How Wolves Help Safeguard Ecosystems And What We Can Do to Protect Them

From Earth.org:

Wolves are more than just predators. They are a vital species whose presence or absence profoundly impacts the health and structure of their ecosystems.

Their predatory behaviors initiate several ecological effects, also known as trophic cascades, which maintain the balance and biodiversity of the surrounding habitats. By preying on large herbivores such as elk and deer, they help regulate the populations, which prevents overgrazing and in turn allows plant communities to thrive.

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Unlikely wolf pair sparks row in rural France

From France24.com:

A rare discovery in France of a pair of wolves, each from a distinct genetic background, has excited animal lovers demanding their protection and objections from farmers eager to protect livestock.

Environmental association Carduelis reported earlier this month it had spotted the pair of wolves, one a male German-Polish wolf — a species found mostly in western Poland and eastern Germany — and the other an Italian she-wolf, usually native to the Italian peninsula.

Many European countries have reported an increase in wolf populations, aided by a return of deer, wild boar and other forms of prey.

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Endangered apex predator found dead in Oregon, officials say: $30.5K reward offered

From Phys.org:

An endangered gray wolf was found illegally killed in Oregon, wildlife officials said.

Now, a combined reward of $30,500 is being offered to anyone who has “information that leads to an arrest, criminal conviction or civil penalty assessment,” the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service said in a March 19 news release and the Center for Biological Diversity reported.

The apex predator’s body was discovered by wildlife officers March 10 near Sisters.

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Federal officials kill Colorado reintroduced wolf after it killed sheep in Wyoming

From Coloradoan.com:

A wolf recently reintroduced in Colorado was killed by federal officials in Wyoming after depredating on sheep.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife biologists received a mortality alert for the male gray wolf GPS collar 2505-BC on March 16, the agency stated in a Thursday news release. The agency confirmed the mortality took place in north-central Wyoming.

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Spain reverses ban on hunting wolves in north

From YourAlaskaLink.com:

Spanish lawmakers on Thursday voted to end a ban on hunting wolves in the north of the country, three years after its introduction by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s minority leftist government.

Spain declared Iberian wolves living north of the Douro river a protected species in 2021, extending an existing hunting ban that was in place in the south over the objections of farmers who argued that it would lead to more attacks on their livestock.

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Retired wildlife leaders decry firings as ‘existential threat’ [United States]

From Wildlife.org:

Retired leaders of agencies that work on wildlife conservation and management fear the loss of capacity, leadership and collaborative relationships caused by the ongoing slew of mass terminations.

“What we’re seeing is the start of a trophic cascade for the conservation institution,” said John Organ, retired chief of the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Cooperative Research Unit (CRU) Program. “These cuts, which are just the beginning, are going to have impacts well beyond the federal government. It’s going to impact state fish and wildlife agencies, NGOs and ultimately, biodiversity on this continent.”

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Inside the Fight to Save the World’s Most Endangered Wolf

From GardenAndGun.com:

Every twenty-four to fifty hours, a set of coordinates pings out from each of the orange radio collars fastened around the necks of seventeen tawny-hued canines roaming the Albemarle-Pamlico Peninsula, in North Carolina. The latitudes and longitudes transmit to wildlife biologist Joe Madison’s cell phone, updating the seventeen lone dots on a map that represent the beating hearts of the only wild red wolves in existence.

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[Montana] House Fish and Game Committee hear lengthy debate on gray wolf management bills.

From HiLineToday.com:

HELENA — Tuesday’s Senate Fish and Game Committee meeting was dedicated entirely to three hours of fiery debate on two controversial gray wolf management bills from Rep. Paul Fielder, R-Thompson Falls.

House Bill 258 would extend the seven-month wolf hunting season by another three months and House Bill 259 would legalize infrared and thermal imagery for wolf hunting.

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Jackson County [Colorado] ranch cattle dog attacked by wolf, wildlife officials confirm

From Coloradoan.com:

Colorado Parks and Wildlife has confirmed a dog was attacked by a wolf or wolves in Jackson County, just more than a month after the last confirmed wolf depredation, also in Jackson County.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife said in an email to the Coloradoan on Wednesday it is not sharing information other than what is posted on its confirmed wolf depredation page.

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Illegal killing of endangered gray wolf in Sisters, Ore. prompts investigation

From Yahoo.com:

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife is seeking information that leads to finding the person responsible for illegally killing an endangered gray wolf in early March.

The offer follows several other poaching investigations that have resulted in reward offers totaling more than $130,000 for anyone who provides information leading to an arrest or citation for those involved in killing the animals across the state in the past two years.

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