Wolves - Controversy Stalks the Pack
I hesitated to write this piece because it is such a controversial subject and can really take people to the brink. And I'm not one to work the soap box. However it seems that with our extensive experience among wolves, Bill and I surely have a right to say something about the present situation.
      The Gray wolf is a maligned species. Some hate while others revere the wolf. They are accused of many things: killing domestic stock, depleting game animals, and of being a danger to humans. Some want the wolf reintroduced to areas where wolves used to live while others want them pushed out and even completely eliminated. Wolves have been shot from the air, trapped in cruel leg traps, gassed, hung, tortured and starved, to name just a few methods of wolf elimination. The nursery rhyme of the big bad wolf haunts the species even today.
      Critics say the wolf’s legendary hunting skill is impacting livestock. The trophy-hunting lobby is concerned that wolves cause game numbers to drop dramatically. Supporters say the wolf normally hunts the weak and old, which ensures that future generations of deer and elk will remain strong and healthy. Anti-wolf advocates portray wolves as nothing but vicious, evil killers that leave a bloody trail of death and waste. Supporters claim that wolves kill only what they need to survive.
      Ranchers are concerned that some of their livestock will be killed by wolves. Authorities admit that some will be killed, but not in large enough numbers to make a serious financial impact. There are systems in place that compensate ranchers for animals lost to wolf predation. Still, many ranchers want wolves eliminated altogether and hunters welcome the chance to kill wolves "for sport."
      Gray wolves once populated large portions of North America, Europe, and Asia, but were hunted to near extinction, or in many places total extinction by government control programs in the 1930's. In recent years, wolf numbers have rebounded due to reintroduction and conservation efforts. As wolves are reintroduced to their traditional ranges, federal and state government agencies have joined the public controversy that has traveled all the way to the court system. It has been, and continues to be, a contentious issue.
      Bill and I spent twelve continuous months in close contact with wild wolves. Seven months living alongside a wild wolf den in the Canadian Yukon, then five months with a Mackenzie Delta pack and a pack that inhabited the northern coast of Canada. (My book, Three Among the Wolves resulted from this undertaking.) Far from being the viscous, evil killers of popular imagining, we found that wolves form loving family bonds in a world that offers them neither safety nor understanding. Living with the wolves for a year and observing three wolf families gave us a unique opportunity to observe their life, their ability to adjust to adverse conditions, their uncanny survival skills, the entire family raising pups, and the profound concern and care given an injured family member. We were fortunate to witness several hunts. We watched them throughout the year kill only for food - never casual, meaningless destruction. Even at the height of an intense hunt these were not vicious or evil animals, just animals hunting to survive.
      Many hunts ended in failure. Animals that were successfully hunted were the slowest, oldest and sometimes sick. The wolves quickly turned away from the fast, vigorous animals and instead watched for those that would give them a greater chance of success. They avoided useless expenditure of energy chasing animals that could eventually out-distance them.
      Two years earlier on another expedition, we walked and skied with the migrating western arctic caribou herd 600 miles across the Brooks Range to the calving grounds on the North Slope of Alaska. Wolves that traveled among the herd of about 400,000 animals watched for any that might drift back displaying any weakness. When a caribou dropped back the wolves dropped back with it and waited until the caribou reached a stage of fatigue and weakness that would ensure a successful kill without a long chase. Never in that 600 miles did we see a wolf attempt to take down a healthy animal. One of many interesting observations during that journey was that the healthy herd members ignored the presence of wolves in their midst. Both species walked or trotted together as if the caribou knew that they were in no danger and only the weak would eventually be hunted. Then, two years later in the Yukon, we had witnessed the same wolf hunting behavior. We have seen this same trait in many large animal predator species in Africa. Wolves are no different.
      In our year-long wolf study we were never in any danger even though our tent was located only 100 feet from the summer den and we traveled the same paths as the wolves. As the weeks passed the family grew more relaxed in our presence and accepted us as neighbors.
      The strong family bond in all three wolf families was impressive. They raised the pups together, played games together and relaxed sleeping in the sun together. When a family member was seriously injured in a hunt others licked the wound clean while others hunted and brought food home for their injured companion. It was a heartwarming experience to see the process of care and love. When not hunting they were surrounded by an atmosphere of tranquility. The hunts were tense and at times lightening fast. When a pup would forget his manners he was disciplined, but it always seemed with love.
