GRAY WOLVES IN DANGER: Facts and the current situation
They’re iconic. They’re beautiful. They’re one of kind and many people are obsessed with them. No I’m not talking about Mariah Carey, I’m talking about Gray Wolves. Head to an elementary school and ask kids their favorite animal, and see how many of them say “wolf.” (or “woof” or “wuv” or whatever they can manage.) It’s amazing kids still name them, because they were on the brink of extinction in the US just 100 years ago. They could have been a relic of the past like the Dodo Bird or the Thylacine, with children marveling over them in prehistoric chapters the same way they do a Sabertooth Tiger. So how come they’re still around, and what’s being done to make sure they make it to the next chapter?
The history of protections for Gray Wolves in the United States is complicated, but here’s a quick run down:
Precolonial Times: Gray Wolves roam almost every state in what would be America, with their population estimated somewhere between 250,000 and 500,000.
1960s: After excessive hunting and trapping to near extinction in the 1800s and early 1900s, less than 300 wolves remain, confined to the area around Lake Superior.
1974: Gray Wolves are granted protections in the lower 48 states under The Endangered Species Act. Their population is at about 750.
1996: Gray Wolves are reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park and the Great Lakes Region.
2003-2017: Gray Wolves are stuck in a conservation tug of war, as they are repeatedly reclassified and passed between state and federal management. During this time they lose and regain their protections multiple times.
202o: Despite still being functionally extinct in the vast majority of their former range, Gray Wolves are stripped of their Endangered Species Act protections, save for a small population of Mexican Gray Wolves in the Southwest.
2021: Despite a promise to review the delisting of wolves, the current administration sticks by the decision to keep gray wolves off the Endangered Species Act. The current population? 5,500-6,000.
Currently, the management of Gray Wolves are left up to the states they reside in. Unfortunately these state politicians are easily swayed by large amounts of money and support from hunters and ranchers.
The Lower 48 states currently allowing hunting are:
Idaho: 90% of the wolves population is approved to be killed this year, by nearly all means, including killing wolves in dens, and shooting from vehicles such as helicopters or ATVs.
Montana: Up to 450 (37% of the population) may be hunted. One hunter can take 20 wolves (10 by hunting, 10 by trapping). Allowed hunting methods include: shooting, trapping, snaring, baiting, and night hunting on private lands.
Wisconsin: 218 wolves, or 21% of the state’s wolf population, were killed this past winter, leaving only 816. The current kill quota for this season (Nov. 2021 - Feb. 2022) is set to 130 wolves. Allowed hunting methods include: shooting, hounding, trapping
Wyoming: Through most of the state, wolves can be hunted 365 days a year without a hunting license. (The remaining part of the state has a wolf season). Before their removal from the E.S.A. the state population was approximately 380, now they are allowed to be hunted down to 150. Allowed hunting methods include: shooting, trapping, snaring, drugging, and euthanasia.
A common argument for wolf hunting is that they are killing rancher’s animals. However, looking to Wyoming as an example, wolves pose little financial threat to ranchers.
Consider these facts:
Landowners may be compensated for verified damage to livestock caused by wolves, by submitting a claim to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
In 2015, 98% of cattle deaths were due to non-predatory deaths (usually sicknesses like repiratory illness). Of the 2% attributed to predators, wolves made up less than 5% , while domestic dogs made up 11%. (If anyone has 2020’s numbers, please forward them to me).
I will do an even more in depth dive at some point, but the fact is that the Gray Wolves are being horribly mismanaged. What was once thought to be a conservation success story could be wiped out in a number of years. It took us 60 years to go from 300 wolves to 6,000. How many years will it take for that progress to disappear, when we are hunting hundreds a year? This year alone, over 1,000 wolves may be killed.
In conservation, it’s easy to spew out these depressing facts and leave it at that, but I never want to bum you all out without giving some hope as well. So here are 4 actions you can take during your bathroom break to help.
The USFWS (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) is accepting public comments for a petition to re-list wolves under the Endangered Species Act. Anyone can submit a public comment here but remember to keep them scientific and most of all mature. You can read more about what and how to submit by scrolling down this page or here.
With just a couple clicks you can send a prewritten email directly from this link to your representative. No logging into your email inbox or looking up your rep. required.
Switch your online shopping from amazon to smile.amazon.com. You’ll be prompted to pick a charity at the start, and as long as you start your shopping from smile.amazon.com, Amazon will donate 0.5% of your purchase price to a charity of your choosing (may I suggest some of the ones below?).
Stay up to date with changes and new action items for Gray Wolves by subscribing to or following organizations such as:
or even wider focus organizations such as:
Phew! That’s all I’ve got in me for now! Thank you for taking the time to read and please leave a comment if you have questions or want to voice your support/add new facts.
Sometimes loving wildlife is hard, but y’all all know the saying: “Nothing worth fighting for ever comes easy.”
Rock on,
Chrissy
