Effects of wolf reintroduction on Isle Royale are fleeting, impacted by humans

From The Daily Cardinal:

University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers found in May 2024 the effects of wolf reintroduction on Isle Royale to be temporary and particularly impacted by human recreation, despite being one of the least visited National Parks.

Mauriel Rodriguez Curras and UW-Madison ecology professor Jonathan Pauli collected DNA from foxes’ and martens’ scat and hair to investigate spatial, dietary and behavioral habits before wolves were introduced, within the first year of introduction and as packs coalesced on the island.

 

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Systematic monitoring: Gray wolf autopsy findings since the species’ comeback to Germany

From Phys.org:

At the turn of the millennium, gray wolves returned to Germany after 150 years and subsequently established territories in many parts of the country. But coexistence harbors challenges—for both humans and animals. Since 2006, almost all gray wolves found dead in Germany have been examined at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) in order to assess their health status and determine the cause(s) of death.

 

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Colorado’s July wolf activity map includes update on hazing rumors, wolf pups

From the Aspen Times:

Colorado’s collared wolves largely remained in Routt, Grand, Summit, and Jackson counties and somewhat withdrew from some areas like Eagle County over the past month, according to a map released by CPW on Wednesday.

The map, posted on the agency’s website, uses Colorado watershed boundaries to indicate where wolves have been detected and reflects movements from June 25 through July 23. It is updated on the fourth Wednesday of every month. State officials have released the maps monthly since January after reintroducing 10 wolves in Grand and Summit counties in December.

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‘Endangered’ status to remain in effect for Washington wolves

From Idaho Capital Sun,

A sharply-divided state panel on Friday retained strict protections for gray wolves in Washington, concluding their status under the state’s endangered species law should not change despite signs of a growing population.

In a pair of 5-4 votes, the Washington State Fish and Wildlife Commission rejected downlisting wolves from “endangered” to either “threatened” or “sensitive,” moves that would have led to lower penalties for poaching and slightly easier access to permits to kill wolves that attack livestock.

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In Europe, the wolf is back. Not everyone is happy about it

From israelhayom.com:

The gray wolf (Canis lupus) population in the European Union has rebounded to around 20,300 individuals across 23-24 countries as of 2023.

This was not always the case. Gray wolves were threatened, and extinct from western and central Europe before the species was protected under the Bern Convention in the 1970s.

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Colorado wolves: Pup spotted, depredations becoming less frequent

From Fox21:

DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado Parks and Wildlife commissioners met Friday to discuss several aspects of wildlife management in Colorado, including its voter-mandated reintroduced wolf program.

Reid DeWalt, assistant director of Aquatics, Terrestrial, and Natural Resources for CPW, told the commissioners that CPW staff made it to the den, in a remote, difficult-to-access area. DeWalt said biologists spotted one pup but still monitoring the den and rendezvous site for evidence of how many wolf pups may have been born.

 

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Yellowstone superintendent seeks hunting relief for wolves after another deadly winter

From Cap City News:

The 2023-24 winter proved the third deadliest for Yellowstone wolves in the decades since Canis lupus was reintroduced to the landscape in 1995. Overall, 13 wolves were shot by legal hunters, caught by trappers, killed by poachers or died of suspected hunting-related injuries.

Like in past winters, the vast majority of wolves that met their fate after straying beyond the protections of Yellowstone National Park did so in Montana, near the park’s northern boundary. Eight wolves were legally hunted or trapped in Montana hunting zones, one was poached and two more died from suspected gunshot wounds. By contrast, one park wolf died each in Wyoming and Idaho hunts.

 

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Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission issues cougar and wolf decisions

From Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission:

OLYMPIA — The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission met virtually on July 19 to discuss several carnivore topics including proposed changes to cougar hunting seasons and the state listing status of gray wolves.

First, the Commission delegated a rule making petition to establish a spring black bear depredation permit season to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) director. The director will review the merits of the petition and decide whether to accept the petition to initiate rule making.

 

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Colorado Parks and Wildlife updates rules to allow ranchers to kill wolves that are attacking ‘working dogs’

From The Aspen Times:

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) has updated its rules to allow ranchers to kill wolves that are actively attacking “working dogs.”

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service late last year finalized a document, known as the 10(j) rule, that outlined when wolves could be killed in Colorado and paved the way for the species to be re-introduced in the state.

Months after the release of 10 wolves in the state, the CPW Commission voted unanimously on Friday to update state regulations to reflect the 10(j) rule’s language regarding “working dogs.”

 

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Groups sue to restore endangered species protection for northern Rockies wolves | OUT WEST ROUNDUP

From Colorado Politics:

CHEYENNE — Six conservation groups have filed a lawsuit challenging a recent federal government decision not to protect wolves in the northern U.S. Rocky Mountain region under the Endangered Species Act, arguing that states are exercising too much leeway to keep the predators’ numbers to a minimum.

The groups sued the U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the directors of those agencies July 2 in U.S. District Court in Missoula, Montana.

 

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