From The Guardian:
In the pre-dawn darkness of Sierra de la Culebra, Zamora, Spain, a sudden howl pierces the cold. More join in, until the baying chorus echoes all around. As the sky begins to lighten, their shapes emerge: first the alpha male, and then the rest of the wolf pack, appearing in the twilight where light and darkness merge.
In Europe, this large carnivore was hunted for centuries and almost exterminated, surviving only in inaccessible or sparsely populated areas. Now, thanks to changing attitudes and increased protection, Europe’s wolf population is slowly recovering, and the apex predators are gradually returning to their former territories.
Click here for the full story.
‘I got to know the wolf’: how Spain’s shepherds are learning to live with their old enemy
From The Guardian:
In the pre-dawn darkness of Sierra de la Culebra, Zamora, Spain, a sudden howl pierces the cold. More join in, until the baying chorus echoes all around. As the sky begins to lighten, their shapes emerge: first the alpha male, and then the rest of the wolf pack, appearing in the twilight where light and darkness merge.
In Europe, this large carnivore was hunted for centuries and almost exterminated, surviving only in inaccessible or sparsely populated areas. Now, thanks to changing attitudes and increased protection, Europe’s wolf population is slowly recovering, and the apex predators are gradually returning to their former territories.
Click here for the full story.
Here are your stories about seeing wolves and mountain lions in Maine
From the Piscataquis Observer:
A video from northern Maine submitted to the BDN of a probable male wolf and four of his pups stirred up some discussion.
The Maine Wolf Coalition has submitted photographic evidence of individual animals that could be wolves, but biologists consistently say there are no breeding wolf populations in the state.
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New wolf exhibit opens at High Desert Museum this weekend
From Central Oregon Daily News:
A new exhibit showcasing wolves opens Saturday at the High Desert Museum.
“Wolves: Photography by Ronan Donovan” gives visitors a close-up view of gray wolves through the lens of a National Geographic explorer and photographer, and provides an inside look at the daily lives of the wild canines.
“You know what are they like on a day-to-day basis? How do they hunt and how do they live together and family units? How do they play? So those are two major factors in the exhibit, both the history of eradication and efforts to bring them back from extinction. And then also, what is it like to be a wolf? You know what is it like to live in Yellowstone in a wolf pack,” said Hayley Brazier, Donald M. Kerr Curator at the museum.
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Wisconsin Senate passes Republican bill to force setting a wolf hunt goal
From AP:
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Senate passed a Republican-backed bill Tuesday that would force state wildlife managers to set a firm numeric goal for the state’s wolf population.
The proposal, which next heads to the Assembly, comes after the Department of Natural Resources did not set a hard cap on the state’s wolf population in its new management plan, but said the population should be around 1,000.
The state has operated since 1999 under a wolf management plan that limits the statewide population at 350 animals. The new plan calls for the DNR to work with advisory committees to monitor local populations and decide whether to reduce them, maintain them or allow them to grow.
Sen. Felzkowski: Casts votes on special session, government waste and wolves
From WisPolitics:
Madison, WI – On Tuesday, the Wisconsin State Senate convened for Regular Session and the Governor’s Special Session on Workforce Development.
During the Governor’s Special Session, Republicans in the Legislature – the lawmaking body of government – took up an amended version of the Governor’s proposal. This bill, as passed, includes investments in childcare, occupational licensing reforms, welfare reform, worker training grants, and a $2 billion low- and middle-class income tax cut for individuals making more than $27,630.
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As U.S. Wolf Populations Slowly Rebound, A Conservation Expert Reflects on Her Decades of Research
From National Academies:
onservation efforts over the past several decades in the U.S. have enabled many species of wolf to begin to recover from near total extinction — including the gray wolf of the Northern Rockies and western Great Lakes region, the red wolf in the southeastern part of the country, and the Mexican gray wolf of the American Southwest.
To mark National Wolf Awareness Week — which takes place Oct. 15-21 — we sat down with Diane K. Boyd, a renowned wolf and carnivore specialist at Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and an affiliate faculty member at the University of Montana, Missoula. Boyd served on a National Academies study committee that produced a 2019 report on the taxonomy of the red wolf and Mexican gray wolf.
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New Research: How wild wolves may be key in improving domestic dogs’ health
From Curry Costal Pilot:
Gut microbes found in wild wolves may be the key to alleviating a debilitating gastrointestinal condition common to domestic dogs, according to a study led by researchers at Oregon State University – Cascades.
The authors report a novel strain of Paenibacillus bacteria with characteristics of a probiotic – an organism that conveys a health benefit to the host.
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Wolf population increased 4% over last year in Wisconsin and farm conflicts declined
From Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
The population of gray wolves in Wisconsin was estimated at 1,007 last winter, a year-over-year increase of 4%, according to the Department of Natural Resources.
The number of wolf packs was down slightly, from 288 in 2021-22 to 283 in 2022-23.
The number of Wisconsin farms with confirmed wolf conflicts also declined. The agency noted 18 farms had wolf conflicts with livestock during the reporting period, the lowest number in 15 years.
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Ipswich wolf sanctuary pushes back against ‘devastating’ new hunting laws
From 10Boston:
If you’re ever in Ipswich, Massachusetts, you might hear wolves howling, but it’s nothing to fret about.
They are the North American grey wolves at Wolf Hollow, and according to the sanctuary’s operations manager Kevin Kenny, sometimes the animals change the tone of their voice to hide their numbers.
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Minnesota DNR investigating after timber wolf shot, dozens of ducks dumped in central Minnesota
From KARE:
ST PAUL, Minn. — A conservation officer is investigating after a timber wolf was recently found dead and more than dozen ducks were found dumped along the road about 30 miles apart in central Minnesota.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said the timber wolf was found shot to death in Buckman, Minnesota. According to state law, it’s illegal for anyone to hunt or trap wolves in the state. The ducks were found dumped near the side of a road in Little Falls, Minnesota. It’s unclear if the two incidents are related.
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