Wolves in Yellowstone
Flashes of red bob through the trees as the little girl in the deep red cape skips through the woods. On the way to her grandmother’s house she feels a presence; round eyes glow yellow and bloody fangs smile at the little girl—the wolf has chosen his next meal. These are the images we conjure up when we think of wolves. They have been labeled as demons of the forests. In fairy tales, myths and legends, wolves are seen only as glowing eyes and sharp fangs. They’ve been known to devour travelers in stories such as “Little Red Riding Hood” and “The Three Little Pigs.” This fear, coupled with the misunderstanding of wolves, has encouraged their hunting, the placement of bounties on their pelts and the ordering of their extermination (which nearly succeeded). Theodore Roosevelt, one of the United States’ most environmentally conscious presidents, “labeled wolves ‘the beast[s] of waste and destruction.’ Thereafter, the United States government launched a full-scale campaign aimed at the total elimination of the wolf in the United States” (Brown 426). After the grey wolves (Canis lupus) were pushed to the edge of extinction, the species was reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in January, 1995. Since the reintroduction of the grey wolf into the greater Yellowstone ecosystem, there have been positive outcomes on the plant and animal life in the park, as well as a greater understanding of the grey wolf.
Since Medieval times the wolf has been under persecution. Through folk tales and fables, they have been portrayed as beasts of deceit, trickery and ferocity. As the Europeans began to explore, they brought their fear and myths of the creatures with them to the New World. This brought about the trapping and killing of the wolves in Eastern America, soon making its way to the West. As people began making parks and petting zoos in Yellowstone, the local people began to see the grey wolves as a nuisance, a nuisance they wanted gone. As a competitor for the land and for the game in the surrounding areas, wolves were ordered to be exterminated as an “honorable policy goal”. The people didn’t understand that they were the real nuisance, and it was them who invaded the grey wolves’ homes and habitats, not the other way around. The people saw the grey wolf as an enemy, and the grey wolf probably felt the same way about humans. As the two grew further into a conflict, the grey wolf became even more misunderstood. These “noxious species” were now being watched and patrolled along the borders of Yellowstone. Local wardens would watch the borders with guns and traps for resident wolf packs. Not only did the Government allow the killing of the grey wolf, they encouraged it. The wardens were motivated to trap and kill the grey wolf for they were rewarded by being able to keep and trade the pelts of the exterminated animals. In the 1900s, the federal Bureau of Biological Survey gave orders to “flush out” the rest of the grey wolves remaining in Yellowstone National Park and other US national parks (Jones 340). By the early 1920s nearly all the wolves had disappeared from the Yellowstone ecosystem.
Since Medieval times the wolf has been under persecution. Through folk tales and fables, they have been portrayed as beasts of deceit, trickery and ferocity. As the Europeans began to explore, they brought their fear and myths of the creatures with them to the New World. This brought about the trapping and killing of the wolves in Eastern America, soon making its way to the West. As people began making parks and petting zoos in Yellowstone, the local people began to see the grey wolves as a nuisance, a nuisance they wanted gone. As a competitor for the land and for the game in the surrounding areas, wolves were ordered to be exterminated as an “honorable policy goal”. The people didn’t understand that they were the real nuisance, and it was them who invaded the grey wolves’ homes and habitats, not the other way around. The people saw the grey wolf as an enemy, and the grey wolf probably felt the same way about humans. As the two grew further into a conflict, the grey wolf became even more misunderstood. These “noxious species” were now being watched and patrolled along the borders of Yellowstone. Local wardens would watch the borders with guns and traps for resident wolf packs. Not only did the Government allow the killing of the grey wolf, they encouraged it. The wardens were motivated to trap and kill the grey wolf for they were rewarded by being able to keep and trade the pelts of the exterminated animals. In the 1900s, the federal Bureau of Biological Survey gave orders to “flush out” the rest of the grey wolves remaining in Yellowstone National Park and other US national parks (Jones 340). By the early 1920s nearly all the wolves had disappeared from the Yellowstone ecosystem.
After the grey wolves were gone from Yellowstone National Park, people soon became fully aware of the extent of the situation. They began to realize that the grey wolf was not just a carnivorous, blood thirsty animal, but an important predator to the ecological balance of Yellowstone. One of the major changes in the Yellowstone ecosystem was the increase in the elk population which resulted in an under vegetation issue caused by over-grazing. Previously, the wolf had helped keep the elk population in check by killing the weak or younger elk; however, since the extermination in the 1920s, the elk population nearly doubled in size. Local residents found the elk overeating the vegetation and grazing on farm lands and other surrounding locations. Not only did the grey wolf help regulate the elk population they in turn helped the residents by keeping the elk from grazing on farm land. Despite this obvious change in the ecosystem of Yellowstone, the killing of the grey wolf still continued. It wasn’t until 1925 that the killing of the grey wolf finally wound down; others were starting to see the importance of the grey wolf. Luckily, before the wolves were completely exterminated, the National Park Service, and other organizations, claimed the grey wolf to be of “scientific, educational, recreational, and economic value to society” (Jones 38).
