In addition to wolves changing the feeding habits of elk, the rebound of the beaver in Yellowstone may also have been affected by the 1988 Yellowstone fires, the ongoing drought, warmer and drier winters and other factors yet to be discovered, Smith said. The population of elk and deer rose so dramatically when wolves were extirpated from the region that the forests were stripped of their vegetation (“8 Big Pros”). Reintroducing wolves into national parks could restore ecosystems. And so from 1995 to 1996, thirty-one wolves were released back into the park with the hopes of restoring balance to this dying ecosystem (NPS, 2015). Ecological Applications, 22(8), 2293-2307. One place the recovery is not happening is along major valley bottoms, such as in the Lamar Valley, Beschta said, where increased bison populations continue to heavily browse vegetation along the river banks. Barton, M. (2005). Recent science suggests that, while important to restoring Yellowstone Park's ecological health, wolves are not the primary solution. Wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone in the 1990s, giving researchers the chance to study the predators’ effects on the ecosystem, such as providing food for … (1997). Then, between 1995 and 1997, wildlife officials reintroduced 41 wolves to Yellowstone. In the case of the wolf reintroduction, it’s impossible to say with total certainty that the wolves were the only reason that the Yellowstone ecosystem recovered. Hey bob how are u bro. Planning and implementing a reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho. Coyotes ran rampant, and the elk population exploded, overgrazing willows and aspens. Wolf Reintroduction in Yellowstone: A Complex Issue. Where wolves are present in the United States, they are responsible for less than 1% of unwanted cattle, calf, sheep, and lamb losses. And prey switching by wolves - from elk to bison - looks unlikely to provide a stabilizing effect on bison populations." The public views these wolves in a negative light because farmers, the media, and other outlets often condemn wolves as an evil and unnecessary danger. Writing in the journal Mammalogy, TWS member Mark Boyce recently documented a range of effects in the park, from reducing elk numbers to increasing bison (Bison bison) populations, due to a trophic cascade triggered by the wolves’ return. Almost 75 years after the last two wolves in Yellowstone were shot, the gray wolf was back. One of the available options is Global Positioning Systems (GPS) that can be attached via collar to the wolves (Cosier, 2010). Cosier, S. (2010). By protecting livestock through preventative measures, such as physical barriers and migration mapping, and reaching out to farmers about how to use these and other methods to better manage and protect their herds, it will be possible to prevent livestock losses while maintaining a natural balance in the Yellowstone National Park ecosystem. A simple fladry barrier around pastures would decrease the interaction between wolves and livestock, therefore decreasing livestock predation (Musiani, 2003). But wolves actually pose far less of a risk to livestock than many farmers believe. While safety concerns are natural and to be expected, the reality is that wolf attacks on humans are extremely rare, and that visitors are informed and educated about how to decrease this probability even further. (8), 2293-2307. George, J. With the tremendous development of technology in the time since the wolves were reintroduced, there are various options to monitor the population of wolves. A recent study found the reintroduction of gray wolves in Yellowstone National Park has improved the health of streams. The loss of vegetation allowed the stream to widen. (6), 1538-1547. doi: 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2003.00063.x. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. He clearly points out the various views different people from different occupations have on this issue of wolf reintroduction into the ecosystem. While it is understandable for farmers to go to any means necessary to defend their livelihoods, they are in fact battling an insubstantial threat that can be avoided with less violent, more environmentally beneficial methods than simply shooting wolves. Another concern about having more prevalent wolf populations in the Western United States and particularly Yellowstone National Park is the safety of humans. The overpopulation of these animals has resulted to the denudation of forests and vegetation in the area. The result of this phenomenon, in addition to the direct consumption of herbivores by wolves, is a more balanced ecosystem that will better sustain itself over a longer period of time. Yellowstone Wolf Trophic Cascade Martin (2014) reports that prices of beef, veal, pork, and poultry all rose over the preceding months, and that officials from the Washington State Fish and Wildlife Department are blaming wolves. For over fifty years, these predators were viewed as just that – wild animals that ate people and livestock – and were hunted to the point of local extinction. Wildlife. Wolves help maintain healthy populations of elk and moose by culling weak or sick members from the herd, according to the Wildlife Management Institute. This approach is more beneficial to ranchers than financial compensation