Reintroduction of Wolves
Presidential Address: Reintroduction of Wolves
Wolves are highly adaptable and very necessary for our ecosystem. This controversial yet compelling animal was once naturally living in most of North America gracing the environment with its presence. The wolf is a symbol of wilderness and freedom, but unfortunately for hunters in the early 19th century, the wolf would become a hunting game, leading to extinction in United States. One of the main concerns of wolf reintroduction was the unbalanced ecosystem that began to flourish as an outcome of the main predator, taking its toll on other creatures and overall unsustainably in all of Yellowstone National Park. It wasn’t until mid-1990’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) with the help of scientists and biologists, advocated for a wolf reintroduction program within the Endangered Species Act. This was the first step to successfully begin the rebalancing the ecosystem by bringing back the wolves in Yellowstone National Park. (Region) This was a wildly controversial idea to the surrounding neighbors of the park, being the second main concern to the issue of reintroduction. With a lot of effort and research, in 1995 the wolves from Canada were relocated to the park where they thrived and the population grew successfully. A journey of hope and fear, lasting nearly two decades of careful examination on impacts of reintroduction was finally flourishing. Thus creating a lasting impact on our ecosystem and building confidence in wildlife and resource management. It is important to understand that wolves were reintroduced to create a healthy balance in the ecosystems. Trained biologists viewed the exponentially increasing elk population over the years and how it impacted other natural ecosystems as a threat and imbalance. The wolf being the top predator in the food chain would be the only viable natural solution to control the elk population, because in the park it would be the wolves’ main prey. In addition, with
Wolves are highly adaptable and very necessary for our ecosystem. This controversial yet compelling animal was once naturally living in most of North America gracing the environment with its presence. The wolf is a symbol of wilderness and freedom, but unfortunately for hunters in the early 19th century, the wolf would become a hunting game, leading to extinction in United States. One of the main concerns of wolf reintroduction was the unbalanced ecosystem that began to flourish as an outcome of the main predator, taking its toll on other creatures and overall unsustainably in all of Yellowstone National Park. It wasn’t until mid-1990’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) with the help of scientists and biologists, advocated for a wolf reintroduction program within the Endangered Species Act. This was the first step to successfully begin the rebalancing the ecosystem by bringing back the wolves in Yellowstone National Park. (Region) This was a wildly controversial idea to the surrounding neighbors of the park, being the second main concern to the issue of reintroduction. With a lot of effort and research, in 1995 the wolves from Canada were relocated to the park where they thrived and the population grew successfully. A journey of hope and fear, lasting nearly two decades of careful examination on impacts of reintroduction was finally flourishing. Thus creating a lasting impact on our ecosystem and building confidence in wildlife and resource management. It is important to understand that wolves were reintroduced to create a healthy balance in the ecosystems. Trained biologists viewed the exponentially increasing elk population over the years and how it impacted other natural ecosystems as a threat and imbalance. The wolf being the top predator in the food chain would be the only viable natural solution to control the elk population, because in the park it would be the wolves’ main prey. In addition, with
Bibliography: Region. "A Friend of Wolves for Decades | Earthjustice." Earthjustice: Environmental Law: Because the Earth Needs a Good Lawyer | Earthjustice. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Oct. 2013. . Smith, Douglas W., and Gary Ferguson. Decade of the wolf: returning the wild to Yellowstone. Guilford, Conn.: Lyons Press, 2005. Print. "Video: Hunting Wolves, Saving Wolves | Watch NOW on PBS Online | PBS Video ." Watch PBS Online | PBS Video . N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Oct. 2013. .