But there were, and still are, some who believe grey wolves to be an infectious animal. Despite seeing the positive effects grey wolves have on the ecosystem in Yellowstone National Park, the wolves were still executed and killed by farmers, towns people and wardens. It wasn’t until 1959 that the hunting came to a stop, but by that time, the damage had already been done. The wolves were pushed to extinction by the ignorant people, who were unwilling to change and to understand this animal. The grey wolves were eventually put under the Endangered Species Act in 1973 in an attempt to bring the presence of Canis lupus back into Yellowstone National Park. There were some groups who believed the grey wolf needed to be preserved and able to roam the land that was previously theirs. The grey wolf was then able to roam Yellowstone National Park without having to worry about the previous laws. In 1995, nearly seventy years since wolves had been free to roam Yellowstone National Park, 31 wolves were captured from the Canadian Rockies and released back in to Yellowstone to begin the reestablishing of wolves in the park. Today, more than “150 wolves, from eight packs, now roam Yellowstone's forests and river valleys” (Jones 38). People slowly began to understand the importance of this majestic animal and key role they play in Yellowstone National Park and other surrounding ecosystems.
Since the grey wolves’ reintroduction to Yellowstone, there has been a tremendous amount of controversy surrounding the wolves’ role in the decrease of certain herds, specifically elk. Before, there was an abundance, but years later the elk population has shrunk in numbers due to the amount of grey wolves in the park. To completely understand the situation it is important to know the predation of the elk before and after restoring the wolves in Yellowstone. Since the total removal of wolves from the ecosystem in the 1920s (as previously stated) there has been a larger than average elk herd population. On the other hand, when the grey wolf was reintroduced, the elk numbers decreased. The School of Forest Resources & Environmental Science in Missoula, Montana, through various studies, monitored elk and wolf populations from 1961–1995 and again from 1995–2004, to observe how the wolves may have contributed to the elk decline. Since the reintroduction of the grey wolves, the elk population declined 10 percent in 1961 and 30 percent in 1995. They concluded that the decline in the elk population may very well be attributed to the predatory wolves in the area (Vucetich 260). Although the researchers attribute the elk population decreasing to the wolves, they go on to say that it may only be some of the reason. Previously, the elk were able to roam free without almost no predators, besides from coyotes. This may sound like a bad thing to have happen, that the grey wolves are to blame. But looking at the larger picture, the Yellowstone region has merely returned to the way it was before the humans disrupted it. Now that the wolves have been reintroduced, the ecosystem has regained a keystone species to help restore the natural balance.
Not only have the elk been regulated, but the vegetation has thrived in the areas where the grey wolves have been established. Researchers have noticed an abundance of new vegetation growth likely due to the thinning of the elk population by the grey wolves. As fewer elk graze on young saplings a greater variety of plants are able to grow. Although it is too early to tell how much the grey wolves are impacting the vegetation, there are several species of plants that have seen significant growth in population sizes. Willow and aspen are a few of the plants that are thriving now that the elk population has been redistributed around Yellowstone National Park. These specific plants are “important for many bird species, small mammals, beaver and moose” along with the wolves (Smith 338). To see the many great ways the grey wolves have helped balance and serve this new thriving ecosystem, its hard to believe they could be anything but interesting and innocent animals. But there are still some today who aren’t so keen on the grey wolves in Yellowstone.
Despite the positive effects of the grey wolf in Yellowstone National Park, ranchers and herders still fear of the Canis Lupus. Their land borders where the grey wolf habitats, and every once and a while livestock is attacked by the wolves. In Montana, grey wolves account for the killing of roughly 111 livestock every year. In 2009, 120 sheep were killed by three wolves near Dillon, Montana. Although it is usually highly unlikely for grey wolves to be this vicious and kill such a large number of sheep at one time, the incident made the farmers more concerned for their livestock's safety. Farmers in Montana are given over $150,000 in compensation for livestock killed by grey wolves. Despite this, farmers are still afraid that the population of grey wolves is getting out of hand. Terms were debated on how many grey wolves are actually needed to keep the population stable. Recently, in Idaho and Montana, the grey wolf was taken off the Endangered Species Act list. Since then, the grey wolf has been allowed to be hunted, “Idaho will allow 265 wolves to be taken by hunters...Montana will allow 75 wolves to be taken” (Byron, 1). Although the hunting has been allowed in Montana and Idaho, Wyoming grey wolves still remain protected under the Endangered Species Act. Farmers are now allowed to hunt a certain amount of grey wolves but some farmer’s believe that this could cause negative effects for their livestock. “‘If the adults are shot, then the young ones are dispersed too early,’ Stone said. ‘Young pups on their own might turn to livestock to survive, and that's not a good situation for anybody.’” (Byron 1). Visibly there are a few negative effects the grey wolf has on their surroundings, but in a whole the grey wolf is a positive addition.
