Eradication aside, against all civilized and natural odds, the Grey Timber Wolf recovered in the 1980’s. It’s not clear why this species started its journey back into Wisconsin, but the increase in deer numbers may have played a part. The benefits of maintaining any predator, in a state where White-tailed deer are estimated at over 1 million, are numerous. It’s astonishing to think there are still so many that view this creature as a menacing killer, and nothing else. Granted, the goal outside of reservations was 350, and there were over 700 in 2010. But the public needs to realize the accomplishment this species overcame to make it to that number, especially considering its past. There are ecological benefits that predators (especially wolves) have on their environment as well; wolves keep grazing species in check, thereby helping vegetation growth and minimizing erosion along riverbanks, which in turn allows for smaller animals and carnivores to flourish, and river system health to increase.
As for wolves eating too many deer or only killing livestock, education would significantly help. It’s been studied that wolves kill an average of 12 deer/year/adult. Within a wolf pack there are only so many adult wolves that even hunt. There were 42 farm animals killed out of 7,000 farms in wolf territory in Wisconsin, in 2010. Moreover, according to the WI-DOT and DNR, there were well over 27,000 deer killed by motorized vehicles in Wisconsin in 2010, and hunters took at least 112,581 deer opening weekend, 2011 (WI-DOT, 2012 and WIDNR, 2012)! To incur that wolves still have such a drastic effect on deer populations, knowing this data, seems purely perverse.
To highlight the livestock dilemma, there are methods to deal with wolves near livestock that have already been implemented by willing individuals, without the use of firearms or a hunting season. Out West, cattle ranchers use electric fences and brightly colored flagging tape along fence borders to help deter wolf movements within a corral; those same ranchers also patrol their lands on a daily basis. There is a farming couple in Bayfield County who raise 650 sheep on 300 acres. They had depredation problems with wolves in the past; they use Maremma dogs that live within the herd, protecting and warding off any predators. After obtaining their third dog, there have been no fatalities from wolves in 3 years.
So, as you can see, there are ways to live with this resilient species, and even more interesting, there are several benefits to having wolves in Wisconsin.
By: Tabi Starjnski
References:
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WIDNR). 2012.
Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WI-DOT). 2012. Motor Vehicle-Deer Crashes in 2010.
06 Feb 2012.
Wisconsin Public Television. 2010. Wolves in Wisconsin. Aired on 02 Nov 2010.
4 comments:
It is really interesting the benefits of having wolves around, not just that they need to be there. The fact that they keep browsing animals in check and therefore let native vegetation grow is remarkable. Althought there are definite advantages to having wolves here, there are still some downsides that will be difficult to get the public away from. Many farmers see their livestock as their investment, and when a wild animal destroys their livestock, they see it as losing money. This can cause a lot of hard feelings towards wolves and may be hard to change their minds. It may take generations of convincing before farmers realize wolves do need to be in Wisconsin.
I also, thought it was interesting that wolves provide so many benefits. I think that this is a an issue that will become much more critical in the next decade. With a wolf hunting season pending in Minnesota, I believe that a season in Wisconsin will come soon after. The thing that stood out to me in this post, was the extremely low numbers in live stock depredation. It is interesting to me that the majority of the pressure is pushed by farmers, when in reality many farmers are not affected by wolves.
These are the realizing comments I was hoping for...especially coming from you, Lee. Education is the biggest factor when it comes to management issues, not just with wolves, but any living thing. If the public is unaware of the truth behind certain aspects, then bias runs rampant, and there is little room (or so it seems) for progress. I'm glad that at least for two people, I could help shed light on this touchy topic.
I personally have mixed feelings about wolves. My family has some land in Northern WI and we have found the Wolf population troublesome during our hunting season because they have decided to hunt mainly on our land. However I feel that wolves do have the right to an existence, and that we should learn more about how to live along with them. I understand why farmers are annoyed. Sadly I am finding that with the over harvesting of deer in the North woods having the Wolves there at this time is hard on what remains of the whitetail. I also feel with proper education and conservation of both animals everything will turn out for the best.
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