Wolf Debates Abound

by xdhaas

I think wolves are awesome, but they are also controversial, with many people not wanting them around.  Fortunately, wolves in the western United States and in several places in Europe have made a comeback.  Top predators are a requirement for a healthy ecosystem.  Did you read my “What if… sharks went extinct?” post?  I gave a great example, mentioning how the Yellowstone National Park ecosystem has thrived since the reintroduction of the grey wolf to the region.

One of the presentations I sat in on while at The Wildlife Society 2013 Annual Conference was about this very topic.  Their focus was actually on the conservation of plant diversity, but that directed them to wolves as well.  How do you go from plants to animals that don’t even eat plants?  Pretty easily, when you think about it.  Plant diversity is affected by the population levels of herbivores, and predators such as the wolves aid in regulating those populations.  Predators are necessary; without them the large herbivores can get out of hand and start over consuming the plant life and affecting the habitat of smaller species.  Alpha predators help keep things in balance and have a domino effect all the way down the line.

Carnivores can become overpopulated too.  Now, in a wide expanse of undisturbed habitat, these things have a way of balancing themselves out.  After all, the idea of humans regulating wildlife is a fairly new concept, and pretty much came out of overhunting and habitat destruction by civilized humans, not deer and wolves successfully knocking each other off the map.  But, since there is now limited space and resources, with smaller populations, and various human interests, people have stepped in to management the environment.  One of these tools, especially here in the United States, is hunting.  Wolf hunting is controversial, and I’ve talked about it before.  It’s even controversial among wildlife professionals, and the debate still rages on.

In some cases, though, the concern of wildlife biologists isn’t whether or not to allow a hunt but whether or not they should step in to save wolves.  This unique situation is occurring in Isle Royale National Park.  The wolf population is dwindling, not from hunting, but a mix of prey population fluctuations and a lack of genetic diversity.  You see, this Park is actually on an island.  The last wolf known to have entered the Park, a large male, managed to cross the frozen winter water to reach the island, but with global climate change, this option becomes more and more rare.  A lack of genetic diversity means an increase in deformities and susceptibility to disease due to inbreeding.

The moose population is now booming, in part because of the reduction in predators.  They number somewhere around a thousand whereas the wolves are lucky if they are at a dozen.  If these predators die out the ecosystem of the island will forever change, but if biologists step in and bring some mainland wolves to the Park, the Park’s wolf population will likely forever be dependent on human intervention.  No decision has been made yet, and both sides are strongly advocating for a resolution, but if there is to be an intervention, time is running out.

Do you have an opinion on the wolf hunt or the Isle Royale National Park debates?  These are sensitive issues with many variables, and emotions run strong on all sides.