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Are gray wolves still endangered?

Gray wolves have clawed back from the brink 35 years after being exterminated in most U.S. forests. But as they kill more and more livestock, some humans are once again howling for their heads.
By Russell McLendon
Wed, Sep 16 2009 at 9:30 AM EST
Read more: ANIMAL RESEARCH, CONSERVATION, ENDANGERED SPECIES, WILDLIFE

 

 

For the first time in history, wolf season officially began in Montana's backcountry this week. It follows Idaho's inaugural opening day by two weeks, and likely foreshadows three or four more states joining the wolf-hunting club in the near future.
 
This is a far cry from 1974, when the gray wolf was named an endangered species after being virtually eliminated in the U.S. mainland. But thanks to federal protection over the last three decades, and especially to a mid-'90s reintroduction effort using wolves from Canada, the species has rebounded in the Northern Rockies and the Western Great Lakes.
 
In fact, some say wolves have rebounded a little too well. While they still make up just 2 percent of their former population in the Lower 48 states, they've nonetheless outgrown much of the land they were given. That's bad news for nearby ranchers and homeowners, whose pets and livestock increasingly fall prey to roaming wolves.
 
"All the suitable habitat is filled, so every additional wolf causes proportionally more problems," says Ed Bangs, wolf recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Helena, Mont. "More wolves are trying to live in unsuitable habitat."
 
And that's bad news for wolves, too. The FWS issues shoot-on-sight licenses to some ranchers with wolf problems, and rising livestock casualties are a driving force behind many calls for removing the gray wolf from the endangered species list so it can be hunted.
 
"Wolves will live entirely on livestock if you let them," Bangs says. "The key is having something else for them to eat."
 
Hungry like the wolf
The gray wolf governed North America's forests from the last ice age until roughly a century ago, reigning across the continent from Alaska to Maine to Mexico. Known as a "keystone predator," it kept other predators in check by regulating the populations of plant eaters, which in turn saved more young trees from being eaten as seedlings. In the Lower 48 states alone, some 400,000 gray wolves once lived everywhere except the Southeast — former home of the now highly endangered red wolf — and parts of the Southwest.
 
But North America is a different place today. Early settlers from Europe decimated New World deer, elk and moose populations, leaving wolves little to eat but livestock. Docile farm animals are easy prey for wild wolves, and the costly results of their encounters led many frontier governments to encourage vigilante wolf killing. Throughout the 1800s and early 1900s, unregulated hunting and government-sponsored poisoning wiped out virtually all gray wolves in the continental United States except a small population in northern Minnesota.
 
"Historically there were wolves everywhere, and we purposefully killed them off," Bangs says. "We killed them off because we had killed off most of the ungulates [hoofed grazers, like deer], and they were starting to eat livestock. By about 1930 there were almost no populations left."
 
An underdog's comeback
Protection under the new Endangered Species Act let some Canadian wolves wander into northern Montana and Minnesota during the '70s and '80s, encouraging scientists that the species could survive again in parts of its former range. The first reintroduction efforts began in 1995, when wolves from Canada were brought to Yellowstone National Park and other parts of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. Upon success there, federal wildlife officials soon helped wolves return to the Western Great Lakes region, too.
 
Gray wolves are almost as adaptable as humans when picking a place to live, and the diverse species — which is the ancestor of domesticated dogs — has dozens of subspecies ranging from the Arctic wolf (pictured, left) to the Mexican wolf (right). Hunting restrictions helped revive U.S. deer and elk populations by the late 20th century, and with plenty of wild food to eat, the gray wolf had little trouble regaining a foothold in the Rockies and Great Lakes.
 
"I'd say it's very healthy," says Dan Stark, wolf specialist for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, about his state's wolf population. "In Minnesota we've seen the population stabilize over the last 10 years, in number and distribution. That indicates they've occupied all the suitable areas in the state that are going to support wolves. We've historically had wolves statewide, but it's a much different landscape now due to settlement."
 
Legal gray areas
Facing pressure over rising livestock casualties, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed gray wolves from the endangered species list earlier this year in five states: Idaho, Montana, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. It was the latest step in a back-and-forth court battle between conservation groups and the FWS over whether the gray wolf should be "delisted" as an endangered species at all. Federal scientists say the wolf populations are healthy, but conservationists contend they're still too fragmented and fragile to be hunted in large numbers.
 
In May, President Obama continued the Bush-era effort to delist gray wolves, except in Wyoming, where the FWS says the state's wolf-management plan is inadequate. Conservation groups again sued, this time pointing out that the FWS had neglected to hold a 60-day public comment period before delisting wolves in the three Great Lakes states. That got the species relisted in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, but conservationists' victory there is short-lived: After holding comment periods, all three states are pushing to have the wolf delisted again in 2010.
 
A federal judge also ruled this month that the wolf hunts can continue in Idaho and Montana, citing studies showing that current populations could take a 30 percent hit and still recover. (Idaho and Montana have quotas of 220 and 75 wolves, respectively, or about 22 percent of their combined population.) But there was a silver lining for conservationists — the judge called officials' decision to exclude Wyoming from the delisting "arbitrary and capricious," since it distinguished natural populations of wolves based on a political boundary, which raises the possibility that the most recent delisting could ultimately be scrapped.
 
