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December 22, 2011
Contact:
Tom Myrick, Communications Director
(763) 560-7374 (ext. 225)
763-567-1907 (cell)
tmyrick@wolf.org
www.wolf.org
International Wolf Center looks beyond delisting to greater issues
In a December 21 media teleconference, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
announced a federal decision to delist wolves from the Endangered Species List in the
Midwest and fielded hot-button questions, including whether a wolf hunting season will
be part of the Minnesota wolf management plan.
Although plans are not set, according to state law, a wolf hunt could begin in
Minnesota as early as fall, 2012. When asked by media representatives if a wolf hunt
would complicate the social structure of wolf packs and result in low pup-survival
rates or orphaned pups not learning necessary survival skills, noted wolf biologist
Dr. Dave Mech replied that research doesn't support that conclusion. "Most of what
wolves require behaviorally for survival is instinctual for wolves. They don't need
to be taught by the parents." Research shows that young wolves can survive on their
own by September, at four-to-six months of age.
"This option of hunting is the most hotly debated issue at the moment," says Mary
Ortiz, executive director at the International Wolf Center, and who was asked to
participate in the Q & A teleconference call by the DNR. "But what's missing in this
conversation-what has been overlooked during this entire decade's long debate -is the
issue of wildlands and habitat preservation. It is impossible to guarantee long-term
wolf population sustainability without habitat preservation and security," says Ortiz,
"and while the states now have control over such issues as managing problem wolves,
no one is really addressing the essential problem of habitat."
According to the Center, wolves are top carnivores that require considerable space
in order to thrive. "Wolves need large tracts of natural lands with adequate and
sustainable levels of wild prey and safety from humans," explains Jess Edberg,
information services director at the Center. "The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
and Voyageurs National Park, combined, provide a natural sanctuary for wolves. However
we have less and less of that suitable space in the Western Great Lakes region as
wolf populations grow and encroach on areas populated by humans, and as human development
encroaches on current wolf habitat."
The question of habitat is further compounded by the fact that the majority of
wildlands are in the hands of private owners. One of the big, unasked and unanswered
questions is how can wolf management officials and organizations work with private
landowners to cultivate and maintain adequate habitat? Furthermore, what happens to
these tracts of lands when the owners pass on ownership to their heirs?
"Of course we need to be asking the tough questions about the facts of lethal and
non-lethal wolf-control choices, as well as the emotional and social impact of such
issues as a wolf hunting season," explained Jerritt Johnston, education director at
the Center. "As educators, our niche requires us to air all sides of the issue, while
remaining neutral, so others can make informed decisions. That includes asking questions
no one else is raising."
The Center is listed in the Minnesota wolf management plan as the foremost educational
resource and collaborates with the DNR to provide wolf education materials and resources.
The federal delisting rule will be published on December 28, and the DNR will
reassume management of Minnesota's estimated 3,000 wolves a month later, on January
27, 2012.
Important links:
- www.wolf.org (The official International
Wolf Center Web site)
The International Wolf Center advances the survival of wolf populations by teaching
about wolves, their relationship to wildlands and the human role in their future.
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