Wolves Are A Protected Species On The Endangered Species Essay

For a number of years the wolves were not missed by most people, the ranchers and farmers were happy to have the pests gone. Coyotes,

One of the biggest reasons for the reintroduction of wolves back into Yellowstone was that they had originally roamed from Yellowstone all the way down to Mexico. While a lot of people were in favor of the reintroduction of the wolves, there were many who were against it. The main people who were against the reintroduction of the wolves back into the park were the ranchers who made a living in the areas surrounding the park.

The biggest impact the reintroduction of wolves would make is that they control the population of large mammals such as elk. Without wolves in an ecosystem coyotes step into the role of the biggest predator. However coyotes are almost 2.5 times smaller than an average wolf so they are not big enough to kill much of the elk. The elk population then increases rapidly and hurts the ecosystem. Wolves also help reduce the spreading of disease by hunting on the elk that have been injured or have diseases. It gives the wolves a better chance of taking down the large animal and prevents

Over the past several years, the gray wolf, native to the Wisconsin area, has been listed federally as an endangered species due to the graphic and horrific treatment they had received during the industrialization periods of America, when they were frowned upon and hated because they are predatory creatures and did, on occasion, attack livestock and pets. Because the government was encouraging the hunting, including bounties for the animals, the wolves were hunted to near extinction. However, now Wisconsin faces a new problem. With the reintroduction of the wolves to the state, and their continued endangered status federally, the population has increased well beyond expectations, reaching what could be considered a problematic state. A

In “Scared to Death” by Ed Yong and Sharon Levy’s “Wolf Family Values,” we read about the need to protect the population of wolves in North America. These two articles have very different ways to go about this. Ed Yong talks about the wolf effects on elk as well as the rest of the environment. Levy’s approach is about wolf social structure and how it is impacted by hunting. Both of these make some valid points on why more conservation efforts should be made; however, I believe Ed Yong made the stronger case.

-1926 marked the last few wolves being killed however, wolf sightings still occurred occasionally. Scientist stated that even though few wolves may exist populations would not be sustainable.

While researching the gray wolf, I found out that it is actually a very touchy subject in Michigan. The hunting of Gray Wolves has been a very controversial topic. Gray wolves are native to Michigan but were nearly wiped out in the 19th and early 20th centuries by hunting and state-sanctioned bounties. In 1973, when Congress created the federal endangered species list, only six wolves were known to still exist in the Michigan wild, and gray wolves were considered an endangered species. By 2007, the wolf population in the Upper Peninsula topped 500 -- far exceeding the recovery benchmark of 100 set by the federal government, making the Great Lakes gray wolf one of the most successful recovery stories in the history of the endangered species list. The gray wolf actually came off the endangered species list in 2012, but as of December 2014, has been relisted.

California's gray wolf was hunted in the 1920s by settlers who killed them off in order to protect stock raising and use their coats. In 1924, California's gray wolf population went extinct and in 1973, the species was listed as endangered. However, even though there were no wolves known to be in California, last year the authorities added

During the third Gray Wolf hunting season in Minnesota there was a total of 272 wolves killed and this was 22 more than the initial target amount (Kraker, Dan, 2014, December 19). There was a total of over 1,500 wolves that were killed since the authorized Minnesota and Wisconsin hunting season in 2011 (Lovvorn, Jonathan (as cited in Kraker, Dan, 2014, December 19). As of December 19, 2014 Minnesotans cannot legally kill a wolf unless it is in self-defense or a threat to a human life. Because of this new law wolves are protected in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Wolves that reside in Minnesota are under the management of the Endangered Species Act, which is allowing these wolves to replenish in Minnesota. (Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, 2015) The Endangered Species Act has helped the wolf population over the years and will continue to help them become abundant again.

Wolves are keystone species because of how they influence their prey and how their prey, in turn, influence the plants and animal species that fall under them. An example of this influence is in 1925 when the gray wolf population disappeared from the Yellowstone National Park environment. They were hunted and eradicated all throughout the United States. Wolves during the 1800s were hunted because of how they threatened the livestock of settlers in certain regions. This was a term known as predator control. Predator control is essentially when the government or some

Long before the settlers started to make the United States their home, “American Indians lived long beside the Gray Wolf before settlers started to come here.” (Rowe, Mark) The wolf is native to the North American continent and has been inhabiting its land for centuries. It is a canid species, or member of the canine family and is a cunning, smart, fast, and sly animal. Gray wolves range in color from black, brown, gray, and white and also look like a grown German Shepherd. They are well known for traveling in family sizes from 7-9 wolves, led by the alpha male and have a mate. They are a fierce animal that has been researched extensively because of their unique qualities and that they are near extinction.

The gray wolf packs continue to be rarely seen in North Dakota. We can’t count how many packs there is today because there is only an exiguous amount left. Gray wolves remain threatened in North Dakota in addition to some of endangered in other areas of the United States of America. Clearly, ranchers are one of the primary reasons that gray wolves stay threatened. They are killing gray wolves for the reason that the wolves are killing off their livestock. Another reason why the gray wolves remain vulnerable is because the poachers set traps to kill the gray wolves. Gray wolves keep the ecosystem healthy by keeping the elk and deer population intact. However, some hunters could see this as not helping them so they would want to kill wolves.

Wolves were first banned in the early decades of the 1900s, and since then the elk population has been testing their limits with their boundries, and where their supossed to go. they have been using the

The wolves' habit of hunting in packs has resulted in the development of complex patterns of social behavior. Wolves are gregarious: they not only hunt in packs or groups but live most of their lives with other wolves. Studies in Alaska, Minnesota, Michigan , and parts of Canada show that a family made up of male, female, and pups is the basic pack unit. Other adults are pups of previous years or, more rarely, adults from other packs. Adolescent

After years of selective breeding and taming, the hunters finally came across some wolves that were able to listen to commands and do what they were ordered to do. These wolves did not look like the first ones with which humans came into contact. Their size, coloring, senses and even the length of their coat or swimming ability reflected the environment in which they lived. These environments could have ranged from anything since hunters do not stay in one place for very long. These wolves probably did not reflect their gray ancestors much anymore. The color of their coat could have become brown, black, or even yellow depending on where they were taken. Their size could have been affected, too, depending on how the hunters had used them- they could have shrunken to the size