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Beyond 2000:
Realities of Global Wolf Restoration
23-26 February 2000
Duluth, Minnesota USA
J. Henry Fair
Lu Carbyn (far left), IUCN Wolf Specialist,
Canada with Laurie Schaefer, Dave Mech.
Ludwig Carbyn, Canadian Wildlife Service, 4999 98th Avenue,
2nd Floor, Edmonton, AB T6B 2X3, Canada
From 1989 to 1999, a total of 310 days were spent within the Peace-Athabasca
delta of Wood Buffalo National Park studying the interactions of
wolves and bison. All work involved following the bison herds on
the ground and recording wolf predation strategies and bison anti-predator
and avoidance behavior. Observations have shown that in the initial
years wolves selected heavily for calves in early spring. In later
years, the wolf packs began to more frequently kill adults as well.
Observations also showed that in spring and summer wolves kill/injure
only l bison if they flee.
Bison that turn and defend themselves are not killed. In this
presentation I will give a brief summary of wolf killing techniques
and will show video footage demonstrating how the largest wild Canid
kills and consumes the largest land mammal of North America.
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