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Wolf numbers continue to grow
Billings Gazette ^ | March 20, 2007 | MIKE STARK

Posted on 04/14/2007 7:32:16 PM PDT by george76

There are now at least 1,300 wolves prowling Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, far more than anyone imagined when the species was reintroduced in the Northern Rockies 12 years ago.

The wolf population has, on average, grown by about 26 percent a year for the past decade. The latest estimates, which summarize counts completed at the end of 2006, show they aren't slowing down.

"I keep thinking we're at the top end of the bubble," said Ed Bangs, wolf recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "I can't see that there's room for any more, but we'll see."

As the wolf population has grown, so have the reports of cattle, sheep and other livestock being killed...

It's no surprise that wolves are thriving following reintroduction in 1995 and 1996 in Yellowstone National Park and in central Idaho. Wolves are skilled predators, fast breeders and able to live in different environments.

The fastest-growing area for wolves last year was in Wyoming outside Yellowstone National Park. The number of wolves jumped by 31 percent...

With that increase, 123 cattle were reportedly killed by wolves, more than has ever been recorded in Wyoming since the reintroduction...

In Montana, the number of wolves grew by 19 percent...

The number of elk, which are wolves' primary winter prey, has declined 50 percent in the area since 1995...

The Fish and Wildlife Service said the wolf population has, for seven years, met basic recovery goals of 30 breeding pairs distributed across Montana, Wyoming and Idaho.

The agency has recommended removing wolves from the endangered species list. But the process has become mired in a conflict between the federal government and the state of Wyoming.

(Excerpt) Read more at casperstartribune.net ...


TOPICS: Extended News; Government; US: Colorado; US: Idaho; US: Montana; US: Oregon; US: Utah; US: Washington; US: Wyoming
KEYWORDS: animalrights; ar; bangs; edbangs; elk; endangered; endangeredspecies; g79; hunting; nps; sss; usfws; wildlife; wolf; wolfattacks; wolfpack; wolfpacks; wolves; wolvesattack
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To: jim35
On page 109, in The Yellowstone Park Nature Book, M.P. Skinner, 1924, wrote an unambiguous summation of predator relationship to man.

Speaking of wolves, but applicable to all large bodies predators, he wrote that wolves were a risk to man in Eastern Europe and Asia where wolves did eat men. He further explained that this was due to the fact the there, wolves were “hunted only rarely and then only by the Lords of the manor”.

In America, he said they soon learned to their great regret that nearly every man and boy carried a rifle.

Please note that the Constitution guarantees to all the right to life.

Nowhere is there anything in the Constitution requiring one to be wolf scat. Nor is there anything requiring one to quarter such beasts on one’s land.

If we could force King George to stop quartering troops on our land, we surely can force President George to stop quartering wolves on our land.

If urban Blue State socialists want wolves, let them keep a wolf pack in Central Park in the heart of the Big Sh*tty.

If nothing else, the resulting conflict between the two legged urban predator population of Central park and the newly introduced Central Park Pack should be interesting for the Big Sh*tty residents to watch from the safety of their apartments facing the Park.

Ancillary benefits of this Modest Proposal would be that druggie and mugger populations would soon be reduced and Central park users would only have to worry about being eaten.

41 posted on 04/15/2007 5:50:31 AM PDT by GladesGuru (In a society predicated upon freedom, it is essential to examine principle)
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To: GladesGuru

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canid_hybrid

An interesting source.


42 posted on 04/15/2007 6:19:27 AM PDT by Popocatapetl
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To: gleeaikin
The bottom line was that reducing the elk population and discouraging eating along the streams was good for the overall ecosystem, according to the story.

Elk populations can be, and are, reduced by humans hunting them, thus providing meat and outdoor activities for many people, no need to introduce elk into the system. You can control how many Elk humans kill, you can't with wolves. On top of that the story is bogus, there are no over populations of Elk in the US.

So your theory is that when the wolves reach the correct number of Elk in the area that the wolves will simply stop killing them?(snicker). Here is the way it used to work, and still does with rabbits and smaller predators. The game animals would increase in number in any given area, then the predators would increase because there was more food available to them, then the prey animals would decline because of the increased predator population and a year later the predators would start to decline, this kept things in balance.

Now, however, it doesn't work that way with the larger animals because wolves and larger predators(mountain lions)have other prey they can feed on when their main prey starts to diminish, other prey meaning domestic animals. This allows the predators to increase in numbers even though their natural prey is declining in numbers, sooner or later ALL the natural prey will be gone because the balance doesn't work when you throw in the domestic animals as an extra food supply.

This unnatural cycle is evident now in the areas where the wolves were released and in areas where lions can't be hunted(CA with their several human deaths a year due to lions spring to mind). Unless the wolves are controlled, in other words thinned out by killing, they will eventually wipe out the Elk herd, perhaps to the point of no return, and devastate the local ranchers there for ruining the economy for that area and driving meat prices sky high.

The fish and game of Wyoming and other states know all these facts, so do the enviros. The enviros have a bigger agenda and don't care if the Elk and deer die off in any given region if they can cause the demise of the ranches in those areas.

43 posted on 04/15/2007 6:33:38 AM PDT by calex59
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To: doc1019

Global Scamming is only going to wipe Capitalistic Life off the planet. It’s where all the enviro-watermelons have gone.

Pray for W and Our Troops


44 posted on 04/15/2007 6:40:00 AM PDT by bray (The Surge is Working against both enemies of America)
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To: GladesGuru

If elk are a problem, shoot them.

