Scientific Classification of Wolves

Gray Wolves

Red Wolves

Ethiopian Wolves

Wolf Prey and Predation

Wolf Populations

Wolf Management and Conservation

Yellowstone After Wolves

Depredation
(9 items)

Are Wolves Endangered

IUCN Manifesto on Wolf Conservation

Federal Process of Reclassification and the Endangered Species Act
(4 items)

Frequently Asked Questions About Wolf Management

Methods Used for Estimating Wolf Abundance

Human Perspectives

Frequently Asked Questions Pertinent to Discussions of Wolf Management

By L. David Mech
Biological Resources Division
U. S. Geological Survey
October 31, 2005
by Jess Edberg

1. What is the current wolf controversy all about?
   
2. How would wolves be managed by states?
3. How many wolves inhabit Minnesota?
4. Are these figures reliable?
5. How do today's wolf numbers compare with those in previous times?
6. Is Minnesota's increased number of wolves due to increases where wolves always were, or due to their spread into new areas?
7. So wolves don't necessarily need wilderness to live in?
8. Why do people believe wolves must be killed?
9. Is there any reason to be afraid of wolves harming children?
10. Why are people in wolf range seeing wolves more often now?
11. How many dogs do wolves kill?
12. And livestock?
13. How many deer do wolves kill?
14. Do wolves really kill that many deer every year?
15. Do wolves ever kill more than they can eat?
16. Is it true that wolves tend to kill mainly the old, young, sick, and weak deer?
17. Are wolves harmful to deer hunting?
18. What kind of evidence is there that wolves generally do not harm deer hunting?
19. If wolves are killed, won't this disrupt their genetic viability?
20. How far can wolves travel?
21. How many wolves does each pair produce?
22. What do wolves die from?
23. How many wolves are killed illegally?
24. If controlling wolves is allowed, how many wolves can be taken each year without reducing the population?
25. How effective is hunting wolves?

1. What is the current wolf controversy all about? (top)
   

   Wolf numbers in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan have reached levels that qualify the population for removal ("delisting") from the protection of the federal Endangered Species List.

2. How would wolves be managed by states? (top)
   

   Wolf management would then revert to the states and could include public harvest, control by landowners, continued killing by state or federal controllers, or some combination.

3. How many wolves inhabit Minnesota? (top)
   

   The Minnesota DNR's Winter 2004-2005 estimate is 3,020.

4. Are these figures reliable? (top)
   

   The methods used are state-of-the-art, and the methods and results have passed the scrutiny of peer review and publication, so the figures are considered reliable by the scientific community.

5. How do today's wolf numbers compare with those in previous times? (top)
   

   There are probably more wolves in current wolf range than there ever were because there are more deer there.

6. Is Minnesota's increased number of wolves due to increases where wolves always were, or due to their spread into new areas? (top)
   

   Due to their spreading south and west into new areas. In part of the northeast, for example, where wolves have been counted since 1968, there are actually fewer wolves now.

7. So wolves don't necessarily need wilderness to live in? (top)
   

   Not necessarily. They live best in wilderness because they do not conflict with humans there. However, if left alone, they can live anywhere there is food in the form of prey or garbage.

8. Why do people believe wolves must be killed? (top)
   

   Wolves kill and eat dogs and livestock as well as deer, moose, and beavers, and some folks are afraid that wolves will harm their children.

9. Is there any reason to be afraid of wolves harming children? (top)
   

   Yes and no. Generally, healthy wild wolves are not dangerous to people in North America. However, like dogs, bears, and other large meat-eaters, wolves could harm humans. In India, wolves have killed many children, and in both Alaska and Canada wolves have seriously injured a child.

10. Why are people in wolf range seeing wolves more often now? (top)
    

    Wolves may be getting more habituated to people now than when they were hunted and trapped. In addition, wolves are moving into areas of increased human densities.

11. How many dogs do wolves kill? (top)
    

    Four dogs were confirmed killed in 2004, but the actual figure is unknown because most people suffering such losses do not report them. (See Summary of Data from USDA Wildlife Services on Wolf Depredation in Minnesota).

12. And livestock? (top)
    

    The U. S. Department of Agriculture confirmed 66 complaints of wolves killing livestock on 53 farms in 2004. Eight cattle, adult and yearling, 58 calves, 15 sheep, and 101 turkeys were verified as killed by wolves, and 105 wolves were killed by controllers to prevent further loss. While this is a great loss to some farmers, it affects only around 1% of the farms in wolf range. (See Summary)

13. How many deer do wolves kill? (top)
    

    On average, each wolf kills an estimated 15-20 adult-sized deer or their equivalent per year. Wolves also prey upon beavers, moose, and in some cases, livestock.

14. Do wolves really kill that many deer every year? (top)
    

    Only on average. Sometimes they kill more and sometimes less, depending on conditions. Thus, during winters with deep snow, wolves kill more deer, and with less snow, fewer deer. Sometimes wolves starve to death; other times they can kill more and produce more pups.

15. Do wolves ever kill more than they can eat? (top)
    

    Occasionally snow or other conditions are so harmful to prey that wolves can kill more than they can eat at the time, although they usually return later to these kills. Such conditions occur less than 5% of the time in Minnesota.

16. Is it true that wolves tend to kill mainly the old, young, sick, and weak deer? (top)
    

    It is well documented that wolves tend to take mainly deer that are old, young, fat-depleted, starving, debilitated or injured. That is why they kill so many more deer during hard winters.

17. Are wolves harmful to deer hunting? (top)
    

    Potentially they can be, but generally they are not. When deer in low densities are hindered by severe winters, wolves can help seriously reduce deer numbers. Otherwise, they have little effect on deer harvest rates.

18. What kind of evidence is there that wolves generally do not harm deer hunting? (top)
    

    The best evidence is the continued high and increasing deer harvest in wolf range ever since wolves were protected and began increasing since the early 1970's and throughout the 1980's.

19. If wolves are killed, won't this disrupt their genetic viability? (top)
    

    Minnesota's wolves are part of the massive Canadian population of about 35,000 - 60,000 wolves, and freely interchange breeders with that population. Even Isle Royale's totally inbred population of 12-50 wolves has thrived for almost 50 years.

20. How far can wolves travel? (top)
    

    Most wolves disperse before the age of 3, some traveling more than 550 miles away.

21. How many wolves does each pair produce? (top)
    

    The average litter size is 4 - 6 young per litter. Packs breed almost every year, and a few packs may have two breeding females when prey are abundant.

22. What do wolves die from? (top)
    

    Most natural mortality takes the form of pup starvation and adults killing neighbors. In some areas, canine parvovirus from dogs kills pups.

23. How many wolves are killed illegally? (top)
    

    It is impossible to know because many illegal kills are undiscovered or unreported.

24. If controlling wolves is allowed, how many wolves can be taken each year without reducing the population? (top)
    

    Conservatively, some 30% of the wolves alive during fall can be taken without reducing the population. To reduce a wolf population, agencies such as those in Alaska try to take 50-75% each year.

25. How effective is hunting wolves? (top)
    

    It is very difficult to hunt wolves, and few people would do so. Most wolves shot would be those killed incidentally by deer hunters or by farmers and other landowners. Trapping or snaring is the most effective method of public involvement in wolf control.