Cheyenne's Howl

Printed in Mountain Messenger on Friday - March 13, 1998

Man, The Greatest Enemy of the Wolf

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Man, the greatest enemy of the wolf. For centuries, because of ignorance, the relationship between wolf and man has been a troubled one. More than 100,000 of my ancestors roamed the West over a century ago, yet by the middle of the 20th century we were nearly exterminated. Many of the early settlers looked at us as a threat to their livelihood, even to themselves. We were considered guilty until proven dead. Even the government jumped on the bandwagon and placed bounties on us. They encouraged people to hunt and trap us, to poison us, and even to burn us alive. Fortunately some people in the government and in the scientific fields discovered that we wolves are an extremely important part of the balance of nature. Removing us puts a great strain on the ecosystem. It becomes flabby and unbalanced. Harmony no longer exists when the wolf is removed as the top predator.

What has happened to the Yellowstone ecosystem now that we wolves have been reintroduced? First, let me point out that once the wolf is removed as the dominate predator, it is usually the coyote that takes its place. While the wolf preys on animals such as deer, elk, moose, buffalo, antelope, and big horn sheep, it will also kill coyotes. The coyote on the other hand, typically preys on smaller game and rodents such as rabbits, squirrels, gophers, voles, and mice. However, they will also scavenge on carcasses left behind by the wolf and other predators such as the mountain lion.

With the wolf gone, the population of coyotes and the larger prey animals drastically increase. The larger animals then tend to strip all of the vegetation from the highlands as they search for more food. They also start eating more willow and aspen trees, taking away a major food source of the beaver. As coyotes devour more of their favorite foods, there is less for the pine martins, eagles, owls, hawks, badgers, and foxes causing their populations to decrease. Even though a pack of wolves can eat an entire carcass, they typically gorge themselves and leave about half of the meat of a 500 pound animal. This leaves plenty for other animals such as the carrion beetle, grizzly bear, raven, magpie, ermine, and fox, to feed on. Without these scraps from wolf kills, they would be forced to find other sources of protein.

Three years ago, 31 wolves were trucked into Yellowstone and 35 into Idaho. With the Yellowstone population now at about 90, the parks 2.2 million acres has noticed an ecological comeback. Elk kills have become common and the remaining herd has become healthier and more manageable. Scavengers, such as the bear and raven, benefit from these kills. Highland vegetation is no longer being devoured and is starting to make a comeback. Coyote populations have been cut in half and the remaining ones are also feeding on carcasses left behind by wolves. With fewer coyotes the rodent population has increased providing food for other predators, such as the hawk and owl, to catch and eat. As you can see, from the eagle high in the sky, to the grasses on the ground, everything and every one benefits when the wolf is around.

Cheyenne