Despite the positive effects of the grey wolf in Yellowstone National Park, ranchers and herders still fear of the Canis Lupus. Their land borders where the grey wolf habitats, and every once and a while livestock is attacked by the wolves. In Montana, grey wolves account for the killing of roughly 111 livestock every year. In 2009, 120 sheep were killed by three wolves near Dillon, Montana. Although it is usually highly unlikely for grey wolves to be this vicious and kill such a large number of sheep at one time, the incident made the farmers more concerned for their livestock's safety. Farmers in Montana are given over $150,000 in compensation for livestock killed by grey wolves. Despite this, farmers are still afraid that the population of grey wolves is getting out of hand. Terms were debated on how many grey wolves are actually needed to keep the population stable. Recently, in Idaho and Montana, the grey wolf was taken off the Endangered Species Act list. Since then, the grey wolf has been allowed to be hunted, “Idaho will allow 265 wolves to be taken by hunters...Montana will allow 75 wolves to be taken” (Byron, 1). Although the hunting has been allowed in Montana and Idaho, Wyoming grey wolves still remain protected under the Endangered Species Act. Farmers are now allowed to hunt a certain amount of grey wolves but some farmer’s believe that this could cause negative effects for their livestock. “‘If the adults are shot, then the young ones are dispersed too early,’ Stone said. ‘Young pups on their own might turn to livestock to survive, and that's not a good situation for anybody.’” (Byron 1). Visibly there are a few negative effects the grey wolf has on their surroundings, but in a whole the grey wolf is a positive addition.
Although there are many who still want the grey wolf population controlled, such as farmers and hunters, cultures existed who considered the wolves as their brothers or kin. The Blackfeet Native American tribe believed the wolves were “an influential spirit and a cherished social guide,” and that, “their nation descended from four wolves that survived a great flood, before shedding their skins to become human” (Jones 39). Instead of disregarding the wolves as an unknown enemy like the early European settlers, the Native Americans tried to understand the wolves and find the similarities between them and the wolves. Just like wolves, the Native Americans considered themselves a ‘pack.’ They also admired the wolf’s hunting skills and intelligence, and adopted some the grey wolves hunting techniques. Just as the Native Americans did then, we too have now come to understand the wolf by helping reestablish their species into the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem and protecting them as a valuable species. Slowly but surely, we gain a greater understanding of the amazing species, Canis lupus. So the little girl with the red cape safely makes her journey to Granny’s house, and the wolf has retreated back into the woods, where they can both live happily ever after.
Work Cited
Brown, Elizabeth Cowan. "THE "WHOLLY SEPARATE" TRUTH: DID THE YELLOWSTONE WOLF REINTRODUCTION VIOLATE SECTION 10 (J) OF THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT?." Boston College Environmental Affairs Law Review 27.3 (2000): 425. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 31 Oct. 2010.
Jones, Karen. "From Big Bad Wolf to Ecological Hero: Canis Lupus and the Culture(s) of Nature in the American-Canadian West." 338-350. Routledge, 2010. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 21 Nov. 2010.
Jones, Karen. "FIGHTING OUTLAWS, RETURNING WOLVES." History Today 52.3 (2002): 38. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 3 Nov. 2010.
Vucetich, John A., Douglas W. Smith, and Daniel R. Stahler. "Influence of harvest, climate and wolf predation on Yellowstone elk, 1961-2004." Oikos 111.2 (2005): 259-270. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 28 Oct. 2010.
Smith, Douglas W., Rolf O. Peterson, and Douglas B. Houston. "Yellowstone after Wolves. (Cover story)." Bioscience 53.4 (2003): 330. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 29 Oct. 2010.
Byron, Eve. "Wolves kill 120 sheep at ranch near Dillon." Missoulian News (2009): n. pag. Web. 3 Dec 2010. <http://missoulian.com/news/local/article_5ff01772-938f-11de-9aca-001cc4c03286.html>.
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