for their losses because it allows them to learn first-hand about strategizing their management, aiding them over time (Barton, 2005). Conservation Biology, 17(6), 1538-1547. doi: 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2003.00063.x, National Parks Service. The use of GPS collars would allow tracking of both individual wolves and family packs to provide an idea of their migration patterns and territory boundaries (“8 Big Pros”). Yellowstone National Park (2013) also emphasizes safety by cautioning visitors to always maintain safe distances from wildlife and to never feed them, and encourages wildlife viewing from vehicles, through binoculars or camera lenses. Once they were extirpated, the rest of the food chain below them collapsed. Retrieved from http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/03/wolf-wars/wolf-illustration. The truth about wolves and livestock. (n.d.). The issue of livestock predation by wolves arises from many factors, including overlapping habitats. Field technicians will go out to the ranchers’ properties to aid in the reduction of wolf attractants, such as livestock carcasses, or the implementation of security measures, such as guard dogs (“Helping Ranchers”, n.d.). Then there is silence as the last remaining pack of wolves in the park falls. Retrieved from http://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/wolf-restoration.htm. This cumulative evidence suggests that had wolves not been reintroduced, the ecosystem would have slowly collapsed due to a lack of structure and regulation. The reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park and the Western United States has been debated for many years due to concerns about livestock predation. Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2046 Citation: Beschta, R.L. Along with technological prevention there are physical prevention methods that work to form barriers between the livestock pastures and wolf inhabited areas (Musiani, 2003). Experts say that plans of eliminating the negative effects that the elk population is having on aspen trees by reintroducing wolves are failing in the Yellowstone National Park. Each year, for 30 days from mid-November to mid-December and again in the month of March, winter study crews arrive at the Yellowstone Center for Resources in Mammoth to observe and document wolf behavior. As apex predators, the wolves serve to keep the population of primary consumers at a controlled level. Innovative tools, such as guard dogs, electric fencing, and scare devices are brought to the attention of the farmers as options for wolf deterrence (“Helping Ranchers”, n.d.). An array of resources is available for farmers to learn how to implement livestock protection methods into their farming strategies. and Ripple, W.J., 2016. Wolf reintroduction is a program to bring back the wolves, particularly the gray and red wolves, in their natural habitats. Overall, the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park has had a variety of direct and indirect effects on the bison and grizzly bear populations. A very illustrative case is that of Yellowstone National Park where the last wolf was killed in 1926. Wolf wars. Without the regulation of the trophic cascade, wild flora and fauna suffer, and the geography of the region itself can be altered. (n.d.). Wolf restoration. “We are bucking the climate change pattern that would normally tell us that plants should be doing worse.”. No one took into account the effect of stress, or risk, that the wolves might have upon the elk. © 2021 Debating Science. Livestock Can Be Protected with Preventative Measures. Wolf attack a tragic, cautionary tale. Retrieved from http://connectusfund.org/8-big-pros-and-cons-of-wolf-reintroduction, Barton, M. (2005). Restoration or destruction: the controversy over wolf reintroduction. 2014). The state decided that it had “no choice but to kill problem wolves” (Martin, 2014, para. All rights reserved. The Oregon state professors looked at willows over a 13-year period along two forks of Blacktail Deer Creek, first in 2004 — nine years after wolves were reintroduced in the park — and again in 2017. Whether it was the Gallatin River in Montana or the Virgin River in Utah, elk and deer reduced the willows to nubs. Retrieved from http://www.aginfo.net/AginfoReportView.cfm?reportid=28928, Musiani, M., Mamo, C., Boitani, L., Breck, S., Callaghan, C., Gates, C., . In an email, Beschta said Yellowstone's Northern Range didn't historically have a large bison population prior to the 20th century. Meat prices going up & wolf kill. By providing proactive methods of livestock protection, the Defenders of Wildlife are working to decrease the lethal backlash cast upon the wolves (“Helping Ranchers”, n.d.). Nelson, A. Berry-producing shrub characteristics following wolf reintroduction in Yellowstone National Park. Overall, elk account for 92% of the Yellowstone gray wolf’s diet and nearly 100% of the diet in early winter (X 2 = 0.001, df = 1, P = 0.997). (2015). Not everyone is convinced. Elk numbers in recent years were decreasing in Yellowstone’s Northern Range, he said, and as they decreased, the vegetation returned. Retrieved from http://www.jyi.org/issue/restoration-or-destruction-the-controversy-over-wolf-reintroduction, Beschta, R., & Ripple, W. (2012). (2009). Elk overpopulated the