Gray Wolves are dying- why should care

The Advocacy project is a research project that focuses on one animal and ways why they matter, the problems they face, and some solutions for these problems. However, we mainly want to emphasize the biggest issue they face and highlight the best solutions based on our research. You can see my twitter posting from the SMC project that helped build the foundation for this project.

When you think of wolves, do you see a lone prowler in a foggy forest or a pack racing together? Farmers may see threats, others just dogs. Yet, wolves are not mere shadows or pets—they are unique, complex beings. More than fascinating, they are vital to the ecosystems they balance.

When you think of wolves, what comes to mind?

Refocusing wolf research - to protect their lives!

In an interview with researcher Carl Safina,"Wolves, Dogs, and Us" he explores the emotional lives of wolves, dogs, and humans. Safina stresses the importance of separating research on each species to highlight their unique traits, noting that "wolves have fantastic individuality." This view is echoed by other experts who advocate recognizing wolves' distinctiveness. However, the real difference often lies in personal perceptions rather than professional distinctions. Seeing wolves as unique individuals, not just dogs or threats, reshapes our understanding and appreciation, emphasizing the crucial need for their conservation.

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In the research paper "Wolf Social Intelligence" by Associate Professor of Wildlife and Fisheries Science at Texas A&M University, Jane M. Packard discusses how scientists measure social intelligence and behavioral resilience in wolves. Her research reveals that the social nature of wolves extends beyond the benefits of group hunting. It suggests that their sociality is an adaptation to a wide range of interactions with littermates, caregivers, mates, rivals, hostile neighboring groups, and barriers to immigration.

You might not know much about wolf behavior, but you can guess that when a dog sneezes while play fighting, it’s a sign of affection.

No one’s blaming you for that!

But we do need to level up our knowledge about wolves to build a better relationship with them.

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To truly appreciate wolves, we must deepen our understanding of their distinct behaviors and social structures.

For example, understanding dog social behavior enhances our relationship with them, as their evolution alongside humans makes their social cues align closely with ours. This facilitates effective communication, training, and bonding, benefiting both humans and dogs. Conversely, wolves, with their distinct social structures, require an approach that honors their wild nature and individuality. By acknowledging these differences, we foster healthier relationships, appreciating dogs as companions and wolves as unique wild animals. This deeper understanding not only enriches our interactions but also drives conservation efforts, promoting respect and protection for wolves' natural behaviors and habitats.

But how exactly does this connect to why people such as me and others care about protecting their lives?

Researchers from the Department of Environmental Biology have discovered that promoting environmental values hinges on understanding diverse life experiences. Through analyzing narratives and biographies of environmentalists, they found that personal encounters with wolves foster deep, lasting environmental values. The study revealed that these experiences directly improved human-wolf relationships, leading to greater respect for wolves. By examining the language used by environmentalists to describe their encounters, researchers measured how these interactions transformed perceptions and deepened relationships between humans and wolves. This underscores the importance of recognizing wolves' uniqueness, as it not only enhances our understanding but also promotes their conservation.

"The Gray wolf population in the US decreased by 27-33% in the year before April 2021"
According to The Hill

The gray wolf is one of the most prominent endangered species on the US Endangered list. Through time and the success from advocacy groups as their population continues to decline the one “vile wolf has been replaced by the unjustly persecuted wolf”. (The Challenge and the Opportunity to Recover Wolf Populations | International Wolf Center)

Diving into problems that wolves face

The wolf population has faced a decline in the northern hemisphere, even more so in the US. TThe Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife identifies the overwhelming influence the gray wolves have in the natural food chain as apex predators as they stabilize the populations of the other-smaller- animals within the ecosystem, leading to a more diverse ecosystem. From the way they hunt, to the carcasses they leave, they begin sustaining other large carnivores within the places they inhabit. More specifically, in Washington, when wolves were reintroduced to the park there was evidence of a resurgence of woody browse species within the area due to the decline of overgrazing caused by the increase for hunting in herbivores in the area. (“The Role of Wolves in Ecosystems | Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife”).

Habitat Fragmentation

EnThe lack of actual urgency to protect the wolves has left them vulne-

rable to the effects of habitat fragmentation. For example, the US

Endangered Species Act of 1966 ddid not protect the endangered

species, but rather it encouraged more government agencies to pro-

mote the recovery of specific species within their programs. (The

Challenge and the Opportunity to Recover Wolf Populations | Inter-

national Wolf Center). As time passed more resolutions actively

looked to protect the species, including the second US endangered Species Act of 1973, which protected the wolf in 48 out of 50 states within the US. Despite these efforts, the gray wolf population is 30% smaller than it once was and can no longer be seen through most of the northern hemisphere.

(“What You Should Know about Wolves' ').

But how exactly does habitat fragmentation affect wolves?

