In 1995, 14 wolves were released in Yellowstone National Park.
No one expected the miracle that the wolves would bring.
It started with the wolves hunting the deer, this led to a rapid decrease in the deer population. The wolves' presence also made the deer avoid parts in the park where they were and easy prey.
Thanks to the deer's absence, those parts started to regenerate. Forests of aspen and willow trees started to flourish.
That's when things really started to happen. With trees and bushes came more berries and bugs. As soon as that happened, various bird species started moving in.
With the increasing tree population, also another species was attracted. The beaver, previously extinct in the region, moved back. And the dams they built provided habitats for otters, muskrats and reptiles.
The wolves also killed coyotes, which meant more hawks, red foxes, badgers and weasels in the park. Even the population of bald eagles and ravens rose.
But here's where it gets really interesting. The wolves changed the behavior of the rivers. With more balance between predator and prey came the possibility for other species to thrive. There was less erosion because of increased vegetation. And the river banks were stabilized, the channels narrowed, more pools formed, and the rivers stayed more fixed in their courses.
So the wolves did not only transform the great ecosystem of Yellowstone, they also changed the park's physical geography.
As an #author I often assume knowledge that I should ask about. So, here's the ask: As an average person, if you saw a woman in an urban situation with a #wolf (it is a wolf but nobody is saying it is a wolf), would you assume it was a #dog?
Please boost for maximum sample size.
Feel free to comment if you have experience with telling the difference or studying #wolves.
Reading about #rewilding in the U.K. Take it from a Swede: you don't want to reintroduce #wolves. You really don't. I don't think there's a greater divide between city folks and those who have to live with the constant fear of having to mercy kill dozens of sheep etc because a wolf has gone berserk. A wolf does not kill just what it needs to eat that day. City folks have such strong opinions on something they don't have to live with. (Ps. I used to be one of those city folks, and I'm sorry for my ignorance back then.)
#Oregon will officially supply #wolves for Colorado's #reintroduction project. #Colorado has officially entered into a one-year agreement with Oregon to obtain up to 10 #GrayWolves to reintroduce to the state. The agreement removes the final barrier for Colorado's reintroduction efforts, and releases are set to start before the end of the year.
Colorado plans to capture wolves in Oregon using helicopter crews and spotter planes in December.
Great news! The reintroduction of #wolves to #Colorado will continue as planned after Friends of Animals, Colorado Parks and Wildlife and other animal advocacy groups thwarted the meat industry’s desperate last-ditch lawsuit to block the underway plan. friendsofanimals.org/foa-intervenes…
#Wyoming's wolf hunting season has been open for 12 days -- and 3 #wolves have already been shot and killed on #Yellowstone 's doorstep.
How many wolves will get caught in a hunter's crosshairs this year? Trophy hunters will be allowed to kill dozens in the hunt areas outside Yellowstone National Park.
In 2015 the first wolf entered the Netherlands. For more than a hundred years there were no wolves due to hunting them all down. But in 2019 the first cubs were born here and since then we’ve had multiple packs staying and growing.
Wildlife is rebalancing, not just other animals, but also plant life.
It’s the best thing that has happened to our local nature in the last decade.
The sky is exploding over London at the moment with the most energetic storm
I’ve seen in years and my dog is hiding under the bed. Are wolves scared of thunder? #Dogs#Wolves
The #wolves were doing okay. A couple of them were playing, but otherwise they were mostly laying low. The ones in one of our enclosure (one of whom is the one eating in the picture) are rather shy around visitors, but most of them are comfortable hanging around by the fence and people-watching.
They got fed today, mostly raw chicken and a little bit of donated dog food. They get deer carcasses (donated roadkill) in the winter time as well.
A recent article questions the sincerity of #Colorado 's commitment to #wolf recovery and #conservation. The article delves into the debate sparked by the proposed #reintroduction of wolves in Colorado. Even before the wolves have arrived, there are already plans being made for #hunting seasons, raising questions about whether Colorado is bringing back #wolves solely for the purpose of hunting.
The state of #Alaska recently killed more than 100 brown #bears, gray #wolves, and other important #carnivores — shooting them from #helicopters in a misguided attempt to boost the #Mulchatna caribou herd for hunters.
Each year the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service gives Alaska millions of dollars for state wildlife management projects. By law, that money can only go to states that have demonstrated their commitment to wildlife conservation.
The State of Idaho has recently approved an outrageous plan to pay private contractors to kill unlimited numbers of wolves through some of the most offensive methods.
Please join me in telling US Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland to protect Idaho's wolves from aerial slaughter.
Wolf Harvest Incentive Program https://mdgreenview.ab.ca/departments/agricultural-services/wolf-harvest-incentive-program/
"How do you qualify?
A wolf must be humanely harvested on or within 8 km of the agricultural area. You will be asked for a legal land location for our records."
(There are still bounties on wolves in AB, B.C. Ont. Saskatchewan, Quebec, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, N.S. has no wolves)
Wolves, thanks to years of efforts at conservation, are back and often in places they haven’t been in ages. The wolf population in Europe has surged to nearly 20,000, partly as a result of the EU Habitats Directive, a 1992 policy that set out to protect the predator and other indigenous European wildlife.
Now, conservationists face off against farmers in a familiar man-versus-nature conflict.