region, devouring trees and shrubs. The year is 1926. Despite the controversy, the reintroduction of the gray wolf in Yellowstone National Park was approved in 1995, and 14 wolves from Canada were brought and released in three park locations. With less plant life, birds were left with no places to nest. According to Yellowstone National Park (2013), when wolves live in areas with frequent encounters with humans, they learn to associate campsites, picnic areas, and other tourist-dense locations as sources of food, which may spark aggressive behavior. This unintentional boundary crossing onto farmland can cause major issues for the livestock in the area. Studies performed by Yellowstone National Park showed that elk brought down by wolves were old, and many suffered from arthritis or disease. The effect of wolf recovery on the dynamics of northern Yellowstone elk cannot be generalized to other elk populations in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Studying the Yellowstone wolf. “We can’t really quantify it right now, but I am confident that there is an economic effect in decreased pregnancy rates and decreased production; the wolves are having a negative effect on cattle production.” Soon, grizzly bears, mountain lions, and other wildlife were seen perusing the valleys, and stream health markedly improved.” Retrieved from http://www.jyi.org/issue/restoration-or-destruction-the-controversy-over-wolf-reintroduction. However, Yellowstone National Park (2013) asserts that “No wolf has attacked a human in Yellowstone” (“Wolves”). Reintroducing wolves into national parks could restore ecosystems. Human interaction with the ecosystem has rapidly spread disease to Yellowstone’s wildlife, which has proven to have adverse effects on populations. Flood plains were forming. Audubon. Beschta realized the reason only partly had to do with the elk. That had been the case in Yellowstone, too, but over the years, he found, things were changing. Some of the loudest voices of opposition to the existence of wolves in the Western United States come from local farmers who echo those who eliminated wolves from the region almost one hundred years ago, claiming that wolves threaten their livelihoods by preying upon their livestock. The Idaho wolf population took off rapidly, just as transplanted wolves did in Yellowstone National Park. (1997) found that no livestock were killed during the first phase of wolf reintroduction in 1995. The most numerous and easiest to capture prey item for wolves in Yellowstone National Park is the elk or wapiti (Cer-vus elaphus) (Smith et al. With more wolves in the park, the likelihood of tourists crossing paths with these carnivores increases. Journal of Young Investigators. Vegetation was returning to the banks and the streams were recovering. In fact, there are no known human deaths from wolf attacks in the United States (George, 2006). Planning and implementing a reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho. Restoration or destruction: the controversy over wolf reintroduction. But is it the only one? Birds and beavers (Castor candensis) were coming back. Following the loss of twenty-two sheep to wolf predation, and ineffective non-lethal attempts to deter the wolves, the state authorized the shooting of three local wolves (Martin, 2014). More than half of Wyoming residents believe introducing wolves into Yellowstone National Park has had negative effects, according to a new University of Wyoming poll. Wolf attack a tragic, cautionary tale. What is more, the positive effects of wolf population can also be seen once the species is reintroduced. Retrieved from http://lordsofnature.org/documents/TheTruthAboutWolvesandLivestock.pdf, Yellowstone National Park. The extirpation of wolves from YNP in the early 1900s led to a trophic cascade that negatively influenced many other species and populations of lower trophic levels within the Greater Yellowstone Area, both through lethal and nonlethal effects (Ripple and Beschta 2003; Ripple and Beschta 2012). Coyotes flourished without competition from their larger cousins, and decimate small mammal populations, leaving little behind for raptors, foxes, and badgers (Chadwick, 2010). Beschta, R., & Ripple, W. (2012). Fladry barriers are simple rope fences with flags attached that function as an effective wolf deterrent (Musiani, 2003). 2000). Wolf depredation trends and the use of fladry barriers to protect livestock in western North America. ©Scott Kublin, Share your thoughts on this article, and others, on our, REVERSING AMERICA’S WILDLIFE CRISIS REPORT, Numbers matter in bighorn sheep translocation, Wombats and other Australian mammals glow in UV light, Frogs change sex even in natural settings, Invasive lizards in Florida adapt to colder temperatures, Year in Review: Expanding diversity in the profession. Check Respect Parents quotes, Thank you so much for this good share. (1997). A., Kauffman, M. J., Middelton, A. D., Jimenez, M. D., McWhirter, D. E., Barber, J., Gerow, K. (2012). The reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park and the Western United States has been debated for many years due to concerns about livestock predation. Retrieved from http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/03/wolf-wars/wolf-illustration. .Volpi, G. (2003). 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