A much gooder wolf photo....
In Utopia wolves are great, I love them and love watching them and think the wild is more real with them in it. However In an eco system where man has penned up the prey onto islands of habitat the wolf is at a distinct advantage and does not fit into a balanced management plan. Yellowstone is a perfect study for what will happen.
Nailed it dead nuts on!
An overview of elk populations (albeit a tad dated) post wolf introduction.
• The Northern Yellowstone elk herd trend count has dropped from some 19,000 elk in 1995 before the introduction of the Canadian Gray wolf to just over 6,000 elk in 2008. At the same time the wolf numbers in this same area are on a steady increase.
• Yellowstone's Madison Firehole elk herd trend count has fallen from 700 to 108.
• The Gallatin Canyon elk herd trend count between Bozeman and Big Sky, Mont., has declined from 1,048 to 338.
• Wolf numbers in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming have far exceeded the original goals of 30 breeding pairs and 300 total wolves. Population estimates now exceed 1,700 wolves. And yet and others want to push the total up to 2,000 to 5,000 wolves.
• Studies show that wolves kill up to 23 elk per wolf from November through April alone or up to 40,000 elk in just six months. A smaller but still significant number are killed from May through October; with total annual elk kills by wolves just for food potentially greater than 50,000 at the present level of wolf population. This accounts for only the elk needed for food, not surplus killing, which are elk killed by wolves and not eaten, which also occurs. The majority of all these kills are not elk that are sick or old.
• Elk calf survival rates where wolves (and bears) are present are extremely low in specific herds, resulting in a survival rate of 10 percent or less-too low to sustain the herd over the long-term. RMEF points out this is a major issue as elk numbers going into the future, where wolves are concentrated, will suffer even greater losses and replacement becomes out of balance.
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Keeping one species (especially a highy efficient predator)completetely protected based on anthropomorhic bullschitt is a recipe for diaster.
(As per the holy Mountain Lion in California)
If we're to regulate ecosystems, for an artificial balance in the name of man's benefit, we must kill the same percentages of predators as we do prey or simply accept total crashes in population numbers of both ungulates and predators which may take decades to recover which is simply the way ma Nature operates.
However in this ever spiraling feel good "Animal Planet society " peoplewould much prefer to see the deer and antelope playing on the prairie from the windows of their Subarus and Land Rovers.