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Current Issues on Grey Wolves

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Current Issues on Grey Wolves
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For quite a long time now an increased concern of wildlife has developed. This includes protection, conservation, global warming and the most important factor: our very own impact on the flora and fauna on this Earth.
After some steady research in the extinction and diseases of wildlife I have discovered there are a lot of problems, some are man-made but a lot are unknown or natural. Which is interesting in itself, does this mean that all wildlife will soon die off no matter how hard we try to maintain it? Or does it mean we are not doing our part as protectors of the wild? What does that even mean to be a protector of wild? Isn’t that contradicting the very concept of being “wild?”
The Grey/Gray American Wolf or common wolf is one of the largest members of the dog family. Surprisingly the Grey wolf is not actually grey; the coat can actually vary from shades of white to black. The Grey wolf looks similar to a domestic dog, with a strong body, a heavy head, wide temple and a very predominant jaw. The size of a wolf depends on the environment it resides in, Northern wolves are predominantly bigger. Wolves live in linked families which include the parents, their offspring and sometimes adoptee wolves. The way wolves communicate is by howling, whines, barks, growls, and even body posture. They only hunt things that are not considered food if it is seen as a major threat and prefer wild prey. Although the Grey wolf is one of the largest in the dog family, their numbers have greatly decreased. These decreasing numbers have been caused by generally by humans. These activities include destruction to its habitat, hunting, human intrusion, etc. The main problem with Grey wolves is the fact that they are being removed from the endangered species list. The Grey wolf was on the brink of extinction in 2011and was removed from the list earlier this year. This is because people are beginning to feel them as a threat to their communities and felt



Cited: Crocker, Lizzy. “The Grey’: Hollywood’s Big Bad Wolf Slammed by Animal-Rights Groups.” The Daily Beast. 29 Jan. 2012. Web. 28 April 2012. <http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/01/29/the-grey-hollywood-s-big-bad-wolf-slammed-by-animal-rights-groups.html>. Austin Hill. “Obama, Senators, Coyotes and Wolves.” State Brief Blog. 5 Sept. 2010. Web. 25 April 2012. <http://www.statebrief.com/briefblog/2010/09/05/obama-senators-coyotes-and-wolves/>. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services. “News, Information and Recovery Status Reports.” Federal Wildlife Services. 30 April 2012. Web. 25 April 2012. < http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/species/mammals/wolf/>. Emma Marris. “US states strive to cull grey wolves.” Nature International Weekly Journal of Science.18 Feb. 2011. Web. 25 April 2012. <http://www.nature.com/news/2011/180211/full/news.2011.106.html>. Enviormental Action. “Killing Wolves is not Cool.” Environmental Action. 2011. Web. 25 April 2012. <http://environmental-action.org/action/killing-wolves-not-cool>. Liz Klimas. “Epic Movie ‘The Grey’ Misrepresenting Wolves as Predators Against Humans?.” The Blaze. 30 Jan. 2012. Feb. 25 April 2012. <http://www.theblaze.com/stories/is-epic-movie-the-grey-misrepresenting-wolves-as-predators-against-humans/>. Marc Silver. “Would Real Wolves Act Like the Wolves of ‘The Grey’?.” National Geographic.3 Feb 2012. Web. 25 April 2012. <http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2012/02/03/would-real-wolves-act-like-the-wolves-of-the-grey/>. Cian O’Luanaigh. “Grey Wolves Regain Protected Status.” News Scientist. 9 Aug.2010. Web. 25 April 2012. <http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19281-grey-wolves-regain-protected-status.html>.

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