Wolf Legislation ~ What Wolves Offer Human’s
L.J. Fritch
08/08/11
Wolf Legislation Debate ~ What Wolves Offer Humans
The Legal Debate
The wolf legislation debate is back in the news and heating up. As you may recall back in 2008 the Bush Administration delisted the wolves of the Northern Rockies, removing the protections that the wolves were provide under the endangered species act. Shortly after Obama took office he relisted the wolves under the endanger species act, only to have the protect again removed when Montana Rep. Denny Rehberg to sidestep the protection of the wolves as dictated by the Endangered Species Act and the wolves were delisted by sidestepping the law and that is why on Aug. 5, 2010 ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Donald Molloy, overturned the ruling to delist the wolves and the wolves were returned to the protection they had under the Endangered Species Act at that time [7].
What we are seeing now, as of May 2011, is that bill to delist wolves was attached to a budget bill and “Despite opposition from some quarters, passage of the delisting measure and other so called “rider” bills was expected, even in the Democrat-controlled Senate, due to the budget deadline” [1]. As expected this caused a huge outcry in the conservation sector and this month, July 2011, “Wildlife advocates went to federal court Tuesday to challenge a move by Congress that stripped endangered species status from more than 1,300 gray wolves across five states in the Northern Rockies” [3]. However this time instead of the Obama administration correcting this attempt to slide wolf slaughter legislation through “The Obama administration announced plans last week to drop about 5,500 wolves in the Great Lakes and Northern Rockies from the endangered list, while reviewing the wolf’s status in other areas. Congress has already voted to lift protections from 1,300 wolves in the Northern Rockies [2].
Claims of those against wolf protection and for the delisting
What we see at play is fear, fear from the cattle industry that they lose money. They claim that the wolves pose a threat and that they fear they will kill their cattle. However, it has been proven that the wolves do not pose a real threat to the cattle that graze on federal and state lands, the real threat is that with the smell of the wolves in the air the cattle become more active and healthy active cattle weigh on average 60 to 80 lbs less than lethargic cattle, when you times that 60-80lbs by 5000 head of cattle it adds up. So what the debate is really about is loss of profit. Now enter the hunting industry who claims that the presents of wolves’ means healthy and active herds of elk and other ungulates; which translates into hunters having to “search” or actually “hunt” for their trophies. Since this truth does not offer either industry much persuasive propaganda and sympathy, both industries prey upon the fear of the uneducated. Using myth and fantasy to fuel their propaganda the offer tales of fear, they claim that the wolf is a fearless and indiscriminate killer that will kill their cattle, that they will kill hunters and then spread to towns posing a threat to children and people. While the sad truth is that the wolf is very timid and shy and that there is not one proven case of a healthy wild wolf in North America attacking a human; however there are over 50 documented cases of wild wolves caring for lost or abandoned children [5]. That fact is that wolves mate for life and live in loving and loyal family units; only the alpha pair mate and all members of the pack care for, feed and help raise the cubs. True they are predators and hunt for food; however unlike humans they do not hunt for sport, they only hunt for food [4].
Claims of those for wolf protection and against wolves being delisted
On the opposing side we have conservationists who use the wolves’ right to survive in their natural habitat and point out that there are less than 30% of the wolves today that are needed to provide a sustainable number of wolf pack without the threat that extinction in the wild again. They attempt to educate the public and to use emotion to gain the support. Unfortunately the emotion of seeing pictures of a dozen or more of slaughter wolves and wolf cubs do not outweigh the fear tactics that those in favor of wolf slaughter are using.
The Debate Made Simple
The debate appears to be a battle that involves the cattle farmers and sportsmen verses conservationist. The reasons may also appear very straight forward; against wolves are the cattle farmers who claim to lose money if wolves are around joined by the sportsmen who have to search for their large game instead of being able to easily find them; also supported by people who fear the wolf based on myth. For wolf conservation, wolf lovers and conservationists that say that the wolves have a right to survive; some offering research showing that wolves make the ecosystem healthier with more biodiversity. However these arguments, although emotionally charged, fall short of the big picture. Social research can help us determine the population that is in support or against wolves, their demographics and reasons; but the real question needs to include a scientific component left out by these arguments. What does a healthy ecosystem with wolves in it do for us and do the costs outweigh the benefits?
Discussion and Questions
The first things people want to know is are wolves dangerous? Will they seek out and attack humans or pose a threat to us? Are they indiscriminative killers? The answer to all three of these questions is a resounding NO. Wild wolves do not pose a threat to humans, and while they are predators they are not indiscriminative killers. What they are is an animal that mates for life and lives in close nit social and loyal family groups, and unlike humans they hunt for food in order to survive and not for sport. They are very timid and do not seek out humans [4].
