Steph Tank
11/3/11
The gray wolf is back in the Wisconsin ecosystem once again. It has been quite confusing over the last few years on whether or not the wolves were on the endangered species list or off. It seemed every few months the decision changed. But in 2004 the state of Wisconsin listed them as a protected wild animal, and Federal agencies are currently in the process of delisting the wolves again.
The wolves returned to Wisconsin from Minnesota on their own in the 1970s, and because of the Endangered Species Act, the gray wolf population has continued to grow. Currently in Wisconsin there is a minimum count of 782 wolves, with 202 packs. Most of these wolves are found in the northern part of the state (WIDNR). I live in the northern part of the state and can say that there are definitely more wolves around. One day last year I saw three different wolves while hunting, and had more show up on deer cameras. Have you had this experience also?
The Wisconsin DNR does employ a management program to handle problem animals, mostly those that acquire a taste for livestock. Just in 2010 alone there was 204,000 dollars in wolf damages (WIDNR). The DNR either relocates the animal(s) or will kill them. I haven’t had any problems with wolves, but maybe you have. Wolves can be quite a nuisance for farmers. In some instances I believe that farmers should have the right to kill a problem wolf on their property if they can somehow prove it was a problem wolf to begin with and not one just passing though. But that can cause issues with farmers shooting all wolves on their property. How do you draw that line? The wolves are getting bolder as there population rises, not just with attacking livestock and hunting dogs, but with people too. A couple of years ago in my hometown the school buses were picking up the kids to go to school for the day. The driver picked up a little girl that entered the bus crying. The bus driver asked the girl what was wrong, and she replied that there was a wolf staring at her. The bus driver looked out the window and sure enough there was the wolf, just at the edge of the woods by the road. That’s a scary thought. So the wolves in Wisconsin definitely need to be managed before something more serious happens.
Even though it seems that having gray wolves return to Wisconsin is bad news, I believe they are good for the ecosystem. And contrary to many hunters belief, the wolves are not eating every trophy buck in the state. Wolves help cull the heard of the weak, the sick and the dying, producing a healthier herd. I look at it this way. Each wolf kills 18-20 deer per year (WIDNR). With Wisconsin’s current wolf population, that’s about 14,000 to 15,600 deer each year. Keep in mind; deer are a major food source for them. There are approximately 45,000 deer killed annually by car accidents alone, and Wisconsin hunters in 2010 killed approximately 142,000 deer (WIDNR). The number of deer killed by wolves seems small in comparison. And just think, venison is probably not your main food source if you are a hunter, beef and chicken probably are. Keep that in mind the next time you see a wolf.
So the gray wolf population in Wisconsin does need to be continually managed, but they are just trying to survive just like every other species on the planet. They occupied Wisconsin before and now they returned to claim it again.
Reference: http://dnr.wi.gov/
3 comments:
Wolves have and forever will be a conservation and political issue. For instance, while visiting Northern Yellowstone I met some locals who immediately asked my opinion about the wolf population and the detrimental effects they are having upon their livestock. Tricky question to answer while in a bar discussing to multiple people whose grandfathers helped eradicate the wolf population in the early 1900’s. However, it is my belief that wolves are an excellent predator to our ecosystem. They not only help balance the ecosystem with mesopredator control, but like you mentioned, prey on weak, sick and dying deer, generating a healthier deer herd. Furthermore, too many of any species is not good politically, economically, or ecologically. Therefore, we need to manage are wolf population like we manage all of our other wildlife populations.
Ross
A continuing and expanding issue! Easy to give a view when you aren't affected. But I live in central Adams Co. and saw a wolf just north of my home; my thoughts may be changing.
Wolves certainly have a right to be here, and we have to respect that. Personally, I have never encountered a wolf in the wild. I agree that farmers should have the ability to shoot wolves, but at the same time people that live in northern areas need to learn to live around the wolves.
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