Hunting hunters
But is hunting an effective way to manage wolf populations in the first place? FWS spokesman Joshua Winchell says he isn't aware of any established precedent for wolves, but points out that hunting can be a boon for wildlife in general. On top of controlling population sizes, the fees for hunting and fishing licenses — such as the U.S. duck stamp — help fund conservation efforts that often benefit the animals being hunted.
 
"There's been success after success in using sport or recreational hunting to keep populations within acceptable levels," Winchell says. "The current regulated wolf hunts fit within a much larger history of wildlife management success."
 
Still, conservationists warn that wolves' genetic diversity and overall survival could be hurt by excessive hunting. They often emphasize nonlethal techniques for preventing attacks on livestock, such as frightening devices, security barricades, rubber bullets or restoring wolves' natural prey in the wild by cutting back on deer, elk and moose hunting.
 
Regardless of how wolves end up classified, the onus will be on humans to maintain co-existence. It's never easy for two top-level predators to share a habitat, but while we are losing livestock, we can at least take comfort knowing we aren't on the menu ourselves.
 
"It's almost unheard of — there's been one person that we know of in the history of North America who's been killed by a wolf, and those wolves were highly habituated to people," Bangs says. "A wild wolf attacking someone is extremely rare. There's a lot of reasons to not have wolves, but that's not one."
 
Also on MNN:
 
Photos: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, ZUMA Press, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Cahir Davitt/Citizen Image, Robert Millage/AP


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Comments(27)

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Posted By jake - Mon, Mar 15 2010 at 3:39 PM EST

wolf

i like pie

Posted By cheese - Mon, Nov 16 2009 at 12:15 PM EST

WOLVES

I believe that it is wrong to kill these animals. They need family and food and a home just as much as you do and by taking away their home and killing their family is very rude ppl!!! i luv wolves

Posted By Riversong - Fri, Nov 13 2009 at 11:14 AM EST

GE Sheep vs Wild Wolves

The decimation of the American wolf has always been a matter of competition between predators, and man has proven himself to be the most ruthless of all.

Now most of the pressure to de-list and kill off the wolf in the lower 48 comes from ranchers like Cindy Siddoway of Terreton, Idaho who says, "It is devastating for us to put all of the money and the time and the genetics and work to produce a great product and then just have it half-eaten and left to die."

So a.... More

Posted By Bob the builder - Wed, Nov 04 2009 at 2:20 PM EST

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Thanks! I got a lot of information from this site.

Posted By Bob the builder junior - Sun, Nov 08 2009 at 3:40 PM EST

wow!

I also got a lot of information form this site!

Posted By samantha - Thu, Oct 01 2009 at 4:46 PM EST

I Think It's Wrong

i think that it is wrong that you are able to hunt a creature so beautiful and affectionate. you could get even a wolf to be a nice little dog like creature so it is kind of like hunting a dog. what kind of peoplecould even hunt a sweet little dog like that? anyway it isn't their fault that people have detroyed their homeland and almost wiped them out completly. you wouldn't like being hunted just because you started to bring back your population and people took over your sweet little forest.... More

Posted By shawna - Thu, Oct 29 2009 at 11:23 AM EST

I Think Your Correct

I think that wolves are a great part to our econmoy. you think The world should be left in peice the way it was a long time ago. You shouldn't be able to hunt these wonderful creatures. Wolves are beatiful creatures that shouldn't be killed.

Posted By Nicholas Tyson - Thu, Sep 17 2009 at 5:13 PM EST

Nashville,NC

I wish to make a Gray Wolf wildlife reserve when I turn 20. How do I do it and how much money will it take.Also I'm only 11.

Posted By Russell McLendon - Fri, Sep 18 2009 at 7:31 PM EST

Re: Nashville,NC

Hey Nicholas, that's a very noble goal. Gray wolves actually aren't native to North Carolina, but the even more endangered red wolf is. Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, which is about 2.5 hours east of Nashville, N.C., is home to the largest red wolf wildlife reserve on Earth. They have about 200 red wolves there, and are trying to save the species from going extinct. They could probably give you some information about what it takes to set up a wildlife reserve or what you could do to.... More

Posted By Anonymous - Thu, Sep 17 2009 at 3:14 AM EST

aussie POV

i think the american government should not let hunters kill wolves again to near extinction, something like this would never happen in australia especially to a native animal. this against the law in australia to kill any native animal especiallly in national parks. this animals should be protected from hunters. what is more imporrtant losing small amounts of lifestock or a species? this sounds like exactly what japan is doing with whaling to me

Posted By John Davis - Wed, Sep 16 2009 at 3:56 PM EST

Wow

Sounds like we need to do something now theren!

