WSB: Breeding wolves vulnerable to wolf harvest
From Wildlife.org:
The legal wolf harvest in Idaho disproportionately affects breeding individuals—males and females that lead packs—during the breeding season.
Previous research reveals that removing these individuals from packs can hinder population growth.
“Those breeders are more vulnerable during the breeding season—they have breeding on the mind,” said Peter Rebholz, a research biologist at the University of Idaho.
In a study published recently in Wildlife Society Bulletin, Rebholz and his colleagues identified breeders from tissue samples from wolves harvested in Idaho. Then, they determined what proportion of the harvested wolves were breeders and what season they were harvested in.
