Posted on 09/03/2011 9:42:33 PM PDT by george76
Wolf sightings in the Blue Mountains are becoming more frequent this summer, but wildlife officials for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife have yet to document firm evidence of a pack forming in the southeastern corner of the state.
Paul Wik, district biologist for the department at Clarkston, said the canyons and timbered ridges southeast of Dayton have been a hot spot for wolf reports this year. Some hunters have even captured images of wolves with trail cameras, he said.
"It's definitely no secret they are here," Wik said. "The only question to us is what their status is."
...
It is believed there are five wolf packs in Washington. Wolves in all of Washington are protected by the Washington Endangered Species Act and those in the western two-thirds of the state are protected by the federal Endangered Species Act.
(Excerpt) Read more at standard.net ...
Very, very interesting information. Thank you.
Predators share many behavioral mechanisms. My Irish Wolfhounds were superbly adapted to ascertaining the most minute changes in movement of potential prey or enemies.
Before the earliest men in the area that became Ireland arrived, the native canids were using such evolutionarily acquired skills to determine which ungulate might have an injured joint, a torn ligament, a split hoof, or any other injury which would make that animal an easier meal with less risk.
Men then bred those wolfhound predecessors for their ability to ascertain non-verbal ques to human behavior. The result was an animal that can read human body language to the extent that their usefulness as throne room guard dogs was such that export of such dogs was forbidden, and only the kings could afford to feed them, in any case.
Elderly and children move differently, as is true for all species. Predators key in on such different movements.
As Jefferson advised in his letter to Cartwright, “....let your gun be your constant companion on your walks.”
A common belief among the Founders was that “..it is the right and duty of the citizen to be at all times armed”. Given the rising frequency of home invasions, it is reasoned and prudent to carry when at home.
“Wolves a deathly afraid of the human scent.”
Horsepucky! They are careful if they have been hunted, but will readily attack a single person if they are hungry. Recent cases in AK have shown that. Two years ago, my son in AK killed a wolf that was trying to chow down on a moose that he shot...just hanging around the perimeter of camp looking for an opportunity!
JC
Most solitary predators are extremely stealthy...less energy expended and less risk of injury and starvation. A notable exception would be a large, male grizzly bear that has no natural enemies and can run down and easily kill almost any large prey encountered, but still, it’s a shorter chase when they can sneak closer before attacking!
One could make an argument for keeping small, quick terriers that would attract predators and keep them preoccupied long enough for you to pull out your cannon for the kill shot.....3-Ss and put the monitoring collar on a bus headed for Tampa or Miami!! HAW
JC
You are right in stating that “wolves are a low threat to humans”. There has been only 2 cases of wolves being implicated in human deaths in North America over the past 100 years. One in 2005 and the other in 2010(Alaska). Both were nears dumps where wolves, bear and coyote frequented. There was no proof of which of these animals did the killing but wolves were implicated. Since 1990 bears(brown and grizzly) have killed 59. Since 1990 cougars have killed 11. Domestic dogs kill 20-30 people every year.
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