Do wolves help or hurt the ecosystems they live in? They have been proven to restore balance and biodiversity to the ecosystem restoring ecosystem health. Does the health and biodiversity of an ecosystem affect us? Yes, the health and biodiversity of an ecosystem has a dramatic and direct affect on humans ([7]. Understanding the affects that an unhealthy ecosystem verses a healthy has will answer the question of wolf preservation for us. A healthy ecosystem reduces the transfer and spread of diseases that are harmful to humans [7]. An unhealthy ecosystem supports and in fact multiplies the zoonotic diseases that affect humans causing them to spread faster and further. Disease such as West Nile Virus, Avian Flu, and Lyme disease are a few examples of these diseases that we have seen spread and have been more pronounced due to the lack of biodiversity [7]. Scientist have discovered and proven that the species loss and biodiversity loss do in fact directly and dramatically affect the spread of disease. Our ecosystems, when healthy help protect us from outbreaks of and spread of many zoonotic diseases, we are just beginning to fully understand all of the important roles that a healthy ecosystem play. In the past, an error has been to think that we are separate from and not affected by the natural world around us. We are learning that this is not the case; we cannot replicate the vast number of significant benefits that a healthy ecosystem offers.
What Wolves Offer Humans
Understanding how wolves affect the ecosystem and what role they play with regard to the biodiversity within that ecosystem is vital. Research shows the benefits that wolves have on the ecosystem; however it is equally as important to look at the larger picture as it applies to humans. What effect does a lack of biodiversity, which is associated with a reduced or absent number of wolves, have on humans and more specifically human diseases? The answer to that question was astounding and supports the protection of these animals. It was originally thought that as we reduced or lost species due to lack of biodiversity, that we would also lose some of the diseases, but what is being discovered is that species of birds that are lost as a result of habitat destruction by over grazing in the absence of the wolf, are allowing the species of birds that are better carriers for disease to take their place their by spreading avian diseases faster and further than ever before [7]. Another small example offered by Sachs is in looking at a healthy ecosystem, a deer tick’s first host is most “likely to be opossum, raccoon, ground bird, or other non mouse species” which are considered dead-end hosts and do not pass the disease along to humans. However, if the ecosystem lacks biodiversity and is not in balance the deer ticks first host is most likely to a white-foot mouse, and Sachs states that “in much of the United States, up to 80 percent of white-footed mice carry this disease causing bacterium, which they pass to deer and humans via the bite of infected ticks” [7]. This is the way that Lyme disease id being spread. When wolves are absent, coyotes dramatically increase in numbers preying on small mammals like the opossum and raccoon; in addition with the absence of wolves the vegetation needed to support ground birds is destroyed by over grazed of deer, elk and other ungulates; which dramatically recues the number of bird species as well as reducing the fox population, owls and other small predators which in turn causes an increases the population of white-foot mice. These small and simple changes at the bottom of the food chain affect us and are affected by the wolf which has been proven by studying the effects that wolves had on the ecosystem after being reintroduced in Yellowstone National Park. Connecting all of the pieces allows us to form a more educated view and allows us to take the emotion out of this topic.
Knowing that we depend on a healthy ecosystem for the control of diseases among other things, the ethical issue of do no harm comes into effect. In order to control the spread of zoonotic diseases we need to restore the ecosystem to a healthy state and promote biodiversity. All evidence points to the fact that predators, such as wolves naturally restore and maintain a healthy ecosystem [6]. Failure to protect the wolf is in fact failing protecting our selves; there by placing humans in harm’s way.
[1] Alingod, K.(2011) Conservationists challenge Congress in wolf delisting bill. Retrieved: http://gantdaily.com/2011/07/27/conservationists-challenge-congress-in-wolf-delisting-bill/
[2] Associated Press (2011) Gray wolf legislation introduced in Congress. Retrieved: http://www.wnmufm.org/2011/05/12/gray-wolf-legislation-introduced-in-congress
[3] Brown, M (2011) Advocates challenge wolf law. Retrieved: http://m.spokesman.com/stories/2011/jul/27/advocates-challenge-wolf-law/
[4] Dutcher, J. (2005) Living With Wolves. Discovery Film DVD
[5] Grimaud, H (2006) Wild Harmonies. Penguin Group Publishing, N.Y.,N.Y.
