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Author Topic: WDFW Wolf Story  (Read 2404 times)

Offline wolfbait

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WDFW Wolf Story
« on: March 20, 2010, 03:50:14 PM »
Gray Wolf Conservation and Management

Frequently Asked Questions About Wolves in Washington

Why do we want wolves in Washington? Won’t they just eat all our elk and deer?
How do we keep wolves from eating livestock?
Do wolves have tapeworms that can spread to other animals and people?
When did you reintroduce wolves into Washington?
What land use restrictions come with wolves?
I think I saw a wolf, but how do I know for sure?
I know I saw a wolf, so where do I report it?
Will wolves attack people?
Will wolves attack dogs?
Will Washington have a hunting season on wolves someday?
How much will wolf management cost?
Why do we want wolves in Washington? Won’t they just eat all our elk and deer?

Wolves are a part of Washington’s wildlife heritage. As a top predator, they naturally help keep wild ungulate (elk, deer, moose) populations in balance with available habitat. Like other predators, such as cougars, bears, and coyotes, it’s in their own best interest to not deplete their own supply of prey. Predator-prey balances are maintained over time, with highs and lows in populations of both.

Elk populations in other states with wolves (ID, MT, WY) have mostly remained stable, although some have declined in a few areas where wolves were just one of several mortality factors. Based on other states’ experiences with wolves, Washington might expect  200 wolves to take up to 2,520 elk and  4,180 deer per year (recreational hunters currently average 7,390 elk and 38,100 deer per year).

How do we keep wolves from eating livestock?

Some wolves in some areas have learned that livestock can be easy prey. Proactive measures can be taken to protect livestock (guarding and herding animals, range riders, wolf-targeted fencing, night penning, livestock carcass removal, etc.) Under the draft wolf management plan, such measures are encouraged with state technical assistance, along with allowances for non-lethal harassment and even lethal control of wolves that cause problems for livestock producers.  While wolves are re-establishing in Washington, compensation is available for livestock losses from wolf depredation.

Overall, confirmed wolf depredation on livestock in other states with wolves (ID, MT, WY) is low compared to losses from other predators like coyotes, weather or disease, but impacts to individual livestock producers can be significant.

Do wolves have tapeworms that can spread to other animals and people?

The Echinoccus granulosus tapeworm is found almost worldwide in canids, including wolves, dogs, coyotes, and foxes. The eggs of this tapeworm are spread in canid feces.  Wild and domestic ungulates (deer, elk, moose, sheep, goats, swine, etc.) are the normal intermediate hosts, carrying a cyst form in their organs. When canids (including dogs) feed on these infected organs, they become tapeworm hosts. (For life-cycle information, see http://www.dpd.cdc.gov/DPDx/html/Echinococcosis.htm. )

Humans are very rarely infected.  Humans would have to ingest tapeworm eggs in canid feces or drink water contaminated with canid feces. It is extremely unlikely to be spread by handling ungulate capes or meat, unless those parts are contaminated with canid feces and handlers do not use good basic hygiene. Likewise, if a pet dog rolled in feces infected with tapeworm eggs, good hygiene is required after handling the dog. Humans cannot be infected by ingesting cysts found in ungulates. These parasitic tapeworms are not wind-born  nor transmitted in any way other than direct ingestion of eggs in feces.

The Echinococcus parasite had not been recently documented in wildlife in Idaho until it was detected in some wild ungulates in 2006. After the finding was reported at a Wildlife Disease Association meeting, further study found it in wolves in Idaho and Montana and a paper on the findings was published in the Journal of Wildlife Diseases in October 2009. (Wildlife Disease Association Meeting Abstract at  http://www.wildlifedisease.org/meetings.htm   Connecticut meeting link, abstract #94; Journal of Wildlife Diseases Abstract at http://www.jwildlifedis.org/cgi/content/abstract/45/4/1208 )

The researchers do not know whether the parasite was introduced with the importation of wolves from Canada, or whether the parasite has always been present in other hosts, and wolves became a new definitive host. Ungulates in the Northwest have been documented with this parasite in the past. Such parasites are usually not fatal to hosts at any life cycle stage, but can diminish overall health.

