Wolves, bears blamed for decline of elk in Yellowstone

Reuters ^ | January 12 , 2011 | Laura Zuckerman

[Disambiguator]

I was merely extending the “meme” that is being used regarding the Arizona shooting to this issue.

I understand the wolf issue, as we have problems here in Idaho, too.

[george76]

The original plan was for 78-100 wolves to be introduced into Yellowstone. Of course, hunting is not permitted in Yellowstone ... The elk herd in Yellowstone was estimated at 20,000 animals at the time of the introduction of the wolves. Historic documents reveal that Yellowstone’s elk, the largest migratory elk herd in the US, was about 30,000 at the turn of the 20th century.

In less than 10 years the effect wolves have had on Yellowstone’s wildlife has been nothing less than devastating...

Antelope went from 600 to 200 specimens. Mountain sheep populations have fallen from 300 to 40, possibly an inadequate amount to repopulate the Park.

Wolves are attacking horses, mules, livestock and stalking children. The economic health of the region has collapsed ... The wolves are multiplying at the rate of 34% a year... Wildlife in that region is getting hammered.

Forget what you heard about wolves killing only the weak and sick.

Wolves kill by instinct and for fun. Aerial photographs document dead, red wildlife carcasses over the landscape. Wolves practice “surplus killing” whether they are hungry or not. The wildlife of the region cannot rest and they live in constant fear.

http://www.propertyrightsresearch.org/yellowstone_wolf_experiment_out_1.htm

November 22, 2003

[Carry_Okie]

Eventually you’ll even see the wolf population die off too, or you’ll see them spread out across a much larger region in search of food. Some of that food will undoubtedly be cows and other domestic animals.

Actually, when wolves run out of prey, what they do is eat each other. Nearly two thirds of wolf deaths in Denali National Park are due to cannibalism, a clear sign that the system is drastically out of balance. There is in fact precedent for wolves driving themselves to extinction in Alaska's famous introduction experiment on Coronation Island. When the male wolves ate the last breeding female, that was it.

Interestingly (and IMO as usual), the biologists drew the wrong conclusion to the experiment, in that they decided that the reason the introduction failed was that the size of the island (at 45 square miles) was too small to support a wolf population. Yet it could have done so had the island been populated with its traditional apex predator: the Innuit.

For tens of millennia and certainly throughout the holocene, man has been the apex predator. Among men, the character most responsible for building the productivity of vegetative systems via animal management has been its nomadic subculture: herders, hunters, and fishermen. These people stake their lives upon their ability to foster and maintain breeding populations. It was agro-urban industry that drove so many into serious trouble. Yet our withdrawal into this consequent "urban legend," that "Nature takes care of itself" may be the single most destructive paradigm ever to be visited upon the "wildland" systems of this planet. For a serious Biblical look at how the relationship between agro-urban and nomadic cultures was to be optimized and maintained, and how these self-destructive social paradigms were supposed to be mitigated thereby, please consider Shemitta: For the Land Is Mine.

[JaguarXKE]

They should blame talk radio and Sarah Palin instead.

That's exactly what I was about to post! Great minds.

[stuartcr]

Obviously, we need to start importing Innuits to those areas with too many wolves.

[Carry_Okie]

Obviously, we need to start importing Innuits to those areas with too many wolves.

LOL, the various tribes of the lower 48 did a pretty effective job too, but they're so long gone and so brainwashed with the white-PC version of their history, I don't know if they'd know how to do it.

[george76]

[Carry_Okie]

The elk herd in Yellowstone was estimated at 20,000 animals at the time of the introduction of the wolves. Historic documents reveal that Yellowstone’s elk, the largest migratory elk herd in the US, was about 30,000 at the turn of the 20th century.

Even by the turn of the 20th Century, the on-again-off-agian bans on hunting in Yellowstone had grown the elk herd to the point that it had wrecked the food base, particularly aspen, which are very slow to recover because they do not sprout from seed.

[stuartcr]

Impressive

[Troublemaker]

The Canadian wolves introduced to Montana, and Idaho are decimating the elk, moose, and deer.

we have seen a tremendous decrease in all 3 animals (elk, moose, deer) on our land and throughout the Park. 10-15 years ago, we'd see a moose every day from our house. Now, maybe once a month (if that). Conversely, we see a bear every 1-3 days on our land (that used to be about once every month)

[sport]

I don’t know when or how as of yet,but, the Socialists,a/k/a/, Democrats and their propaganda arm,the main stream media should be able to place the blame on Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, and White Christian males.

[Seadog Bytes]

[george76]

Thanks.

Sad that there is a tremendous decrease in all 3 animals (elk, moose, deer)

[SJackson]

If you’d like to be on or off this Upper Midwest/outdoors/rural list please FR mail me. And ping me is you see articles of interest.

[rellimpank]

—bring ‘em on—lets’s start with Central Park, NYC-—