From MountainJournal.org:
Before government-sanctioned bounties for gray wolves unraveled at the turn of the 20th century, as many as 2 million individuals roamed freely throughout North America. Hunted nearly to extinction as westward expansion ensued, population estimates for one of America’s top carnivores dropped to below 700 wolves by 1960.
Federal conservation initiatives driven by the Endangered Species Act have protected wolves, driving their population to an estimated 3,000 individuals today. But a decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last year argued that gray wolves in the western U.S. no longer required federal protection.
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Conservation Groups Sue Feds for Alleged ESA Violations in Wolf Decision
From MountainJournal.org:
Before government-sanctioned bounties for gray wolves unraveled at the turn of the 20th century, as many as 2 million individuals roamed freely throughout North America. Hunted nearly to extinction as westward expansion ensued, population estimates for one of America’s top carnivores dropped to below 700 wolves by 1960.
Federal conservation initiatives driven by the Endangered Species Act have protected wolves, driving their population to an estimated 3,000 individuals today. But a decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last year argued that gray wolves in the western U.S. no longer required federal protection.
Click here for the full story.
Wolf skulls reveal major 20th-century population turnover in Fennoscandia
From Phys.org:
A new study led by researchers at the University of Oulu, Finland has uncovered striking changes in the skull shape of wolves in Finland, Sweden and Norway, reflecting a major population turnover during the 20th century.
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Schoolchildren name Asha’s endangered Mexican gray wolf pups
From ABQJournal.com:
Schoolchildren from New Mexico and Arizona celebrated the birth of five Mexican gray wolf pups by naming the latest litter of the critically endangered species, conservation groups announced Tuesday.
Kachina, Aspen, Kai, Sage and Aala are the names of the 7-week-old pups born last month at the Sevilleta Wolf Management Facility to Asha, a wild-born wolf, and Arcadia, who was born and raised in captivity. The pups’ names recall southwestern flora, Hopi folk spirits and the Diné language.
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Colorado Parks and Wildlife releases June gray wolf activity map
From KKTV.com:
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) released an activity map showing where gray wolves have traveled from May 27 to June 24. Wolves stayed mostly centered in the high country in June, and stayed to the north in May.
CPW lethally removed a member of the Copper Creek Pack in Pitkin County in June after confirming ongoing wolf depredation on livestock, despite efforts to implement non-lethal deterrents and remove attractants.
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Ranchers Question Effectiveness of California’s Wolf Deterrence After Recent Cattle Kill
From SierraDailyNews.com:
The recent cattle kill at Goodwin Ranch on June 24 has intensified scrutiny over California’s wolf deterrence efforts. This incident marks the eighth confirmed wolf depredation on the ranch since May, occurring despite the presence of a strike team from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) that was deployed to mitigate conflicts between wolves and livestock in the region.
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Colorado Parks and Wildlife sets date to discuss the fate of Copper Creek wolf pack
From SummitDaily.com:
Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s commission will convene a special meeting on Monday, July 7, to discuss the status and potential fate of the Copper Creek wolf pack.
The pack, which has been embroiled in controversy and conflict since the pack formed and had pups last spring, was tied to multiple livestock attacks and deaths in Pitkin County in late May. After Parks and Wildlife confirmed the pack was connected to four livestock attacks in eight days, and that ranchers had taken steps to mitigate the conflict, officials killed one of Copper Creek’s male yearlings on May 29.
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Colorado Cattlemen hear of new wolf petition being presented to CPW
From SteamboatRadio.com:
Wolves was one of the topics at the meeting on Tuesday. A speaker from Colorado Parks and Wildlife said to expect another petition to the CPW Commission from multiple wolf advocacy groups.
He said the petition will ask that ranchers be compensated for an animal only if a wolf is the direct cause of the death. That means ranchers cannot submit itemized production losses, such as weight loss, of their herd. The agent said the other item on the petition would take away verification for compensation if non-lethal forms of mitigation are not being used, or have not been used by a rancher.
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Can wolves and foxes interbreed?
From BBCWildlife:
Although both are members of the ‘dog family’ it is unlikely foxes and wolves would ever interbreed. We investigate why…
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Cattle Battle: How wolves and livestock collide – and how one Idaho project offers solutions
From IdahoCapitalSun.com:
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the fourth installment of Howl, a five-part written series and podcast season produced in partnership between the Idaho Capital Sun, States Newsroom and Boise State Public Radio.
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Amendments to wolf protection may ease green transition permitting [in Finland]
From TwoBirds.com:
Recent EU-level initiatives regarding the protection status of wolves could significantly impact green transition project permitting in Finland. Proposed amendments to the Habitats Directive may reduce regulatory hurdles for green transition projects, which have faced challenges due to strict conservation rules.
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