Conservation news snapshot May 2005

ALASKA: A judge in Anchorage recently upheld the continuation of aerial wolf killing programmes which will permit pilots to shoot around 600 wolves during the course of the winter.  This decision appears to have been based on a difference of opinion regarding numbers of wolves, with the State Game Board indicating higher numbers than believed by conservationists.  It is known that at least 210 wolves have been killed so far.  The aerial killing involves shooring from aircraft or chasing wolves to exhaustion and then landing and shooting them.  The Game Board is also considering proposals to more than double aerial killing programmes and to increase the areas where snow machine wolf hunting is permitted.  This is in spite of two votes by the citizens of Alaska in favour of the banning of aerial wolf hunting.  The objectives of the killings seem to be to wipe out 80% plus of the wolf population in order to boost moose numbers for hunters.

The alpha female of the Toklat pack in Denali National Park was killed by a trapper when she strayed a few hundred feet outside the border of a buffer zone around the park.  This leaves 10 wolves in the pack and observers reported that the killing of the female appears to have caused confusion and stress within the pack and the  alpha male repeatedly returned to the site of his mate's killing and howled.  It was however later reported that the alpha male had been seen in company with another female.

A knock on effect of the killing of the Toklat alpha female is that the pack may not produce any young this year and will not use den sites located close to the park road thereby reducing the chances of sightings by visitors in one of the few areas of the world where visitors are likely to see wild wolves.  Concerns regarding the stability of the pack remain..

BULGARIA: Wolves continue to be persecuted and an out of season hunt was recently organised to appease villagers in rural areas who alleged that their livestock were  being threatened by wolves who had been forced by bad weather to leave mountain areas in search of food.  A hunt master in the south west of the country alleged that a single wolf entered the village of Churichene and ate a 200kg pig  - some meal!! 

At least 30 wolves were killed during the official hunting season and wolf numbers continue to be disputed with hunters alleging much higher figures than is likely to be the case.

It has also been reported that patrols along the Greek border have complained of repeated sightings of packs of 10 to 11 wolves and have indicated that they are fearful of being attacked by these animals.

FINLAND: A female wolf collared by researchers in southern Norway was shot by a reindeer hunter in northern Finland and this has set a distance record as the collaring location and killing site were 660 miles apart as the crow flies.  The collar included a GPS which recorded around 4000 separate locations and it will eventually be possible to determine just how far the wolf actually wandered.

A Finnish inventor has applied for a patent to produce a special electrified dog coat (battery powered) which would send 1000 volts through any wolf which  attempted to bite through it.  Apparently each year in Finland 20 to 30 dogs are killed by wolves. 

ITALY: Complaints from farmers that livestock were being attacked by wild animals were given some credence when the body of a young wolf which had been struck by a car was discovered in the Castelli Romani National Park which is in close proximity to Rome.  Ecologists are delighted as this appears to demonstrate that Italian wolf packs are no longer confined to the Appenine mountains and that the wolf has been  making a comeback since protection laws were brought into force in 1976.

NORWAY: Despite having a population of around only 20 wolves in the country, the Norwegian Environmental Minister has sanctioned the shooting of 5 wolves on the basis that this was necessary in order to protect livestock and reindeer. However statistics indicate that in the whole of Scandanavia in 2004 the death of 544 sheep may have been attributable to wolves whereas 100,000 sheep from amongst flocks totalling 2 million animals died from other causes - mostly because they were left to graze unattended in remote areas.

The decision to allow the cull attracted strong local and international opposition and one of the designated hunters, a taxi driver in the town of Atna received death threats including a letter which read as follows:- "Dear degenerated wolf hunter.  You will be the next to fall.  We only have 24 wolves left. We have enough taxi drivers. We especially have enough of pigs like you.  When we are finished with our job there will be one less taxi driver in Atna. You can take this as an empty threat or you can watch your back when you are out among people".

It is known that at least 3 wolves have been shot and the internal debate in Norway continues.

ONTARIO: Officials in Ontario have announced that the hunting of wolves is to be banned between April and October in all areas of central and northern Ontario where wolves can be found.  This is to allow scientists hopefully, to carry out a close and detailed study of wolves.  Unfortunately hunting will continue all the year round in the south of the state.

SWEDEN: At a recently held symposium a representative of the Swedish government made it clear that it is their intention to allow the numbers of wolves within Sweden to increase, in contrast to neighbouring Norway where elimination of the wolf seems to be the government's intention.  As a preliminary goal the Swedish government wants to have at least 200 wolves within the country's borders.

An environmental study comparing the hunting success rate of Swedish wolves with those in US has demonstrated that when attacking moose Swedish wolves have a success rate of between 40 and 70% compared with the US wolf success rate of 13%.  This appears to be largely due to the fact that moose in Scandanavia are less adept at fighting back when attacked due to lack of experience as a result of drastically reduced wolf numbers.

The low numbers of wolves in Scandanavia has also led to the increase of smaller predators and to an imbalance in the ecological system.

USA: A judge in New Mexico has dismissed a complaint filed by several cattle and ranching organisations demanding the cessation of the re-introduction of the Mexican wolf. The judge decreed that the allegations of the ranchers were ill founded and lacked any basis in fact.  The current re-introduction programme commenced in 1998 in Arizona and New Mexico at a time when the species was facing extinction.  There seems to be grounds for hope for the future.

YELLOWSTONE: It is now just over 10 years since wolves were re-introduced to Yellowstone National Park and the success of this project has far exceeded even the most optimistic predictions.  Yellowstone's wolf population continues to grow with wolves moving into the adjacent areas of Wyoming and Montana.  Over 850 wolves now roam the US Rocky Mountains.  This has resulted in the return of a healthier eco-system, for example, because wolves prey on beaver, streamside trees have been allowed to grow undisturbed which in turn has produced shady habitats for trout.  This is only one small area where the re-introduction of wolves has made dramatic changes.  After just one decade it has become obvious that wolves are a cornerstone of the entire eco-system.

ROMANIA: It is estimated that Romania now has a population of around 3,500 wolves. This is a direct result of conservation programmes carried out by such organisations as the Carpathian Large Carnivore Project who have demonstrated that the presence of wolves attracts tourists and boosts local economics.  The conservation programmes have adequately demonstrated that humans and domestic livestock can co-exist with wolves without causing major problems.