[6] Johnson, R. (2001) An Action Bioscience. Retrieved, http://www.actionbioscience.org/biodiversity/johnson.html
[7] Sachs, J "A Dose of Diversity"National Wildlife Federation August/September 2010 Volume 48 number 5 . pages 22-41
L.J. Fritch
08/08/11
Wolf Legislation Debate ~ What Wolves Offer Humans
The Legal Debate
The wolf legislation debate is back in the news and heating up. As you may recall back in 2008 the Bush Administration delisted the wolves of the Northern Rockies, removing the protections that the wolves were provide under the endangered species act. Shortly after Obama took office he relisted the wolves under the endanger species act, only to have the protect again removed when Montana Rep. Denny Rehberg to sidestep the protection of the wolves as dictated by the Endangered Species Act and the wolves were delisted by sidestepping the law and that is why on Aug. 5, 2010 ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Donald Molloy, overturned the ruling to delist the wolves and the wolves were returned to the protection they had under the Endangered Species Act at that time [7].
What we are seeing now, as of May 2011, is that bill to delist wolves was attached to a budget bill and “Despite opposition from some quarters, passage of the delisting measure and other so called “rider” bills was expected, even in the Democrat-controlled Senate, due to the budget deadline” [1]. As expected this caused a huge outcry in the conservation sector and this month, July 2011, “Wildlife advocates went to federal court Tuesday to challenge a move by Congress that stripped endangered species status from more than 1,300 gray wolves across five states in the Northern Rockies” [3]. However this time instead of the Obama administration correcting this attempt to slide wolf slaughter legislation through “The Obama administration announced plans last week to drop about 5,500 wolves in the Great Lakes and Northern Rockies from the endangered list, while reviewing the wolf’s status in other areas. Congress has already voted to lift protections from 1,300 wolves in the Northern Rockies [2].
Claims of those against wolf protection and for the delisting
What we see at play is fear, fear from the cattle industry that they lose money. They claim that the wolves pose a threat and that they fear they will kill their cattle. However, it has been proven that the wolves do not pose a real threat to the cattle that graze on federal and state lands, the real threat is that with the smell of the wolves in the air the cattle become more active and healthy active cattle weigh on average 60 to 80 lbs less than lethargic cattle, when you times that 60-80lbs by 5000 head of cattle it adds up. So what the debate is really about is loss of profit. Now enter the hunting industry who claims that the presents of wolves’ means healthy and active herds of elk and other ungulates; which translates into hunters having to “search” or actually “hunt” for their trophies. Since this truth does not offer either industry much persuasive propaganda and sympathy, both industries prey upon the fear of the uneducated. Using myth and fantasy to fuel their propaganda the offer tales of fear, they claim that the wolf is a fearless and indiscriminate killer that will kill their cattle, that they will kill hunters and then spread to towns posing a threat to children and people. While the sad truth is that the wolf is very timid and shy and that there is not one proven case of a healthy wild wolf in North America attacking a human; however there are over 50 documented cases of wild wolves caring for lost or abandoned children [5]. That fact is that wolves mate for life and live in loving and loyal family units; only the alpha pair mate and all members of the pack care for, feed and help raise the cubs. True they are predators and hunt for food; however unlike humans they do not hunt for sport, they only hunt for food [4].
Claims of those for wolf protection and against wolves being delisted
On the opposing side we have conservationists who use the wolves’ right to survive in their natural habitat and point out that there are less than 30% of the wolves today that are needed to provide a sustainable number of wolf pack without the threat that extinction in the wild again. They attempt to educate the public and to use emotion to gain the support. Unfortunately the emotion of seeing pictures of a dozen or more of slaughter wolves and wolf cubs do not outweigh the fear tactics that those in favor of wolf slaughter are using.
The Debate Made Simple
The debate appears to be a battle that involves the cattle farmers and sportsmen verses conservationist. The reasons may also appear very straight forward; against wolves are the cattle farmers who claim to lose money if wolves are around joined by the sportsmen who have to search for their large game instead of being able to easily find them; also supported by people who fear the wolf based on myth. For wolf conservation, wolf lovers and conservationists that say that the wolves have a right to survive; some offering research showing that wolves make the ecosystem healthier with more biodiversity. However these arguments, although emotionally charged, fall short of the big picture. Social research can help us determine the population that is in support or against wolves, their demographics and reasons; but the real question needs to include a scientific component left out by these arguments. What does a healthy ecosystem with wolves in it do for us and do the costs outweigh the benefits?
Discussion and Questions
The first things people want to know is are wolves dangerous? Will they seek out and attack humans or pose a threat to us? Are they indiscriminative killers? The answer to all three of these questions is a resounding NO. Wild wolves do not pose a threat to humans, and while they are predators they are not indiscriminative killers. What they are is an animal that mates for life and lives in close nit social and loyal family groups, and unlike humans they hunt for food in order to survive and not for sport. They are very timid and do not seek out humans [4].
