From The New York Times:
HELENA, Mont. — In addition to its spectacular landscape of mountains, rivers and prairie, Montana, the third least populous state in the country, has long been known for something else — wildlife policies that have protected animals of all sorts, including ones like grizzly bears and gray wolves that are often seen as threats to humans and to farming and ranching.
The state’s abundance and variety of wildlife has been a selling point for tourism, a source of pride to many Montanans and something that has set it apart from its less ecologically minded neighbors in the Mountain West. Even as its neighboring states of Idaho and Wyoming have aggressively reduced their wolf population, for example, Montana has managed its numbers largely through hunting seasons and targeted lethal control actions by wildlife biologists.
Click here for the full story.
East Meets West: Little Red Riding Hood Versus Japan’s Okuri-Inu
From ancient-origins.net:
Throughout history the dark of the night has always brought fear. The quiet forests, roads or paths were a place where imagination would run wild as to what goes bump in the night. In the West, Little Red Riding Hood was the story created to warn travelers about what could be prowling in these desolate and unprotected places. In Japan, the wood walker’s wolf companion came in the form of the Okuri-Inu.
Click here for the full story.
Wisconsin: With The Wolf Delisted, Farmers And Landowners Are Taking Steps To Remove Problem Wolves
From Wisconsin Public Radio:
Now that most gray wolves are delisted, some Wisconsin landowners and farmers are seeking to resolve conflicts by killing wolves on their property.
The Trump administration removed the wolf from the endangered species list in early January after announcing its intention to delist the animal last fall. When federal protections existed, federal and state wildlife managers were limited to using nonlethal measures to manage problem wolves that preyed on livestock or pets.
Click here for the full story.
British Columbia: South Islanders calling for pause on wolf hunting as pack sightings drop
From the Cowichan Valley Citizen in British Columbia:
Some Vancouver Island officials are calling for a moratorium on wolf hunting after claims an entire wolf pack was killed in the Sooke area by a trophy hunter.
There’s no confirmation by wildlife officials the pack was killed. Still, naturalist Gary Schroyen, who’s monitored and photographed the pack for several years, hasn’t seen the wolves for several weeks, Sam Webb, president of Wild Wise Sooke, said.
Click here for the full story.
Colorado: Montezuma County commissioners assert opposition to wolves
From The Journal in Cortez, Colorado:
The Montezuma County Board of County Commissioners continues to oppose gray wolf reintroduction into the Western Slope, a plan narrowly approved by Colorado voters in November.
Commissioners passed a resolution March 23 titled “Making Montezuma County A Sanctuary From Wolf Reintroduction.”
Click here for the full story.
British Columbia: Hunter denies claims she killed wolf pack in
From the Times Colonist:
A Victoria area hunter with an international reputation for trophy hunting is disputing claims that she wiped out an entire wolf pack in the Sooke area.
Sam Webb, president of Wild Wise Society, said it’s not confirmed, but the pack of about seven animals is believed to be dead because a naturalist who has been monitoring the pack for years using cameras on game trails hasn’t captured video of them in several weeks.
Click here for the full story.
Wisconsin DNR Continues Partnership With USDA To Manage Wolf Conflicts
From the Antigo Times in Wisconsin:
MADISON, Wis. – With the recent delisting of wolves from the federal endangered species list, some livestock farmers and pet owners are wondering how this change affects Wisconsin’s wolf conflict program. While the delisting has prompted some changes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services (USDA-Wildlife Services) remains the first point of contact for reporting all wolf conflict incidents.
For livestock and pet owners dealing with a potential wolf-involved conflict, swift reporting to USDA-Wildlife Services remains critical for the collection of evidence and the timely implementation of conflict resolution options. Verification of any wolf-involved conflict is still required for reimbursement of damages or loss.
Click here for the full story.
Beware the return of the Iberian wolf, say Spain’s farmers
From BBC.com:
“This is where it happened,” says Felipe Luis Codesal, opening the gate to a three-hectare field on his farm in Zamora, north-west Spain.
One night last November, a pack of wolves got through the fence surrounding the field and attacked Mr Codesal’s sheep, many of which were pregnant. When he arrived the next morning, he found 11 animals had been killed. Over the following days, he says, another 36 sheep died from injuries sustained in that attack and miscarriages it triggered.
Click here for the full story.
In Montana, Bears and Wolves Become Part of the Culture Wars
From The New York Times:
HELENA, Mont. — In addition to its spectacular landscape of mountains, rivers and prairie, Montana, the third least populous state in the country, has long been known for something else — wildlife policies that have protected animals of all sorts, including ones like grizzly bears and gray wolves that are often seen as threats to humans and to farming and ranching.
The state’s abundance and variety of wildlife has been a selling point for tourism, a source of pride to many Montanans and something that has set it apart from its less ecologically minded neighbors in the Mountain West. Even as its neighboring states of Idaho and Wyoming have aggressively reduced their wolf population, for example, Montana has managed its numbers largely through hunting seasons and targeted lethal control actions by wildlife biologists.
Click here for the full story.
Wolf journeys from Lake Superior island back to Minnesota
From the Pioneer Press:
DULUTH — In late January 2019, during a bitterly cold winter spell, scientists flew to Isle Royale in Lake Superior to try to locate three wolves that had recently been relocated to the island, the first part of a landmark effort to restore the delicate balance between wolves and moose — their chief prey — in the remote national park.
Click here for the full story.
Social lives of wolves affect spread of pathogens
From Futurity.org:
The way a population is organized into social groups affects the spread of infectious diseases within it, modeling of wolves in Yellowstone National Park shows.
The findings may be applicable to any social species and could be useful in the protection of endangered species that suffer from disease outbreaks.
Click here for the full story.