Do wolves have a place in the ecosystem? Wolves are predators. Predators keep prey populations under control - they cull the herd and keep it healthy. Cull: to remove certain members, usually the sick or old animals.

But wolves have a bad reputation because they kill other animals for food… And they have been known to attack domestic livestock. This impacts ranchers and farmers.

After the Civil War, ranching and farming expanded into the wolves’ territory, pushing them into smaller hunting areas. With man’s expansion, herd animals became more scarce. Wolves soon found domestic livestock to be an easy meal. Before the Civil War, there were few people to interfere with wolves. Their main source of food was herd animals such as buffalo, elk, and deer.

The wolves were considered varmints because they attacked domestic livestock. Therefore, wolves became targets. Ranchers, farmers, and hunters killed them in great numbers. By the 1930’s, gray wolves were virtually eliminated from the lower 48 states, even in Yellowstone National Park. The government even offered bounties for every wolf killed.

Yellowstone National Park was established in 1872 to conserve nature and wildlife. Bison, elk, grizzly bears, countless birds, small mammals, and numerous species of plants live in the park.

As a result of the loss of wolves in the park, coyotes became one of the top predators. But coyotes did not cull the herds the way wolves were able to.

Without the wolves, the elk population in Yellowstone increased. The large herds roamed the park, eating wide swaths of vegetation and degrading the habitat, especially along creeks and river beds.

In order to manage the large populations of herd animals, hunting was encouraged in the park. Even park rangers eliminated many of the elk in order to reduce their population.

The hunting of elk in Yellowstone National Park attracted the attention of the public. It was not popular. Why couldn’t a natural predator be used to control the populations of the herd animals?

The Endangered Species Act was passed in 1973 to protect plants and animals whose numbers were so low that they might become extinct. Species were not only to be protected, but brought back from the brink of extinction if possible.

The passing of the Endangered Species Act proved to be a salvation for the wolves. Because their numbers were so low, they were placed on the endangered species list. Reintroduction of the wolves to their native habitat would be a way to recover their numbers. A plan was devised to restore a balanced ecosystem to Yellowstone National Park.

The first written plan for reintroducing wolves to Yellowstone National Park was released to the public in The plan generated arguments among ecologists, ranchers, and farmers. Ranchers and farmers didn’t want wolves around to kill their livestock. Ecologists wanted to restore the wolves to the unbalanced ecosystem in Yellowstone.

The next 15 years saw numerous debates, town meetings, and media coverage either for or against the reintroduction of the wolves. It was resolved in 1995 and a plan was accepted to restore the wolves to Yellowstone.

Fourteen wolves from various packs were captured in Alberta, Canada in 1995 and brought to Yellowstone. They were kept in large enclosures called wolf pens for 10 weeks in order to acclimate to each other, the weather, and the new territory. Gray wolf in preparation for transport to Yellowstone National Park.

Upon release, 3 packs formed from the fourteen wolves. They quickly adapted to hunting elk and small game, spread out their range, raised pups, and became strong packs.

A second release of wolves in 1996 resulted in the formation of four more wolf packs. Fourteen surviving pups were counted the following year. After this success, it was believed that the wolves could maintain their numbers, and no more releases were planned.

Livestock loss, which ranchers feared, was insignificant. Elk populations were not decimated, as feared. In fact the size of the herds are healthy. Wolf reintroduction was less costly than anticipated. The addition of the wolves to Yellowstone enhances the experience for numerous visitors.

and wolves….

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