Habitat Fragmentation leads to ecological barriers that hinder their need to recover in their population. Habitat fragmentation is a result of natural causes, including fire, climate change, and human activity, including agriculture and rural development. This type of invasion has been found to reduce biodiversity, disrupting ecosystems. A study, appearing in the Nature Communications, found that larger predators, such as wolves, find it more difficult to compete with smaller predators for the resources in the places they inhabit. As result, researchers found that they lost control of these smaller predators, and affected the overall food chain in the area due to habitat fragmentation. In another research study, " The Challenges of Success: Future Wolf Conservation and Management in the United States"., researchers analyzed how wolves find it hard to disperse in human-dominated landscapes due to fragmented environments, including roads and increase in urbanization. Due to the restriction in the places that wolves can't move freely, there is a higher likelihood of human-wolf conflicts, especially with livestock conflicts.

But what does conflict with livestock have to do with protecting wolves?

Although it is not that common to see humans killing wolves in order to protect their livestock, this first hand experience hinders the relationship between humans and wolves and has larger implications for wolf conservation efforts as a whole. For example, researchers Puig and Echarrie, published in theEnvironmental Education Research , found these personal experiences were directly linked to a change in the human environment and wolf relationship and led to a more respected relationship between the two (Puig and Echarri).

According To the International Fun of Animal Welfare,

the Gray Wolf is pretty much EXTINCT

in most of Western Europe, Mexico, and the US. They now primarily live in Canada, Alaska, Europe and Asia.

Misconceptions about the wolf are the core to all challenges faced in conservation efforts

Wolves in the U.S. face significant challenges that complicate their conservation and management. In the research article,“Symbols, Wolves and Conflicts.” researchers emphasize that wolves are subject to a variety of social constructs and symbolic definitions by means of historical principles, mostly along their behavior.

Which behaviors? The fact that the way they fulfill their role in their respective environment is carried out through hunting, which can be exclusively interpreted as violent and evil, meanwhile it is just the natural order within the animal food chain. These differing perceptions shape how people understand and react to wolves, with some viewing them as threats and others as valuable ecological assets. This difference in views creates substantial obstacles for conservationists, as they navigate these conflicting attitudes and try to foster coexistence between humans and wolves.

Unlike other conservation Almarcha underscores the need to address the cultural and social dimensions of wolf conservation, recognizing wolves as cultural keystone species whose management requires a nuanced understanding of human values and beliefs.

Some may ask, why is there such a hostile perspective working against wolves?

This ongoing battle to debunk myths about wolves is nothing new to the research community, a struggle that has persisted for years, even before the modern age. Master’s student Jordyn O'Gara addressed these myths in her master's project , creating a lesson plan to deflate misconceptions about gray wolves. These myths include the beliefs that wolves endanger people, devastate local deer populations, pose the biggest threat to the livestock industry, and make areas unsafe for dogs.

But these are not facts... we must highlight their mythical nature

All myths have been linked to undermining wolf management efforts. O'Gara's work highlights the importance of debunking these myths through education and scientific evidence. Addressing these misconceptions is crucial for changing public attitudes and building support for wolf conservation. By incorporating educational initiatives that correct false beliefs and promote an accurate understanding of wolves' ecological roles, conservationists will be able to foster a more tolerant and supportive environment for wolves.

But how can we save the wolves?

There is not a “right solution”

and there is not just one way that will save the wolf population. This section will provide more insight on the optimal solutions in efforts to save the wolf population, including global and grassroots solutions.

Reinforcement of the Endangered Species Act (ESA)
Protections for gray wolves

When looking at the biggest picture, it is clear that the more

prominent solutions the reinforcement of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections for gray wolves, as discussed by the Endangered Species Coalition (ESC) in their article “Why the Gray Wolf Needs Endangered Species Act Protection.” According to ESC, since the gray wolf was removed from the endangered species list, their population sizes have demonstrated an extreme decrease. How? Since the removal, there has been an increase in hunting and habitat loss in states like Montana, Utah and Idaho.

Similarly, Jane Marsh, Editor in Chief of Environment.co, highlights the devastating impact of this legislative change, claiming that states have now

“Become hotspots for wolf killings”

As evidenced by events such as the first legal wolf hunting season in Wisconsin, resulting in the death of 218 wolves, exceeding legal limits . Underscoring the necessity of reinstating federal protections to prevent further decline and promote population recovery.

Not only does ESA make the killing of wolves illegal, it also mandates plans for development and recovery that directly serve the gray wolf. Some of these initiatives would include, habitat preservation and anti - poaching. The effectiveness of the ESA has been demonstrated in other species, and its application to gray wolves could yield similar positive outcomes.

Echoing back to why we should save the wolves, ESA initiative is crucial because wolf’s presence is integral to the health of ecosystems, making their conservation a priority not only for their sake but for the broader environmental stability they foster.

But it is hard to get wolves onto the ESA list again- especially since they have already been removed once. This on a grassroots level, education and outreach addressing the misconceptions wolves face will play a pivotal role in fostering better relationships between humans wolves.

