Posted on 01/14/2011 9:29:36 AM PST by george76
Wolves and grizzly bears are mostly to blame for a steep population decline in a signature elk herd in the northern range of Yellowstone National Park, government scientists said on Wednesday.
The elk population in the northern section of the park is prized by sportsmen who hunt outside Yellowstone boundaries in Montana and by the millions who pour into the park each year to see wildlife.
Annual counts of the northern Yellowstone elk population show it has plummeted by more than 70 percent since 1995, falling from 16,791 to fewer than 5,000 today.
Biologists said wolves and grizzlies are the major reasons for the decline, with wolves reintroduced in the area in the mid-1990s.
(Excerpt) Read more at uk.news.yahoo.com ...
Geez... who would have thought that RE-INTRODUCING WOLVES would lead to them wanting to eat delicious Elk.
How long before we have to re-introduce Elk?
When the elk are gone, what will the wolves want to look for to eat next? Maybe something slow moving and pink.
Signature elk? Is that a newly discovered subspecies?
Yellowstone elk population has plummeted by more than 70 percent since 1995
If we can increase the population of tyranosaurs and raptors, that could reduce the bear and wolf population.
They should blame talk radio and Sarah Palin instead.
Again.
This is kinda like the environmental whackos who advocate letting coyotes roam freely in city streets until those coyotes eat their kitty.
They're working on it...
It’s time to start issuing hunting permits to grizzlies and wolves.
10 years ago montana issued 2400 late season cow elk tag for hunting, now I think it is 50!
My plan: Wolves...Smoke em if ya got em!
Smoke a pack a day!
Probably has something to do with their natural hunting range areas being reduced.
In his own words: "I watched them pick glass out of my daughter's face for four hours".
“Scientists said fewer predators and the cancellation of a late season elk hunt in the region will likely boost the herd’s numbers.”
And that last sentence is the kicker. Yep, they’re cancelling hunts to make rooom for the wolves random killings. Environmentalists love it.
And no, these wolves are not just killing for food: they’re killing for pleasure. They typically rip open pregnant female elk just as the infant is reaching maturity, eat out the fetus, and leave the adult carcass to rot.
That’s another major reason they’re hurting the elk popultion: they’re destroying the calf and population along with the cow population.
Getting rid of the wolves would be a wise move. But I don’t expect much wisdom coming from the federal government.
These are imported Canadian Timber wolves.
I thought the elk herds were maintained strictly for the feeding of bears and wolves. Hey, you can’t buy wolf and bear food at the pet store.
It used to be that most Montanans had an elk or a deer in the freezer to get them through the winter.
Not anymore.
The wolfers think the wolves are beautiful but kids and families sure miss the meat.
I believe the Yellowstone elk herd has dropped from 25K to 5K. Most of that has taken place since the wolves were introduced.
There are a lot more wolves out there than the amount pronounced officially.
I used to never be scared to go in the woods at night...now I am.
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