      While living in close proximity to the wolves, we witnessed an attempted aerial wolf hunt of the summer wolf family. It was an illegal hunt and displayed human cruelty carried to extreme in the name of sport and fun. Arial hunting often doesn't end in clean kills and results in horrendous suffering before an agonizing death. The wolves are chased down in deep snow until they are exhausted and then shot. Now even helicopters are used which give the hunted wolf no chance at all. What is "sporting" about killing a defenseless creature just because you can.
      So-called elk, deer and caribou "trophy hunters" worry that wolves will eliminate game animals or greatly reduce their numbers. Elk, deer and caribou herds need predators to keep numbers in check to ensure good health of the entire herd. Traditionally wolves have been that predator. In one area of the Alaska bush where we treked, wolves had been virtually eliminated. As a result there was a heavy population of moose. While it was thrilling to see so many of these beautiful animals we soon realized that these animals were in trouble. Vegetation had been trampled and heavily grazed to the point that we wondered how the area could support so many animals. Our answer came one morning. We found a moose that had just died of starvation, judging by its thin condition. That afternoon we found another animal so weak and thin that we watched it lie down and give up. Four days later we came across a small group of four moose, each one thin and listless. We saw many strong healthy moose, but it was obvious that some were dying of starvation and possibly parasitic infestation caused by reduced food supplies and compromised immune systems. It appeared that the lack of predators had led to too many moose for the available food supply. Predators would have weeded out the old and sick, leaving the available food for the remaining healthy herd members.
      Government agencies and members of the public have spent untold hours and small fortunes inventing new ways to eliminate wolves. That time could have been spent working to understand the wolf's historical place in the environment. In the end, the fact is that the gray wolf is an important member of the animal kingdom and of the environment. They populated many large areas long before the arrival of humans. Not only do they have a right to inhabit their historic regions, but they also contribute to a healthy balance of animal life in those areas.
      As our population increases and human activities sprawl across the countryside, we invade the home grounds of many species. Most of the time we force native animals to leave without regard to their welfare. The prevailing thought is that we humans need your land and you must leave - nobody lives there anyway. We build our houses in a wolf or bear's back yard - the animals who lived there are shot!
      Children will one day inherit this earth and its wild creatures. Our increasing encounters with wild animals gives us a golden opportunity to teach our children to respect, understand and co-habitat with our wild neighbors. That would be far better than teaching children a distorted perception of wild creatures as a nuisance only to be eliminated. After a year with the wolves we returned home convinced that if humans could adopt the wolf's gentleness, family concerns, and their ability to get along with others in the group, we would all be better off.

Alpha male - This is one of the members of the pack we learned about first-hand by being there in the Yukon. Should wildlife management be for the direct economic benefit of humans or more for the enhanced preservation of species? Killing a wolf in an area where wolves are protected is illegal -- laws vary, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) typically gives hunters $1,000 to $2,000 in penalties and revokes hunting licenses for three to five years. The federal government can send hunters to jail and fine them as much as $100,000 for illegally shooting a wolf. The only time it's acceptable to shoot a wolf in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, states where wolves have had to undergo reintroduction, is when a wolf attacks a person or threatens livestock. An typical all-inclusive wolf hunt with guide costs $3,100 per hunter. Wolf Hunting - 16th century Florentine tapestry. The European grey wolf (Canis lupus lupus) was a popular quarry in Europe of the Middle Ages. Under normal circumstances, wild wolves are generally timid around humans. Wolves usually try to avoid contact with people, to the point of even abandoning their kills when an approaching human is detected. Compared to other carnivorous mammals known to attack humans in general, the frequency with which wolves have been recorded to kill or prey on people is much lower, indicating that though potentially dangerous, wolves are among the least threatening for their size and predatory potential. Wolves are practical yet loving parents Wolves howl to assemble the pack (usually before and after hunts), to pass on an alarm (particularly at a den site), to locate each other during a storm or unfamiliar territory and to communicate across great distances Photo Retron - Wikipedia