From Mongabay:
KATHMANDU — On the slopes of the Himalayas in Nepal, a primeval scene plays out routinely, far from human eyes: a snow leopard lies in wait for its prey, its thick white-gray coat with large black rosettes serving as the perfect camouflage in this craggy terrain. When it senses the opportune moment, it pounces, aiming for the neck to immobilize the prey. For the next two to three days, it will feasts on this single kill.
Until a few years ago, snow leopards (Panthera uncia), also known as the “ghosts of the mountains,” were believed to be the only surviving apex predator in this part of the world. But the vulnerable species, already facing pressure from common leopards (Panthera pardus) and even tigers (Panthera tigris) moving to higher altitudes, faces an old nemesis from the dog family that has returned to this region after decades.
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Return of the wolf to Nepal’s Himalayas may threaten snow leopards
From Mongabay:
KATHMANDU — On the slopes of the Himalayas in Nepal, a primeval scene plays out routinely, far from human eyes: a snow leopard lies in wait for its prey, its thick white-gray coat with large black rosettes serving as the perfect camouflage in this craggy terrain. When it senses the opportune moment, it pounces, aiming for the neck to immobilize the prey. For the next two to three days, it will feasts on this single kill.
Until a few years ago, snow leopards (Panthera uncia), also known as the “ghosts of the mountains,” were believed to be the only surviving apex predator in this part of the world. But the vulnerable species, already facing pressure from common leopards (Panthera pardus) and even tigers (Panthera tigris) moving to higher altitudes, faces an old nemesis from the dog family that has returned to this region after decades.
Click here for the full story.
Endangered red wolf can make it in the wild, but not without `significant’ help, study says
From AP:
WAKE FOREST, N.C. (AP) — The endangered red wolf can survive in the wild, but only with “significant additional management intervention,” according to a long-awaited population viability analysis released Friday.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also released an updated recovery plan Friday for “Canis rufus” — the only wolf species unique to the United States. It calls for spending nearly $328 million over the next 50 years to get the red wolf off the endangered species list.
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USFWS ISSUES NEW COLORADO GRAY WOLF DESIGNATION
From The Wildlife Society:
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has finalized plans to designate Colorado’s gray wolf population as a “nonessential experimental population,” loosening restrictions on take traditionally granted to federally listed species.
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Wisconsin wolf plan gains support of board chair, moves closer to approval
From 27WKOW:
MANITOWISH WATERS, Wis. (WKOW) — The wolf management plan advanced by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources gained key support, inching the initiative closer to approval.
At a meeting Wednesday of the Natural Resources Board, the body tasked with overseeing various aspects of the DNR’s operations, Chair Bill Smith signaled that he supported the controversial Wolf Management Plan.
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Wildlife Loss Five Times Slower In Protected Areas
From Eurasia Review:
Protecting large areas of land from human activity can help stem the tide of biodiversity loss, especially for vertebrates like amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds, according to a new study in Nature.
In particular, vertebrate population declines were five times slower in conservation areas compared to animals living in areas not protected from development or conversion to agricultural use.
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A board leader calls the new Wisconsin wolf plan key to removing federal protections for the animal
From Eagle Herald
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The leader of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources policy board signaled support Wednesday for the department’s contentious new wolf management plan even though the document lacks a hard population cap that hunters and farmers have demanded.
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The Netherlands is now home to nine wolf packs and 39 cubs
From Dutch News:
The Netherlands is now home to nine separate wolf packs, according to provincial wildlife agency BIJ12 which monitors wolf sightings.
Wolves have been slowly returning to the Netherlands after an absence of 200 years and the nine pairs of wolves which have made the Netherlands their home had at least 39 cubs this year.
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Wolf presence outside Yellowstone topic of researcher’s Oct. 5 talk
From Billings Gazette:
After being functionally absent from the continental United States for approximately a century, wolves are back on the landscape and continually expanding into new areas.
Kristin Barker, research coordinator for the Beyond Yellowstone program, says, “The return of wolves to Yellowstone National Park has been touted as a key driver of restored ecosystem functioning, but what evidence do we have to support that claim, and how applicable is it outside protected areas like national parks?”
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Belgian farmers call for weaker protection of wolves, as environmentalists want greater
From EuroNews:
Wolves are back in Belgium and their growing presence is creating tensions with farmers, who fear for the safety of their livestock.
They want to reopen the debate on wolf hunting in Europe, which forbids it under both the EU’s Habitats Directive and the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitat.
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Pack of Wolves Casually strolls Amongst Huge Bison While Trying to Choose One to Hunt
From AZ Animals:
The hunt can be a vicious activity for wolves. Wolves hunt together in packs. This is the way they are able to hunt and chase down their prey smartly. Typically, prey that is much larger than they are. We can see here from the video below that in the face of dozens of massive animals, these wolves took their time to pick one out.
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