The deer in our suburban area are like pets. They hide out during the day in people’s backyards. ( literally). Then at night they go out an try to kill motorists. It’s like a Steven King novel.


45 posted on 04/15/2007 6:54:44 AM PDT by wintertime (Good ideas win! Why? Because people are not stupid!)
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To: Myrddin
The only vaguely interesting development recently is the honeybee colony collapse observation. There isn't a good explanation yet. The best prospect so far is extreme sensitivity to "neo nicotinoid" pesticides. I'm less impressed with the Ed Dames theory of blindness due to high levels of UVB. Whatever the explanation, it is a phenomenon that threatens our agricultural industry.

An amusing article on Slashdot this morning pins it on cellphones and the like. But there are enough holes in that theory that it's quite unlikely.

46 posted on 04/15/2007 8:17:54 AM PDT by sionnsar (trad-anglican.faithweb.com |Iran Azadi| 5yst3m 0wn3d - it's N0t Y0ur5 (SONY) | UN: Useless Nations)
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To: Myrddin

I used to have a shepherd/coyote mix. Miss that dog...


47 posted on 04/15/2007 8:20:19 AM PDT by sionnsar (trad-anglican.faithweb.com |Iran Azadi| 5yst3m 0wn3d - it's N0t Y0ur5 (SONY) | UN: Useless Nations)
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To: george76

“Wolf numbers continue to grow”

That’s a beautiful animal, so long as it isn’t killing you or your livestock.


48 posted on 04/15/2007 8:25:38 AM PDT by Grunthor (Outside a dog a book is man's best friend. Inside a dog it's too dark to read.)
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To: bboop

“Can’t wait to see a couple pick of some kids camping at Yellowstone.”

Really? Looking forward to that are ya?


49 posted on 04/15/2007 8:32:05 AM PDT by Grunthor (Outside a dog a book is man's best friend. Inside a dog it's too dark to read.)
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To: george76
Life will get better when there is a legal season on enviro-whacko's...they're just a bunch of al-quaida wannabee's.



SSS! is not snake in the corner...just do it.
50 posted on 04/15/2007 8:34:58 AM PDT by Issaquahking (Duncan Hunter for president!)
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To: Paladin2
I live in Boise, and have hunted as far north as Grangeville...plenty of deer, but no elk. Maybe I need to work my way over closer to MT this season.

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!

51 posted on 04/15/2007 8:50:49 AM PDT by wku man (Claire Wolfe's, is it time yet? !)
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To: sionnsar
An amusing article on Slashdot this morning pins it on cellphones and the like. But there are enough holes in that theory that it's quite unlikely.

I heard that one last night on Art Bell. The smell of anti-capitalism is in the air. The "green" fix is to erase all traces of human existence and all human life.

52 posted on 04/15/2007 9:50:47 AM PDT by Myrddin
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To: wintertime

That’s IT!! They DO try to go out and kill motorists!! One tried to kill us last year, darting out into the road and then hitting our car. I expected to see deer guts inside the car, but he just left a HUGE dent/ $1500 / and ran off, laughing.

Lordy lordy.


53 posted on 04/15/2007 9:58:01 AM PDT by bboop (Stealth Tutor)
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To: Grunthor

You really should try not to take things literally. Probably I should have explained my dark humor for the literalists among us.

Don’t you think this will happen at some point, that humans will be hurt? And then what will the enviro-wackos say? “It is part of nature.” “Wolves need to eat too.” This whole plan is ridiculous.


54 posted on 04/15/2007 10:00:31 AM PDT by bboop (Stealth Tutor)
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To: wintertime

(((The deer in our suburban area are like pets. They hide out during the day in people’s backyards. ( literally). Then at night they go out an try to kill motorists. It’s like a Steven King novel.)))

Not THAT is funny!


55 posted on 04/15/2007 12:20:02 PM PDT by freepertoo
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To: freepertoo

Sorry, that should have read NOW that is funny. Oops.


56 posted on 04/15/2007 12:21:33 PM PDT by freepertoo
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To: george76
As the wolf population has grown, so have the reports of cattle, sheep and other livestock being killed...

Hmmmm... (rubs chin thoughtfully) I wonder if anyone has considered a possible correlation .

57 posted on 04/15/2007 2:43:21 PM PDT by Lexinom (DH08/FT08)
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To: Myrddin; All

I just heard a report that scientists concerned with the honey bee decline are looking at the possibility of radiation related to cell phones and transmission towers or something like that may be diorienting the bees so they can’t get home again. Does anyone have more info on this?


58 posted on 04/19/2007 2:44:31 PM PDT by gleeaikin
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To: GladesGuru; All

Thanks for the info. I got the impression that there were a few areas where the aspen survived and are now regrowing since the wolves are discouraging the elk from eating them.

In a totally separate vein, I have encountered stories about the spread of a “mad cow” type of illness in elk in the northern middle west, and perhaps moving eastward. I remember the movie about the scientist who lived with wolves in the arctic and discovered that they ate a lot of small rodents, and when they killed caribou, it was generally ones that were sick with something. Perhaps the wolves are needed to reduce the population of sick elk, before we eat them and get a fatal brain illness.


59 posted on 04/19/2007 2:53:41 PM PDT by gleeaikin
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To: george76

I just passed a truck with a window decal that you see a lot here in Wyoming - “Welcome to Wyoming - now take a wolf and go home.”


60 posted on 04/19/2007 3:02:39 PM PDT by WhereTheBuffaloRoam (Wyoming is Republican country.)
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