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Should Wolves in the Northern Rockies Be Removed from the Endangered Species List?
by Amaroq Weiss
In a January 2007 announcement, Deputy Secretary of the Interior Lynn Scarlett proposed removing
wolves in the Northern Rockies from the endangered species list in about a year, after appropriate legal procedures.
Such "delisting" signifies that wolf populations in the affected areas have recovered to the point where
they are no longer either endangered or threatened. It ends federal protection of the animals and turns wolf
management over to individual states. The following articles present important viewpoints on what delisting
would mean for the recovery of wolf populations.
Wolves in the Classroom
Engaging Students' Interest in the Natural World
by Roberta Pomponio
Iam a middle-school teacher in an affluent suburban school system 30 miles outside
of Washington, DC. The majority of my seventh-grade students live in a fast-paced world
of cell phones, iPods, MP3 players, high-speed Internet, HDTV, a medley of electronic gizmos
that I don't understand, and after-school activities that keep them busy from 3:30 to 9:00 p.m.
I also have students whose parents are working two and three jobs to support their families.
Thus, it is a challenge to find a topic that engages all types of learners from all socioeconomic
groups. The wolf is the common denominator that levels the academic playing field.
Ontario Experiences Cluster of Wolf-Human Encounters
by Steve Grooms
The most significant fact about wolf aggression toward humans
is how rare it is. And yet wolves sometimes threaten or attack people.
The province of Ontario recorded a surprising cluster of unpleasant wolfhuman
interactions in 2006 and early 2007. Some involved wolf attacks,
and all involved wolves behaving atypically fearlessly toward humans.
Only one incident received much public attention. In that dramatic
but confusing event, a single wolf attacked six people on September 4,
2006. The attacks took place at two popular beaches in Ontario's Lake
Superior Provincial Park, south of Wawa.
by Walter Medwid
This issue of International Wolf contains an article describing a number of wolfhuman
encounters in Ontario last year. We should view that article in context.
The mission of the International Wolf Center is to educate people about
wolves. It never has been to "promote" wolves so much as to promote a better understanding
of wolves so that the decisions we make about their management are
informed, as opposed to the many decisions we've made that have been fear- or
ignorance-based. In the early days, there was so much uninformed hostility to wolves
that our primary message had to be: this is a misunderstood animal that deserves
its rightful place in our ecosystems. But then, as now, we always tried to tell the whole
story, including parts that are not "pro-wolf," like depredation on livestock
or domestic pets.
What's for Dinner?
by Lori Schmidt, Wolf Curator, International Wolf Center
Visitors to the International Wolf Center's captive wolf exhibit often ask about the
pack's diet. The Center feeds the wolves natural prey including road-killed
deer and beaver that are purchased from local trappers. The wolves are fed
weekly, usually a large deer carcass or several beavers, and are allowed to interact
socially over the food.
WOLVES OF ISRAEL
"Security Barrier" Means More Livestock Losses in Israel
In 1954, six years after the State of Israel was established, the government
enacted the Wild Animals' Protection Law, a novel regulation protecting all but
one of the 17 carnivore species in the country, including the wolf. Only the jackal remained
officially listed as a "pest," and this exemption from legal protection
proved to be a mistake. In an attempt to eliminate jackals, pest control officers
in the Ministry of Agriculture organized a wide-scale poisoning campaign. Because other animals were
wiped out by the misguided plan, the jackal was subsequently added to the list of protected carnivores.
WOLVES IN THE GERMANY
Increasing Wolf Numbers Stir Up Familiar Controversies
Wolves were exterminated in Germany in the 19th century, although individual
dispersers have wandered from time to time across the border from Poland. German reunification in 1990
led to protected status for the wolf, and in 1998 a wolf that had established territory on a military training
base in the Upper Lusatia region of northern Saxony was joined by a mate. The pair produced pups in 2000, an
event widely covered by the media and celebrated by conservationists.
What If?
by Bruce Weide
This article is adapted from a version that appeared in Wild Sentry's
newsletter, Winter 2006.
This is a test. Please, before you flame Wild Sentry for irreverence,
read on. Because, this is a test. In a sense, you could call it a
final exam.
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