All parasites or diseases harbored by any wildlife should be taken seriously and good hygiene used when handling live wild animals, dead wild animals, their secretions, or their products.

When did you reintroduce wolves into Washington?

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has never reintroduced, and has no plans to ever reintroduce, wolves from other states or provinces into Washington,  nor has any other state or federal authority. There is no reason to move wolves from other states and release them in Washington because they are returning naturally from dispersing populations in nearby states and provinces.

What land use restrictions come with wolves?

None. Wolves are habitat “generalists”, meaning they can adapt to living in many kinds of habitat. Wolves basically need two things to thrive: 1) prey, and 2) human tolerance. Wolf den sites, where pups are born, are protected by law from disturbance when occupied, just like songbird nests. But land use restrictions, as have been used to protect other endangered species that depend on very specific habitat, are not necessary for wolves.

I think I saw a wolf, but how do I know for sure?

As an endangered species, wild wolves are still few and far between in Washington.  They generally stay away from people, so seeing one is rare. Coyotes are the wildlife species most similar to wolves, so some of the best clues for identifying an animal are in the wolf-coyote comparison illustration. Coyotes are often seen because they are abundant throughout Washington and can be somewhat bold. One of the greatest differences between the species is size, sometimes difficult to estimate at a distance outdoors.  Large dogs and wolf-dog hybrids can also be mistaken for wolves, although they usually act more familiar with people.  Wolf-dog hybrids can be unpredictable and some have been released into the wild, living like feral dogs.  Distinctions between these hybrids and wild wolves can sometimes only be made by DNA testing.

I know I saw a wolf, so where do I report it?

WDFW and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service keep track of wolf sightings and other evidence of wolves in Washington (tracks, scat, howling, photos from motion-sensitive remote cameras.) The best way to make a report is through the toll-free wolf reporting hotline, 1-888-584-9038, which records specific information for consistent compilation and for tracking observation patterns.

Will wolves attack people?

Wild wolves generally fear and avoid people, rarely posing a threat to human safety. In the past 60 years, there has been one apparent wolf-caused human fatality in North America (Canada). Of the 18 reports of wolf aggression towards humans in North America in the past 40 years, 11 involved wolves habituated to humans and 6 involved domestic dogs. Wolves can become habituated to humans in areas where they regularly encounter humans or human food. To avoid habituation, wolves should never be fed or approached.

Will wolves attack dogs?

The gray wolf (Canis lupus) is the ancestor of domestic dogs. Wolves view domestic dogs as competitors or territorial intruders and have attacked and killed them, especially in remote areas. Owners of dogs need to be aware of the potential risk to their dogs if they are in wolf habitat, especially when guarding or herding livestock, hunting, accompanying hikers, or running at large. Under the draft wolf management plan, after wolves are downlisted to state sensitive status, wolves attacking dogs could be killed.

Will Washington have a hunting season on wolves someday?

Maybe.  Under the draft wolf management plan, wolves would be delisted after at least 15 successful breeding pairs are distributed over much of the state and sustained for at least three years. (Today, in 2009, there are just two confirmed breeding pairs in Washington.)  After delisting, a separate process to re-classify wolves as a game species would have to be undertaken before hunting seasons and rules could be proposed.

How much will wolf management cost?

Preliminary cost estimates for monitoring and research, management of wolf-livestock conflicts (including compensation for losses), public outreach and education, and other tasks range from $326,000 to $804,000 annually over the next six years. As with other wildlife management, the state would likely collaborate with federal and private partners to share costs. Detailed cost estimates are in the draft plan.

http://wdfw.wa.gov/wildlife/management/gray_wolf/faq.html. 
 
