes threatens

the red wolves genetic integrity. The adaptive management plan recently

implemented by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service minimized hybridization between red wolves and

coyotes.

Other Regions

Having established populations of wolves in just a few areas will not

guarantee the survival of the species because disease or a natural disaster cold

easily wipe out an entire population.Future reintroduction sites are chosen if

the area is capable of supporting wolves. The criteria includes a sufficient prey base,

adequate land area, a low human population, and low road density.