Another enlightening documentary about Wolves. In the towering rain forests along the northern shores of the Pacific, scientists recently discovered a new subspecies of the gray wolf. Unlike its genetic kin anywhere else in the world, this wolf swims, fishes for salmon and roams great distances from island to inlet across both water and rough terrain. Secrets of the Coast Wolf blends modern science and traditional knowledge to create a fascinating portrait of a unique wolf subspecies and the pristine, fragile world they inhabit.
A few weeks ago we posted about South Africa not wanting their Elephants and allowing them to be killed once again in mass. Well, now it’s our turn. The United State has officially removed the Gray Wolf from the Endangered Species Act in Idaho and Montana. Which is a very low key way of saying to the world, come shoot them. Yes, once again, you can kill yourself one of those big bad wolves. Jennifer Buonatony, a G Living writer wrote about this possibility last year, when the Bush Administration started the process to make the de-listing a reality. Lucky enough for the Wolves, President Bush was un-successful before leaving office earlier this year and when President Obama took office, one of his first acts was to suspend the plan to remove them from the Endangered list. By taking this action, President Obama protected an estimated two-thirds of the gray wolf population which would have been affected by the plan—meaning that 1,000 out of almost 1,500 wolves where saved. Now that is all gone and those wolves are once again walking targets. Continue Reading / See Additional Photos
Here’s a stupid idea somebody had: let’s spend time and money to restore the population of a precious and nearly extinct species and then remove it from the endangered list so we can hunt it.
Not sure why I wasn’t invited to that meeting…
Gray wolves were almost lost in the 1970s due to over-hunting. Man’s fear of the animal brought about an eradication campaign from the ranching industry and, believe it or not, government agencies. Wolves were hunted for reward to protect livestock, and for their meat and valuable fur. It wasn’t until their near extinction in 1973 that they were protected under the Endangered Species Act. Research and education regarding wolf behavior and biology followed, revealing that – surprise, surprise — wolves play a critical role in maintaining their ecosystems.
Kill first, learn second. Wonder who thought of that plan?
If you live in or near a major American city, you might have a coyote problem. Since food is plentiful and life is easy-going in metropolitan areas and suburbs, coyotes have begun taking up residence — much to the surprise of scientists. According to an article on PR-inside.com, there are an estimated 5,000 coyotes roaming the streets of Los Angeles County.
“As cities expand and homes, shopping centers and office buildings go up in areas where coyotes have previously lived or hunted, the two environments will sometimes conflict,” says Jeff Ripley, director of Texas Cooperative Extension.
Using wolf urine as a deterrent could be the natural solution to this growing problem. Ken Johnson of Lexington Outdoors says that wolves are one of the coyote’s few natural predators, and they instinctively try to avoid areas where they believe wolves are present. The website for Lexington’s Predator Pee company states that “in the animal world, urine is the great communicator. It not only warns prey of the presence of a predator, but also communicates territorial boundaries to members of like species.”
As we reported a few weeks ago, the Wolves of America are once again in the cross hairs of hunters. There are currently a mere 9,000 wolves living within the entire United States, which was enough to have them removed from the Endangered Species list. Opening up the option for hunters to start shooting them. We thought it might be a good idea to embed this show from The Natural Kingdom Collection about Wolves, to enable us to all know a little more about their lives.
Three of the world’s leading experts share their intimate understanding of wolf behavior. John and Mary Theberge and Michael Runtz have spent a lifetime studying wolves and in particular, wolf language. Against the magnificent natural backdrop of one of the world’s greatest parks, we learn the nuances of wolf language and, in turn, perhaps better understand what they might be saying to each other.