 

Offline bearpaw

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Re: WDFW Wolf Story
« Reply #1 on: March 20, 2010, 04:52:06 PM »
wow, that is enough to just upset a guy >:(
Americans are systematically advocating, legislating, and voting away each others rights. Support all user groups & quit losing opportunity!

http://bearpawoutfitters.com Guided Hunts, Unguided, & Drop Camps in Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wash. Hunts with tags available (no draw needed) for spring bear, fall bear, bison, cougar, elk, mule deer, turkey, whitetail, & wolf! http://trophymaps.com DIY Hunting Maps are also offered

Offline bearpaw

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Re: WDFW Wolf Story
« Reply #2 on: March 20, 2010, 04:52:55 PM »
wolfbait how is your wife doing?
Americans are systematically advocating, legislating, and voting away each others rights. Support all user groups & quit losing opportunity!

http://bearpawoutfitters.com Guided Hunts, Unguided, & Drop Camps in Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wash. Hunts with tags available (no draw needed) for spring bear, fall bear, bison, cougar, elk, mule deer, turkey, whitetail, & wolf! http://trophymaps.com DIY Hunting Maps are also offered

Offline wolfbait

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Re: WDFW Wolf Story
« Reply #3 on: March 20, 2010, 07:50:44 PM »
Wife is doing real well, she had a new knee put in a year ago and just had the other one done couple of weeks ago, which is turning out to be easier than the last one. When she was younger she use to run a lot, doc said thats the worst thing on knees and lower back. Thanks for asking.

Offline wolfbait

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Re: WDFW Wolf Story
« Reply #4 on: March 20, 2010, 08:08:04 PM »
(Wolves are a part of Washington’s wildlife heritage. As a top predator, they naturally help keep wild ungulate (elk, deer, moose) populations in balance with available habitat. Like other predators, such as cougars, bears, and coyotes, it’s in their own best interest to not deplete their own supply of prey. Predator-prey balances are maintained over time, with highs and lows in populations of both.

Elk populations in other states with wolves (ID, MT, WY) have mostly remained stable, although some have declined in a few areas where wolves were just one of several mortality factors. Based on other states’ experiences with wolves, Washington might expect  200 wolves to take up to 2,520 elk and  4,180 deer per year (recreational hunters currently average 7,390 elk and 38,100 deer per year).

Wonder where they get their information, this sounds like Defenders of *censored*'s hand writing. I bet I could name several folks on W-H that feel the same way.  After doing a little cougar huntin this mornin I went up into the head of the canyon and found a few deer, they were bunched up in little herds of ten or so, real spooky, lookin here n there. I talk to people around the valley who think we have a lot of deer, but then if they see 40 head its big to them. I remember seeing herds up to 300+. Idabooner could tell you stories of the same. I guess times are changing, now we have defenders of wildlies running WDFW and more predators than we have ever seen before, four and two legged.

Offline mulehunter

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Re: WDFW Wolf Story
« Reply #5 on: March 20, 2010, 08:14:49 PM »
(Wolves are a part of Washington’s wildlife heritage. As a top predator, they naturally help keep wild ungulate (elk, deer, moose) populations in balance with available habitat. Like other predators, such as cougars, bears, and coyotes, it’s in their own best interest to not deplete their own supply of prey. Predator-prey balances are maintained over time, with highs and lows in populations of both.

Elk populations in other states with wolves (ID, MT, WY) have mostly remained stable, although some have declined in a few areas where wolves were just one of several mortality factors. Based on other states’ experiences with wolves, Washington might expect  200 wolves to take up to 2,520 elk and  4,180 deer per year (recreational hunters currently average 7,390 elk and 38,100 deer per year).

Wonder where they get their information, this sounds like Defenders of *censored*'s hand writing. I bet I could name several folks on W-H that feel the same way.  After doing a little cougar huntin this mornin I went up into the head of the canyon and found a few deer, they were bunched up in little herds of ten or so, real spooky, lookin here n there. I talk to people around the valley who think we have a lot of deer, but then if they see 40 head its big to them. I remember seeing herds up to 300+. Idabooner could tell you stories of the same. I guess times are changing, now we have defenders of wildlies running WDFW and more predators than we have ever seen before, four and two legged.


Well said!           WDFW :pee: 



Mulehunter  >:(

 


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