Tiffany Anderson Salem Hills High School Nebo School District misstiff2468@gmail.com The New Predator Imagine this... You are a rancher in Montana. Almost every day you go for a horse ride to check on your cattle. But one day when you are out on your daily ride you find one of your Angus calves lying on the ground with its insides hanging out. You start looking around and see a wolf standing 100 yards away. You call the Wildlife Services and the officer tells you that you are not qualified to determine if it was a wolf or a coyote. This may not have actually happened to you, but this did happen to Justin O’Hair, a rancher near Livingston. Through out the years ranchers in the intermountain west and their livestock have had many predators to worry about. I believe that one of today’s main predators is the Canadian Gray Wolf. Around 30 years ago government employees began to make efforts to transport wolves into intermountain west, and around 10 years later they succeeded, in January 1995 14 wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park. Environmentalists and government employees made sure the wolves were put on the endangered species list in all states around Idaho so they could build up their packs. A group of wildlife agencies, 3 federal agencies, livestock raisers, and “environmental” groups got together to make a plan. “… The plan said that when there were 30 breeding pairs and 300 wolves for three consecutive years in Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho, the wolves would be removed from the endangered species list, allowing management to take place.” In 2002 they reached 30 pairs and 300 wolves, but they were not delisted until 2008. The definition of an endangered species is: “a species present in such small numbers that it is threatened with extinction.” When the wolves were delisted in 2008 there was over 5x the amount of their management plan. That is 1,500 wolves and 100 breeding pairs. That is a lot of wolves to be put on the endangered species list, especially when a pack gets one litter a year, which is an additional 5 pups at least. When they put wolves on the endangered species list it made it easier for them to expand throughout that mountainous terrain. When you put an animal on the endangered species list that is not actually endangered it poses a problem. The problem is that a predator species could over populate. Over population of the wolf would not only pose a problem for the deer and elk population in that area, but for ranchers and their livestock as well. Ted B. Lyon said, “As my father once said when the ordinarily law-abiding citizens have to break the law (to defend their livestock and protect their ways of life) it’s a bad law.” Many species of wildlife have been affected by wolves. In Idaho calf elk survival went from 70-89% to 30-52%. In Gallatin Canyon the elk herd dropped from 1,048 head to 338 head. The Madison Fire Hole herd went from 700 to 108 in 2008, the year they were removed from the endangered species list. We must realize that there are many predators in the area, but the wolves have to be playing some part in order for them to drop so dramatically. Wolves can travel very far, very quickly, which makes it easy for them to expand throughout the mountainous terrain. Wolves can run up to 35 miles per hour in short bursts, or trot long distances at 5 miles per hour. They can travel up to 30 miles per day. Wolf packs can range from 2 to 36 wolves per pack, and it is not like there are only a few packs. In 2012 wolf packs rose to 12% and there were 321 confirmed wolf packs in the
intermountain west. Packs ranged from North-West Wyoming up through Western Montana, over to Eastern Washington, down to Northern Oregon, and through most of Idaho. In 2013 there were 73 wolves killed in Idaho due to livestock depredation, 108 killed in Montana, 43 killed in Wyoming, and 7 in Washington. I believe that when the wolves have ran down the elk and deer population they will start coming at livestock harder than they are now. This will give many farmers and ranchers a hard time to produce their livestock not only because the calves won’t stand a chance, but because wolves won’t stop at one animal, they will take many as they come through the herd. Many people are uneducated about the wolf, and believe that they are amazing, majestic animals that are just as scared of us as we are of them. This may have been true a long time ago, but recent encounters say this is no longer the case. Dr. Valerius Geist tells Ted B. Lyon of his neighbors encounter with a wolf that was attacking his cattle. Geist’s neighbor said that one day he saw a wolf attacking one of his heifers and her calf. He ran out to get the calf and says the wolf ran along beside him lunging at the calf until he got to the barn. In 2011 30 wolves were killed by hunters in/near Pierce, Idaho. The 30th wolf killed was killed by Rene Anderson a hunter that was trying to call in an elk, but actually ended up calling in a wolf. When she shot it, the wolf was 10 yards away. This is another encounter that shows that wolves are no longer scared of humans. Everyone can argue back and forth about whether or not wolves good or bad. There are many different claims for each side of this issue. And I think that people forget to look at both sides of the argument. Environmentalists argue that they are good for the environment, and that they are amazing, majestic animals, but I don’t think that they look at the other side of it. And I believe that the hunters and farmers don’t look at the other side either. The truth is that wolves and amazing animals and there is a place somehow in the environment for them. But if you protect them they will overtake other necessary species for the environment. You have to look at the facts that are important for everyone and everything. I believe that wolves have their place in this world, but it is not on the endangered species list. Wolves need to be properly managed so that elk and livestock can keep up their population.
Work Cited: Thomas, Heather Smith. "Not A Fairy Tale Book." Western Cowman Jan. 2014: 14-18. Print. Samuel, Dr. Dave. "Will Wolves Ever Become Unendangered?" Predator Xtreme Apr. 2012: 4650. Print. Staff, Bugle. "Hunters and Trappers Rein in Wolf Numbers." BUGLE July-Aug. 2013: 87-90. Print. Staff, Bugle. "Wolf Management: One State Gains Control, Two Still Seek It." BUGLE Nov.Dec. 2012: 115-17. Print. "Lead Dog." Predator Xtrme Dec. 2011: 10-12. Print.