From Tri-County News:
New research from the University of Minnesota’s Voyageurs Wolf Project found that human activities in northern Minnesota –
logging, road and trail creation, and infrastructure development – have profoundly impacted where wolves hunt and kill deer fawns. By altering forest ecosystems, humans have created an environment that possibly favors the predators.
This research, recently published in Ecological Applications, is a collaboration between the University of Minnesota, Northern Michigan University, the University of Manitoba, Voyageurs National Park, and the Voyageurs Wolf Project. The Voyageurs Wolf Project is funded, in part, by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative–Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).
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Suspected wolf pack sighting in NV turns out to be coyotes
From Nevada Current:
Wildlife managers in Nevada confirmed Monday that a possible wolf pack sighting north of Elko months earlier was, in fact, a pack of coyotes.
The Nevada Department of Wildlife reported the possible wolf pack sighting in March, prompting state biologists to collect DNA from two scats and hair samples nearby to confirm whether or not the pack sighted were indeed wolves.
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Red wolf raised at Washington state sanctuary joins wild pack, sires 8 pups
From KUOW:
An endangered American red wolf born and raised in a Washington state sanctuary and released into the wild earlier this year in North Carolina has fathered a litter of eight pups, doubling the size of his adopted pack.
The wolf, known as M2191, but nicknamed “Finch” among the staff at Wolf Haven International, is only the second red wolf released into the wild by the wolf sanctuary and education center located on 80 acres south of Olympia, Washington.
American red wolves remain one of the most endangered species in North America. The North Carolina population, which includes around 20 wolves, is the world’s only wild population.
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Idaho’s wolf killings decline as board advances private contracts
From Boise State Public Radio:
The number of wolves killed in Idaho this past year is down. Katie Oelrich with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game told members of the Wolf Depredation Control Board Thursday that 389 wolves have been killed in the state since last July.
“This includes hunting, trapping, Wildlife Services removals, roadkill and all the other things that we get brought into us or we’re notified of,” she said.
The total number of wolves killed is about 10% lower than last year and 20% lower than the past three years.
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Humans have substantially altered the relationship between wolves and deer
From Tri-County News:
New research from the University of Minnesota’s Voyageurs Wolf Project found that human activities in northern Minnesota –
logging, road and trail creation, and infrastructure development – have profoundly impacted where wolves hunt and kill deer fawns. By altering forest ecosystems, humans have created an environment that possibly favors the predators.
This research, recently published in Ecological Applications, is a collaboration between the University of Minnesota, Northern Michigan University, the University of Manitoba, Voyageurs National Park, and the Voyageurs Wolf Project. The Voyageurs Wolf Project is funded, in part, by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative–Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).
Click here for the full story.
Wisconsin judge dismisses lawsuit challenging state’s new wolf management plan
Outdoor News:
A lawsuit filed by animal welfare advocates seeking to invalidate Wisconsin’s new wolf management plan was dismissed by a judge on Monday.
Dane County Circuit Judge Stephen Ehlke threw out the case that accused Wisconsin wildlife officials of violating the state’s open meetings law and disregarding comments from wolf researchers and supporters, reflecting how contentious the debate over wolf management has become in the state.
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Great Lakes Wildlife Alliance, Friends of the Wisconsin Wolf: Strongly oppose the dismissal of the lawsuit
From WisPolitics:
Madison, WI – The Great Lakes Wildlife Alliance and Friends of the Wisconsin Wolf are strongly opposing the dismissal of the lawsuit against the state of Wisconsin, the Natural Resources Board, and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. According to them, this decision is dangerous and sets a bad precedent, which puts the well-being and constitutional rights of Wisconsinites at risk. It also threatens the credibility of scientists and their research at the University, if their work conflicts with the interests of extractive special interests.
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Arizona Game and Fish celebrates 100th Mexican wolf pup fostered into the wild
From Arizona’s Family:
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Wildlife biologists are celebrating a huge milestone in the Southwest!
Arizona Game and Fish, alongside New Mexico and U.S. wildlife services, fostered the 100th Mexican wolf pup into the wild. The pup and two siblings were fostered from Living Desert Zoo & Gardens State Park in Carlsbad, New Mexico into a wild den in Arizona on April 25.
This marks the ninth year of Mexican wolf fostering in the nation. Fostering is a method used by the Mexican Wolf Interagency Field Team to increase genetic diversity in the wild Mexican wolf population.
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WILDLIFE Wildlife Wednesday: does Canada need to cull wolves to save ‘baby reindeer’?
From Canadian Geographic:
Caribou populations in Alberta and British Columbia have been dwindling since 1991, but a new study has found a way to start bringing them back.
For years, conservationists have been experimenting with different ways of increasing caribou populations. Then, by comparing different methods that have been tried in isolation, scientists can analyze specific caribou populations to determine which strategies are most effective.
Unfortunately for wolves, the report suggests that the only effective way of increasing caribou populations was by killing predatory wolves, presenting conservationists with a catch-22.
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Wisconsin judge dismisses lawsuit challenging state’s new wolf management plan
From WQOW News 18:
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A lawsuit filed by animal welfare advocates seeking to invalidate Wisconsin’s new wolf management plan was dismissed by a judge on Monday.
Dane County Circuit Judge Stephen Ehlke threw out the case that accused Wisconsin wildlife officials of violating the state’s open meetings law and disregarding comments from wolf researchers and supporters, reflecting how contentious the debate over wolf management has become in the state.
Click here for the full story.
Exploring the world of wolves at the International Wolf Center
From WDIO:
Interpretive Center Director Krista Woerheide says, “It’s sort of this symbol of the wilderness. You don’t see them super often, you know they’re out there. And I love that part of it.”
Woerheide says the center gets visitors from around the world. And they all leave learning more about wolves.
“a lot of people have this misconception that they’re howling at the moon,” she says, “Probably not, they are howling to talk to each other. So they might be howling to wolves in their pack or they might be howling to wolves out side of their pack. But either way they are just talking.”
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