Bills on bears, wolves near passage in Montana Legislature

From the Montana Standard:

Montana Republican lawmakers used their majorities Tuesday to push several high-profile wildlife bills to the brink of passage in the Legislature.

Lawmakers advanced bills allowing the use of hounds to hunt black bears, directing wildlife managers to reduce wolf populations and restricting the state’s response in relocating grizzly bears. The bills, which passed largely along party lines with majority Republicans backing, face a final vote Wednesday to head to the desk of Gov. Greg Gianforte.

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First collar video from wild Minnesota wolf shows fishing skills, adaptability

From the Star Tribune in Minnesota:

How exactly do lone wolves spend warm spring days, when food is plentiful and there are no pups to look after?

For generations, researchers have struggled to follow the elusive predators after the snow melts, when the animals split away from their packs to wander or to hunker down in the thick undergrowth of the northern Minnesota woods.

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Montana Gov. Gianforte signs bills allowing wolf snaring, extended seasons

From the Helena Independent Record:

Gov. Greg Gianforte on Friday signed bills allowing snares to be used for the trapping of wolves and lengthening Montana’s trapping seasons.

House Bill 224 and House Bill 225, brought by Rep. Paul Fielder, R-Thompson Falls, are two of multiple high-profile bills dealing with wolves and trapping that have seen significant debate this session. SB 224 adds snares to the list of legal traps for wolves; previously only foothold traps were allowed. HB 225 extends wolf trapping seasons by two weeks earlier and two weeks later. Unless adjusted by the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission, the season will start the first Monday after Thanksgiving and run until March 15.

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“A touching, amazing moment”: Wolf sighted in Helsinki and Espoo

From yle.fi in Finland:

Helsinki Police said on Saturday that they had received reports of a possible wolf in Helsinki’s western Pitäjänmäki district, near the Tali golf course, and in the nearby Pajamäki area (see video above).

Officials warned members of the public not to approach the animal, but to report sightings to the emergency phone number, 112.

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Moffat County continues push against wolves, no plans to join Rio Blanco in ’sanctuary’ stance

From The Craig Daily Press in Colorado:

Following a call to join Rio Blanco’s Wolf Reintroduction Sanctuary stance, Moffat County commissioners stated that while they remain steadfast in the opposition of wolves, they will not be joining in on Rio Blanco’s resolution, instead focusing their efforts on requesting a local governmental role in the planning process.

Rio Blanco’s resolution stated the county would allow for the natural migration and repopulation of Gray Wolves, but would not allow for artificially introduced wolves, further stating that “designated lands” for artificial reintroduction must not include Rio Blanco County or any other county in the state that adopts the Sanctuary County Resolution.

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Shift in diet allowed gray wolves to survive ice-age extinction

From Eurekalert.org:

April 12, 2021 – Gray wolves are among the largest predators to have survived the extinction at the end of the last ice age around11,700 years ago. Today, they can be found roaming Yukon’s boreal forest and tundra, with caribou and moose as their main sources of food.

A new study led by the Canadian Museum of Nature shows that wolves may have survived by adapting their diet over thousands of years—from a primary reliance on horses during the Pleistocene, to caribou and moose today. The results are published in the journal Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology.

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WDFW head sees need for quicker call on wolf removal

From the Capital Press:

Washington Fish and Wildlife Director Kelly Susewind said Wednesday the department will try to decide more quickly whether to kill wolves once packs have met thresholds for lethal control.

As in the past, Fish and Wildlife will remove wolves as a last resort, Susewind told the department’s Wolf Advisory Group. Delays making the decision, however, “limit the value” of lethal control, he said.

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The Return of the Polish Wolf

From TOL.org:

Nearly eradicated decades ago, the wolf is today an emblem of successful human-predator coexistence in Poland.

The wolf automatically arouses fear. No other animal evokes so many emotions. At the same time, as ultimate predators, wolves are an indispensable part of the Polish ecosystem.

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Gray wolf detected in SLO County (California). It may be first Central Coast sighting in nearly 200 years

From The Tribune in San Luis Obispo, California:

In a historic journey, a lone gray wolf from Oregon has traveled into San Luis Obispo County in search of a new mate or new pack, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

It’s likely the first time in nearly 200 years that a gray wolf, which is an endangered species protected under state law, has been known to be in the Central Coast region.

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Biden administration mum so far on returning gray wolves to endangered species list

From MichiganAdvance.com:

A controversial decision in the last months of the Trump administration to remove gray wolves from the endangered species list led to a massive overhunt in Wisconsin this year that Ojibwe tribal representatives said disrespected their wishes.

But there’s no indication yet that the Biden administration will attempt to roll back that move, despite an order the day President Joe Biden took office that departments across the government  review decisions from the previous four years that were “damaging to the environment, unsupported by the best available science, or otherwise not in the national interest.” The order specifically cited the gray wolf delisting as one to reconsider.

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