Posts Tagged: Canis lupus

Immigration does not offset harvest mortality in groups of a cooperatively breeding carnivore

Posted on January 30, 2021

The effects of harvest on cooperatively breeding species are often more complex than simply subtracting the number of animals that died from the group count. Changes in demographic rates, particularly dispersal, could offset some effects of harvest mortality in groups … read more

Posted in Hunting Wolves | Tagged Canis lupus, compensatory immigration, cooperative breeder, dispersal, gray wolf, social structure

How do YouTube videos impact tolerance of wolves?

Posted on December 31, 2020

The internet serves as a dominant source of information and may shape tolerance of wildlife species. Our experimental study examined how respondents’ tolerance for wolves (i.e., attitudes, acceptance, and behavior) changed after viewing wolf related YouTube videos. Respondents were randomly … read more

Posted in Human Dimensions | Tagged acceptance, attitudes, behavior, Canis lupus, tolerance, wolves

Population responses of common ravens to reintroduced gray wolves

Posted on November 30, 2020

Top predators have cascading effects throughout the food web, but their impacts on scavenger abundance are largely unknown. Gray wolves (Canis lupus) provide carrion to a suite of scavenger species, including the common raven (Corvus corax). Ravens are wide‐ranging and … read more

Posted in Trophic Cascade | Tagged Canis lupus, common raven, Corvus corax, gray wolf, scavenger, Yellowstone National Park

Wolf Delisting Challenges Demonstrate Need for an Improved Framework for Conserving Intraspecific Variation under the Endangered Species Act

Posted on November 30, 2020

If applied generally to other species, the 2019 rule’s approach to ESA implementation would represent a significant scaling back of recovery efforts for widely distributed species that would increase both short term vulnerability and long-term loss of adaptive potential. Recent … read more

Posted in Front Page News, News | Tagged adaptive potential, Canis lupus, conservation genomics, distinct population segment, recovery planning

Caribou encounters with wolves increase near roads and trails: a time-to-event approach

Posted on October 27, 2020

Caribou and reindeer Rangifer tarandus are declining across North America and Scandinavia in part from wolf Canis lupus-mediated apparent competition with more abundant ungulate prey species. While caribou generally persist in areas with low wolf density, wolf packs that overlap … read more

Posted in Caribou, Predator/Prey Relationships | Tagged Banff National Park, Canis lupus, linear features, predation risk, Rangifer tarandus, recovery, resource selection, spatial separation, species at risk, survival

Hunting dogs are at biggest risk to get attacked by wolves near wolves’ territory boundaries

Posted on October 27, 2020

Wolves’ attacks on hunting dogs are a major conflict between wolves and hunters in Northern Europe. The reasons affecting the risk of wolves’ (Canis lupus) attacks on hunting dogs are poorly known. We examined whether the number of wolves in … read more

Posted in Conflicts | Tagged attacks, Canid guild, Canis lupus, Dogs, Risk, Space use, Territory

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Wolfwatcher

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Wolfwatcher

11 hours ago

If stability is the goal, Wisconsin failedbit.ly/3r3nXsfThe goal of Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources with regard to the state’s wolf population is stability. More evidence is emerging that it badly failed in that with the wolf hunt this past spring.A trio of researchers, including from the University of Wisconsin, concluded the state’s total wolf population is now somewhere between 695 and 751 animals. In the spring of 2020 it was around 1,034. Assuming a reasonable degree of accuracy with those estimates, Wisconsin has lost between a quarter and a third of all wolves in a single year.To state the obvious, that’s not stabilizing a population.There are questions. Estimates on wild populations are always tough. Wolves aren’t exactly up for a formal census, of course. And it’s difficult to say how the spring’s hunt affected the success of the wolves’ breeding season. We don’t know how many were born this summer, and that’s not an insignificant factor.Other experts have questioned the report’s estimates on “cryptic hunting,” cases in which hunters deliberately hide carcasses or destroy radio collars. It’s also worth noting that some of the losses undoubtedly came from other, non-hunting causes. It’s far rarer to hit a wolf while driving than a deer, for example, but it does happen.But the overarching conclusion backs up what officials knew almost from the moment last season’s hunting began. It was a badly botched effort.Wisconsin hunters officially took 218 wolves during the season. The target was 119. We’ve heard some people try to justify the outcome by saying the overall number the DNR authorized was 200 wolves. That’s true. But the gap between the target and what was authorized were reserved for tribal hunting. Whether the tribes planned to hunt those wolves or not is irrelevant. They simply weren’t for other hunters to take.The study will unquestionably add fuel for those who want the Biden administration to reinstate protections for gray wolves. As with our last editorial on the subject, we’re not going to take a position on whether the administration should yield to those demands.What we’re focused on is Wisconsin, and at this point things need to proceed with the anticipation that a fall hunt will be allowed. Wisconsin law requires the DNR to have one if federal protections are not in place. Even a relatively swift action by Washington standards would quite likely come later than when the hunt would be held.Hunting in Wisconsin is, first and foremost, a means of conserving and preserving the state’s natural resources. Yes, there are those who definitely depend on the animals they hunt for sustenance. But those hunters are in the minority. Most hunt for reasons other than need.We disagree with those who are morally opposed to all hunting. It is a legitimate tool in conservation, one that has a long tradition in Wisconsin. Generations of families can tell stories about hunting with each other or weeks spent in deer camps. Reinforcing those ties while helping manage the state’s deer population, for example, benefits everyone.But uncontrolled hunts that blow past the state’s conservation goals don’t accomplish those same benefits. They bring justifiable criticism. They offer the opportunity to create a caricature of hunters as people who care more about killing than the other aspects of hunting that are, to many, more important. The spring’s DNR debacle failed hunters, conservationists and the species the DNR was trying to manage.As we said in February, hunting must take place in the context of conserving the state’s resources. Obliteration is not conservation. It damages the natural world now, and leaves far fewer opportunities in the future. We cannot repeat the kind of mistakes Americans of past generations made with regard to hunting. We got lucky that we still have bison in our country. But luck isn’t a good strategy.Wisconsin residents depend on the DNR to preserve our shared resources for the future. It is imperative that the DNR do a better job of planning for the upcoming wolf season. It cannot afford to have another one spin out of control in less than a week, the way the spring did.Hunting has its place. It is among the oldest human activities. But there can be no excuses for a repeated failure this fall.photo: Mission: Wolf ... See MoreSee Less

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