Lies about wolves are pervasive
Recently I attended a hearing in Helena where I heard numerous people, including many in the state Legislature, asserting that wolves were "decimating" Montana's game herds. Unfortunately due to the widespread repetition of the lies and distortions, the only thing being decimated is the truth.
According to MDFWP in 1992, three years before wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone and Idaho, there were an estimated 89,000 elk in Montana. By 2010, elk had been so "decimated" that MDFWP estimated that elk numbers had grown to 140,000-150,000 animals.
Indeed, in 2012, according to MDFWP statistics, out of 127 elk management units in the state, 68 are above objectives, 47 are at objectives, and only 12 are considered to be below objectives. And even among these 12 units, the causes for elk declines are often complex and involve more than wolf predation. In at least a few instances, overhunting by humans is the primary factor.
Beyond hunting, the presence of wolves has many other benefits. Wolves cull sick animals such as those with brucellosis and Chronic Wasting Disease from herds that could threaten both humans as well as livestock. Wolves shift ungulates away from riparian areas, resulting in greater growth of willows and other streamside vegetation. This, in turn, creates more habitat for wildlife including songbirds, and beaver. Healthier riparian areas also results in greater trout densities.
It is disturbing to me as a hunter and ecologist that MDFWP repeatedly fails to aggressively counter the distortions and misinformation.
George Wuerthner
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1 comment:
It seems like people who hate wolves, out of fear, misunderstanding them, long handed down prejudices, or just plain ignorance choose to only believe what they hear or read that is negative about the wolf. They don't want to listen to wolf experts who have studied them for years and have an indepth knowledge and understanding of this truly magnificent animal. They don't understand that wolves are highly intelligent, highly social, and extremely beneficial to the environment, or that eco-systems where wolves are present are much healthier and diverse than those without wolves. And trying to educate these anti-wolf idiots about the truth about wolves is like trying to find a needle in a haystack for lack of a better analogy. There is an abundance of good information out there via documentaries, peer reviewed articles, and reports with which they could easily have access to. But rather than find out that their long held prejudices have no truth to them and are based primarily in myths and lies, they choose to remain stuck on stupid while the wolf pays the price for these idiots hatred.
This must change America.
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