Bridging the Gap: Education and Outreach to Transform Human-Wolf Relationships

Pamela S. Troxell and Karylm Berg, in their chapter "Education

and Outreach Efforts in Support of Wolf Conservation in the Great

Lakes Region" from the book “Education and Outreach Efforts in

Support of Wolf Conservation in the Great Lakes Region.” emphasi-

ze the importance of these efforts . They specifically argue that edu-

cating the public in areas wolves inhabit about the benefits of con-

serving the wolf population will, first change their perception of the

beast. By doing so, they suspect that there will be a decrease in hu-

man-wolf conflicts- addressing concerns by Jane Marsh.

One success story can be seen by the Wildlife Science Center an institution working to create a more collaborative environment between researchers, managers and educators to share their findings on wolf management. In doing so, the center is able to disseminate more information through programs that include facts from history, biological and cultural perspectives. But how could just learning about wolves affect conservation efforts you might ask.

By raising awareness, and building a foundation of informed citizens,- deflating wolf myths- will create a community that is more likely to support conservation efforts

These are just the two solutions I found were most impact-

ful when addressing wolf conservation, but how did I get

to this point? Social media campaigns have been proven

within the scientific field to help raise awareness and

mobilize support for animal conservation- even for our humble giant the wolf.

Through this quarter we have been tasked to use Twitter as a tool to find resources that help us gain a better understanding of the animal we wanted to research. To my disbelief- twitter provided information from new research publications of organizations working to combat the problems wolves face.

One of the rabbit holes I dove into was the #SaveTheWolves, which highlights the threats they face and has connected researchers and organizations alike- which I would like to point out makes my grassroot solution right. Through an array of narratives, impactful images and actionable steps- that people like you and me can take - this campaign was able to create a facet where people can learn more about how to play a role in protecting the wolf population.

Leveraging
Education and
Social Media

Concluding remarks

Some stakeholders argue...

the progress wolf populations have experienced in the past

couple of years is sufficient, and states should have more

autonomy to manage their own wildlife.

But this simply is not true.

Evidence presented by Jane March and the ESC counters

these arguments by illustrating the different ways state- led management has led to a continued

decline in the population. As a result, the ESA would provide an adaptable and informed framework, tailored to each state's needs, to have a balanced approach to wolf conservation.

Additionally, collaborative efforts, such as those seen by the WIldlife Science Center demonstrate that reformation in education and increasing outreach can effectively address local concerns and be part of larger conservation efforts.

Wanna quick summary of the best ways to approach wolf conservation efforts… here you go

The combination of reinstating ESA protections and enhancing education around wolves creates both a comprehensive and attainable solution to the gray wolf conservation challenge. The combination of these efforts address both biological needs for the wolf population, while taking into account political dynamics that influence their survival. By leveraging the strengths of global and local efforts, we can create a sustainable future for gray wolves and the ecosystems.

I encourage and challenge you to contribute to supporting organization that focus on wolf conservation- mainly if you live in a state where you coexist alongside them.

Works cited

Almarcha, Francisco, et al. “Symbols, Wolves and Conflicts.” Biological Conservation, vol. 275, Nov. 2022, p. 109756, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109756. Accessed 9 May . 2024.

Boitani, Luigi, and L. David Mech. Wolves : Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation. Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 2010.

Brittian, Aerika S., and Marisha L. Humphries. “Prosocial Behavior - an Overview | ScienceDirect Topics.” Www.sciencedirect.com, 2015, www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/prosocial-behavior.

“Carl Safina: Wolves, Dogs and Us.” Www.youtube.com, www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqOT3lIHwus. Accessed 9 May 2024.

Carlson, Shelby, et al. Effect of Semantics in the Study of Tolerance for Wolves. 13 Sept. 2022, https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.14003. Accessed 19 May 2023.

ESC. “Why the Gray Wolf Needs Endangered Species Act Protection.” Endangered Species Coalition, 1 June 2022, www.endangered.org/why-the-gray-wolf-needs-endangered-species-act-protection/.

O'gara, Jordyn, et al. Deflating Myths about Gray Wolves (Canis Lupus) in the Midwest, USA: A Unifying. 2022.

Packard, Jane. (2012). Wolf social intelligence.

The Challenge and the Opportunity to Recover Wolf Populations | International Wolf Center. 16 Oct. 2019, wolf.org/the-challenge-and-the-opportunity-to-recover-wolf-populations/.

“The Role of Wolves in Ecosystems | Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife.” Wdfw.wa.gov, wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/at-risk/species-recovery/gray-wolf/influence#:~:text=Recent%20studies%20have%20found%20that. Accessed 24 May 2024.

Troxell, Pamela S, et al. “Education and Outreach Efforts in Support of Wolf Conservation in the Great Lakes Region.” Springer EBooks, 1 Jan. 2009, pp. 297–309, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-85952-1_19. Accessed 6 Feb. 2024.

“What You Should Know about Wolves.” IFAW, www.ifaw.org/animals/wolves.