Driven towards extinction

Wolves once inhabited all North America. Their present range is only 3% of its former extent in the United States outside of Alaska (Bailey, 1978; Fuller et al., 1992 cited in Mladenoff, 1995). Wolves in the northeast United States were extirpated by the late 1800's (Wydeven et al., 1998). In the northwest United States eradication of the wolf via bounty hunters, poisoning and trapping was in full force in the early 1900's. By 1930 wolf populations had disappeared from Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming (Bangs and Fritts, 1996).

Wolf decline is just part of a larger, negative trend where human pressure on species is both direct and indirect: overexploitation, habitat modification, and destruction (Ehrlich, 1995). The near total elimination of this natural top predator represents a greater problem in which humanity is forcing increasing numbers of species towards extinction. Estimates suggest that at least 10 percent of species now living, and perhaps as many as 20 percent, will be driven to extinction in the next twenty to fifty years (Dobson, 1996). The large carnivores in North America, cougars, wolves, and grizzly bears, were extirpated at an unprecedented rapid rate within just a few decades after European settlement (Noss, 1994). The grizzly bear and gray wolf have both been eliminated from over 90 percent of their ranges in the lower 48 states (Noss, 1994). The wolf has also been eliminated from 15% of its historical range in Canada, 100% in Mexico, and 25% in Europe and Asia. The gray wolf is presently distributed throughout the United States such that about 2,450 wolves are in Minnesota, 266 in Wisconsin, 216 in Michigan, 29 on Isle Royale, 118 in Yellowstone National Park, 141 in central Idaho, 12 mexican wolves are in Arizona, and 9 mexican wolves in New Mexico (www.wolf.org).

The presence of these large carnivores is important because they may play keystone roles in natural ecosystems. As people began to notice the biological importance of wolves and the damage that had been done to this species, the attitude toward wolves shifted again. Predators were promoted for maintaining a balance in nature (Estes, 1996), and therefore something had to be done so the wolf would not be gone forever.

The concern for the ecological balance of the natural ecosystem in conjunction with the mission of the Endangered Species Act has resulted in the reintroduction of the wolf. The Endangered Species Act (ESA), passed in 1973 and amended in 1978, was established to stop, or at least slow, the rate of species extinction due to human intervention and help preserve what little natural environment remains in the United States (Dobson, 1996). According to the Unites States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the gray wolf (Canis lupus) is endangered in CO, ID, MI, MT, ND, SD, WA, WI, WY and threatened in MN. The red wolf (Canis rufus) is endangered in NC, and TN and is presumed extinct in the wild except experimental populations in NC and TN. The Ethiopian wolf, Simien fox (Canis simensis) is endangered in Ethiopia. The decision to list a species as endangered is made by the Secretary of the Interior, following the recommendation of the Fish and Wildlife Service, when any one of the five conditions is met: (1) the destruction of its habitat is in progress or threatened; (2) the species is being overexploited (individuals are being killed faster then they can be replaced) for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes; (3) it is suffering losses from disease or predation; (4) existing laws and regulations are inadequate to protect the species; (5) there are "other natural or manmade factors affecting its continued existence" (Dobson, 1996). Once a species is listed as threatened or endangered, the ESA requires that a recovery plan be made to restore the species to a level where it is safe from extinction. For more information on the ESA, visit the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Endangered Species Bulletin.

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