Do wolves help or hurt the ecosystems they live in? They have been proven to restore balance and biodiversity to the ecosystem restoring ecosystem health. Does the health and biodiversity of an ecosystem affect us? Yes, the health and biodiversity of an ecosystem has a dramatic and direct affect on humans ([7]. Understanding the affects that an unhealthy ecosystem verses a healthy has will answer the question of wolf preservation for us. A healthy ecosystem reduces the transfer and spread of diseases that are harmful to humans [7]. An unhealthy ecosystem supports and in fact multiplies the zoonotic diseases that affect humans causing them to spread faster and further. Disease such as West Nile Virus, Avian Flu, and Lyme disease are a few examples of these diseases that we have seen spread and have been more pronounced due to the lack of biodiversity [7]. Scientist have discovered and proven that the species loss and biodiversity loss do in fact directly and dramatically affect the spread of disease. Our ecosystems, when healthy help protect us from outbreaks of and spread of many zoonotic diseases, we are just beginning to fully understand all of the important roles that a healthy ecosystem play. In the past, an error has been to think that we are separate from and not affected by the natural world around us. We are learning that this is not the case; we cannot replicate the vast number of significant benefits that a healthy ecosystem offers.
What Wolves Offer Humans
Understanding how wolves affect the ecosystem and what role they play with regard to the biodiversity within that ecosystem is vital. Research shows the benefits that wolves have on the ecosystem; however it is equally as important to look at the larger picture as it applies to humans. What effect does a lack of biodiversity, which is associated with a reduced or absent number of wolves, have on humans and more specifically human diseases? The answer to that question was astounding and supports the protection of these animals. It was originally thought that as we reduced or lost species due to lack of biodiversity, that we would also lose some of the diseases, but what is being discovered is that species of birds that are lost as a result of habitat destruction by over grazing in the absence of the wolf, are allowing the species of birds that are better carriers for disease to take their place their by spreading avian diseases faster and further than ever before [7]. Another small example offered by Sachs is in looking at a healthy ecosystem, a deer tick’s first host is most “likely to be opossum, raccoon, ground bird, or other non mouse species” which are considered dead-end hosts and do not pass the disease along to humans. However, if the ecosystem lacks biodiversity and is not in balance the deer ticks first host is most likely to a white-foot mouse, and Sachs states that “in much of the United States, up to 80 percent of white-footed mice carry this disease causing bacterium, which they pass to deer and humans via the bite of infected ticks” [7]. This is the way that Lyme disease id being spread. When wolves are absent, coyotes dramatically increase in numbers preying on small mammals like the opossum and raccoon; in addition with the absence of wolves the vegetation needed to support ground birds is destroyed by over grazed of deer, elk and other ungulates; which dramatically recues the number of bird species as well as reducing the fox population, owls and other small predators which in turn causes an increases the population of white-foot mice. These small and simple changes at the bottom of the food chain affect us and are affected by the wolf which has been proven by studying the effects that wolves had on the ecosystem after being reintroduced in Yellowstone National Park. Connecting all of the pieces allows us to form a more educated view and allows us to take the emotion out of this topic.
Knowing that we depend on a healthy ecosystem for the control of diseases among other things, the ethical issue of do no harm comes into effect. In order to control the spread of zoonotic diseases we need to restore the ecosystem to a healthy state and promote biodiversity. All evidence points to the fact that predators, such as wolves naturally restore and maintain a healthy ecosystem [6]. Failure to protect the wolf is in fact failing protecting our selves; there by placing humans in harm’s way.
[1] Alingod, K.(2011) Conservationists challenge Congress in wolf delisting bill. Retrieved: http://gantdaily.com/2011/07/27/conservationists-challenge-congress-in-wolf-delisting-bill/
[2] Associated Press (2011) Gray wolf legislation introduced in Congress. Retrieved: http://www.wnmufm.org/2011/05/12/gray-wolf-legislation-introduced-in-congress
[3] Brown, M (2011) Advocates challenge wolf law. Retrieved: http://m.spokesman.com/stories/2011/jul/27/advocates-challenge-wolf-law/
[4] Dutcher, J. (2005) Living With Wolves. Discovery Film DVD
[5] Grimaud, H (2006) Wild Harmonies. Penguin Group Publishing, N.Y.,N.Y.
[6] Johnson, R. (2001) An Action Bioscience. Retrieved, http://www.actionbioscience.org/biodiversity/johnson.html
[7] Sachs, J "A Dose of Diversity"National Wildlife Federation August/September 2010 Volume 48 number 5 . pages 22-41