Research paper

Research paper

Introduction

Can you imagine a world without any animals? No birds to listen to or watch fly around. No fish to watch jump or swim. This may seem extreme, but it could in fact happen if more and more animals are allowed to become extinct. One animal in particular is the Gray Wolf. This animal is currently on the United States endangered species list and is being threatened into extinction everyday. The extinction of this animal is a very serious subject and should be seen as one example of the larger problem at hand and how it can be stopped because of ecological effects and the importance of conservation.

Discussion

The Gray Wolf has been seen as a savage killer to most for decades. Stories such as "Little Red Riding Hood" give this animal a bad name. The general public sees this animal as a hostile and dangerous animal so they fear it. In Europe and Asia, there are many stories of wolves attacking people; a rumor that adds to the fear. Farmers and hunters have killed the wolves until very few remain. The reason for this is that they thought the animals were killing their livestock and hunting game. This was not the case. "The number of livestock killed each year by wolves is still being studied, although some biologists say wolves are responsible for only about one percent of total livestock loss across the United States, bud individual ranchers who are particularly close to wolf territory are likely hit harder."1 Researchers have shown that wolves usually take livestock only when wild prey is unavailable. Ever since the wolves have been become the prey to the people, other problems have arose.

One of those problems is the rise in deer herds around the areas where wolves once lived. In the areas where all the wolves have been killed, deer herds have grown so large that after a bad winter, thousands of deer die of starvation. To fix this problem, wolves are being reintroduced into the areas where they once lived. One example is the repopulation of Gray Wolf in Yellowstone National Park. "The Northern Rocky Mountain Recovery Plan of 1980 encouraged natural recovery combined with reintroduction to restore populations in and around Yellowstone National Park. A revised recovery plan was produced in 1987 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service which helped to define criteria by which wolf populations could be considered recovered, and recommended "experimental population" provision to promote public acceptance of gray wolf reintroduction into Yellowstone. In 1991-92, Congress directed the Fish and Wildlife Service to work toward alternatives to and new methods of wolf reintroduction. A recovered population in Yellowstone was projected to kill 19 cattle, 68 sheep and 1,200 ungulates, primarily elk, annually, figures that are encouraging to efforts to continue such programs."2 The wolves also help keep the deer population healthy and under control in many parts of the United States. Unfortunately, many people do not want the wolves to return and are fighting to stop ...