REs
www.web-privacy.de.tc

Posted By Jason - Wed, Sep 16 2009 at 12:27 PM EST

Save the Wolves by Managing Them

Ali,
The wolves will not be hunted to the extent to have them relisted. Both Idaho and Montana have already had their wolf managment plan approved by the federal government with regard to the requirements of the ESA. Wolves will be hunted in order to keep thier populations steady. This is the intent of the quota system in place by both Idaho and Montana. As the article indicates, wolf populations have been growing at a rate of 20 to 30 percent per year. In certain areas, this increasing.... More

Posted By Anonymous - Wed, Sep 16 2009 at 4:07 PM EST

Preditors necessary

The apex preditors are absolutely necessary to regain natural population levels of game and non-game wildlife. Studies in Alaska have shown that the wolves' natural prey includes many more mice, rats and rabbits than large game, and help keep the varmint population in check. Predation of domestic species has historically overstated.

Posted By Anonymous - Thu, Sep 17 2009 at 2:43 PM EST

Wolves can't live on mice and small game

Walt Disney's "Never Cry Wolf" movie suggested that wolves could live on small game. That however is a lie. Wolves must kill large game animals to maintain their energy balance.

Posted By Anonymous - Wed, Sep 23 2009 at 8:58 AM EST

"Never Cry Wolf" is a NONfiction book, researched by a naturalis

"Never Cry Wolf" was not a fictional story concocted by Disney--it was based on a factual, long-range study by naturalist Farley Mowat.

After living beside and observing Alaskan wolves for years, Mowat was able to discover previously unobserved wolf behaviors, including the ability to stave off starvation in areas with little game by eating small mammals.

In the absence of large game--or in the case of small packs unable to take down large animals--Mowat found that wolves.... More

Posted By Anonymous - Wed, Sep 23 2009 at 9:00 AM EST

Apology for Typos in Mowat post

I apologize for the typos in my previous post. I realize that detracts from its credence.

Posted By Jason - Wed, Sep 16 2009 at 5:07 PM EST

Apex Predators

Wolves are opportunist. They take what they can get. Sometimes they even take for sport. And while a natural balance sounds great, it is not what wildlife managers want to see. A natural balance dictates flat wolf population and much of that is by starvation. A hungry wolf is much more likely to start depredating on livestock and pets. Plus big game populations would need to be low enough to require the cessation of most big game hunting.

It would be much better to maintain a small.... More

Posted By ali - Wed, Sep 16 2009 at 11:51 AM EST

Save the Wolves

Hunting wolves just seems wrong. What is the point of getting them off the endangered species list only to ensure that they will be back on it in years to come!

Posted By Anonymous - Wed, Sep 16 2009 at 4:58 PM EST

Hunting the wolves seems wrong.......

Well, Let's not do anything and let them get back to the population of 400,000 and then see what happens.

Posted By Anonymous - Mon, Nov 16 2009 at 12:12 PM EST

HUNTING THE WOLVES SEEMS WRONG....

Ya you no what? hunting them is wrong! I love your idea lets let them get back to the population of 400,000 that's how it was once

Posted By Team Edward - Wed, Sep 16 2009 at 11:48 AM EST

Wolves and the Twilight series

So I'm on "Team Edward," but I do love me some wolves. I'm surprised that fans from Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series haven't banded together to save the wolves ("Team Jacob" represent). Don't people know we need the wolves to save us from the bad vampires?

Posted By Anonymous - Mon, Nov 16 2009 at 12:07 PM EST

Re: Wolves and the Twilight series

Really?? Don't you think that saving wolves from extinction in a little more important then Twilight??? wolves are real right now but the way things are going, tomorrow they'll be just a memory with a lot of fur blankets. so shut your trap and go read or watch your Twilight.

Posted By amanda chick - Mon, Nov 16 2009 at 12:02 PM EST

wolf dude

i like the wolf dude way better babe

Posted By Pamela Drake - Wed, Sep 16 2009 at 11:31 AM EST

Endangered Animals

I read somewhere that when an animal is put on the endangered species list, that it actually becomes *more* valuable to poachers and is most likely to be wiped out. But the fact that gray wolves have rebounded sounds like this has been a success.

Posted By Jason - Wed, Sep 16 2009 at 12:38 PM EST

Overall the Grey Wolf is not Endangered

The overall population is very healthy in Canada and Alaska. The endangered status is based upon historical habitat and political locations, not the overall population status. Anyone that would want to poach one to have on thier trophy wall could easily just take a trip to Alaska where they are open to hunting.

Posted By Bill Johnson - Wed, Sep 16 2009 at 11:29 AM EST

Hunting of gray wolves

It's just started in Idaho and Montana...i live in Bozeman and the hunting is a bit off from where I am but the newspapers have been full of news....even people coming in from out of state to get a license.

Posted By Anonymous - Wed, Sep 16 2009 at 11:08 AM EST

Wolf Pack

Crazy story - reminds me of Alan Garner from "The Hangover" - "You guys might not know this, but I consider myself a bit of a loner. I tend to think of myself as a one-man wolf pack. But when my sister brought Doug home, I knew he was one of my own. And my wolf pack... it grew by one. So there... there were two of us in the wolf pack... I was alone first in the pack, and then Doug joined in later. And six months ago, when Doug introduced me to you guys, I thought, "Wait a second, could it be?".... More

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