Posts Tagged: predation risk

Wolves choose ambushing locations to counter and capitalize on the sensory abilities of their prey

Posted on March 4, 2021

Comprehensive knowledge of ambush behavior requires an understanding of where a predator expects prey to be, which is generally unknowable because ambush predators often hunt mobile prey that exhibit complex, irregular, or inconspicuous movements. Wolves (Canis lupus) are primarily cursorial … read more

Posted in General, Predator/Prey Relationships | Tagged ambush hunting, hunting behavior, hunting mode, predation risk, sit-and-wait predator, wolf predation

From overlooking to concealed: predator avoidance in an apex carnivore

Posted on December 31, 2020

Many prey species select bed sites that reduce the risk of being caught off guard. We investigated bed sites used by an apex predator (gray wolf, Canis lupus) before and after individuals were approached by humans (N048 trials). On 9 … read more

Posted in Human Dimensions | Tagged Human activity, Landscape of fear, predation risk

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

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Wolfwatcher

2 hours ago

According to the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center, two of the world's rarest wolves are making a new home in Colorado."The Red wolves are coming! The Red wolves are coming!" reads a post made to the wildlife refuge's Facebook page, also noting that the wolves will be visitable at the destination after September 21.The two wolves are 10-year-olds that have been retired from a breeding program meant to save the species – a male named Van Gogh and a female named Shawnee. Their last home was at the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose, Texas and they were previously part of the SAFE (Saving Animals from Extinction) program, which is operated through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.According to the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center, Red wolves (Canis rufus) are native to the United States and have never been found elsewhere. Wild populations of the species have declined by 85 percent in the last decade, with the wildlife refuge hoping that the new wolves' presence at their center will raise awareness about the critically endangered species.The US Fish and Wildlife Service operates a Red Wolf Recovery Program that seeks to increase the population of the species. Though once declared extinct in the wild in 1980, a captive breeding program and reintroduction effort have resulted in a known population in eastern North Carolina. It's estimated that 19 to 21 members of the species exist in the wild, but only 10 have been collared. Meanwhile, 243 captive wolves are involved in the species survival plan. ... See MoreSee Less

World's rarest wolf species to call Colorado home | OutThere Colorado

www.outtherecolorado.com

According to the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center, two of the world's rarest wolves are making a new home in Colorado.

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Wolfwatcher

13 hours ago

Why trophy hunting wolves doesn't make sensebit.ly/3xD83tkWhile the editorial board makes the optimistic prediction that “CPW (Colorado Parks and Wildlife) isn’t going to open hunting up just to give someone a thrill,” and will make its decision on the fate of wolves “based on how best to manage this animal species,” the agency’s current record strongly suggests otherwise. CPW allows the unlimited killing of black bears on private lands, the killing of coyotes year-round and the hunting of mountain lions with the use of hounds. These are all recreational or trophy hunts. These vital native carnivores are not hunted primarily for food, but rather for trophies and for bragging right.he editorial board also worries that too many wolves will create “negative impacts” to ranchers and to elk herds, and suggests that without a wolf hunt, “some impacts are inevitable.” But such concerns are simply not based upon the best available science. Instead, best science informs that robust wolf populations are essential to healthy elk populations and to healthy landscapes.The Benefits of WolvesWithout wolves, Colorado’s ecosystems have become biologically impoverished. In Rocky Mountain National Park, officials fence off streams and aspen stands from the overabundant elk who can munch their way through plant communities and cause injurious effects on stream banks. This reduces the abundance of beaver, which, in turn, reduces the numbers of birds, fish, amphibians and myriad life forms that depend on riparian systems. With the return of wolves and beavers in other western ecosystems, riparian health has recovered, and plant and river communities have rebounded to vibrancy and diversity. Restoring these species to the landscape in western Colorado will have another significant benefit: healthy riparian areas mitigate against fire and drought (simply put: water doesn’t burn) as well as a warming climate.Moreover, scientific literature shows that ungulates are ultimately limited more by their food resources and other habitat factors (called “bottom-up” limitations), rather than by their predators (“top down” regulators). Alaska’s state-sanctioned “intensive management” scheme caused the deaths of hundreds of wolves and bears, and resulted in a caribou herd that exceeded the land’s carrying capacity.Fears Are InflatedFears about the effect of wolf introduction on Colorado ranchers are being unnecessarily inflated. In the United States, government data show that gray wolves, Mexican wolves and Red wolves actually kill few cattle and sheep. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, wolves cause far fewer than 1% of cattle-calf and sheep-lamb losses. And those losses can be mitigated with a host of time-tested and cost-effective measures, such as range riders, deterrence devices and guard animals.Trophy hunting and trapping is harmful to wolves. When these highly intelligent, social, family-oriented animals experience social disruption, their packs disband and the elimination of the breeding pair can lead to the loss of pups and yearling wolves from starvation. Destroying pack structure disables the pack’s ability to fulfill its ecological role.More than a majority of those from Colorado do not agreethat wolves should be trapped or trophy hunted.Marc Bekoff is Professor emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.Photo: White Wolf Pack ... See MoreSee Less

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