Was flying to Chicago this weekend and read on the plane about this conservation group in Minnesota that was monitoring and preserving wolves. It was a good piece of luck, considering I had just showed the National Geographic movie Wolves: A Legend Returns to Yellowstone. The movie discusses the reintegration of a wolf pack into Yellowstone park and also discusses conservation management techniques and radio telemetry used to monitor the wolves. Searching blogs and discussion groups on the internet shows that it is still a topic of heated debate between local ranchers, environmentalists, park officials, and eco-tourism businesses.
1. Discuss one pro and one con of reintroducing wolves into Yellowstone from one of the following perspectives (rancher, environmentalists, park ranger, eco-tourism owner).
2. Discuss the steps environmentalists take to ensure the successful reintroduction of wolves.
3. Explain how radio telementry can be used to monitor wolves.
4. Discuss what data can be obtained from such a monitoring system.
5. What dangers to the wolves face (human, climate, predators, other wolves)?
Resources:
Track Wild Wolves - http://www.wolf.org/wolves/experience/telemsearch/vtelem/telem_intro.asp
Wolves of Yellowstone - http://www.yellowstonenationalpark.com/wolves
Yellowstone Bearman - http://www.yellowstone-bearman.com/wolves.html
Wolf Ecotourism Fact Sheet - http://www.biodiversitypartners.org/econ/report/ecotourism_fs.shtml
1 comments:
1. Discuss one pro and one con of reintroducing wolves into Yellowstone from one of the following perspectives (rancher, environmentalists, park ranger, eco-tourism owner).
As an eco-tourism owner, a pro to reintroducing wolves into Yellowstone is that many people will want to see these wolves interact and live in the park. People that have visited the park now rank the wolf as one of the primary animals to see. Since there is an increase of interest in seeing the wolves, there is more demand for lodging, guided wolf-watching tours and other wolf merchandise. There are no obvious cons to reintroducing wolves into the park from a tourists view.
2. Discuss the steps environmentalists take to ensure the successful reintroduction of wolves.
First, you must capture wolves, preferable from different packs 1) because it is easier and 2) because it decreases the chance of inbreeding. Next, you put the wolves in a gated area, and get them used to their new surroundings. After a few months of observing their interactions and letting them get accustomed to their new life, open part of the gate. Once the alpha male travels outside of the gate, the rest of the pack should follow in suit. The wolves should eventually get comfortable and establish their own land to call their home.
3. Explain how radio telemetry can be used to monitor wolves.
Since radio telemetry runs the same way a normal radio works, the small portable transmitter emits radio waves picked up by antennas. Each animal that is being observed, in this case the wolves, is given a separate frequency so that the researchers can switch between different wolves and observe their behavior.
4. Discuss what data can be obtained from such a monitoring system.
The kind of data that can be obtained from a system like this one is where the wolves are traveling, what they have been eating, if they are successfully taking down their dinner. Also you can observe what their behaviors and interactions with other wolves and animals are like. The wolves can be monitored and the observers can always know where they are and what they are doing. This will help observe whether the wolves are adapting and living successfully in their new environment. Another pro to these devices is the observers can insure that the wolves are protected from any poachers or angry ranchers trying to kill them.
5. What dangers to the wolves face (human, climate, predators, other wolves)?
Wolves must endure many different dangers. Humans are a constant threat, because even though the wolves are protected, there are many illegal poachers and angry ranchers that are upset with the fact that wolves are in the park. If a wolf attacks a livestock, there is no hesitation in the most ranchers to kill the wolf. Climate affects the wolves as well. Even though wolves are prepared for winter with heavy coats and ways to stay warm, the ice and snow make it harder to find food. Their prey, like elk, is move prepared to run around in the snow and their small legs run through ice more easily than the wolf. Since the elk are better at traveling in winter, the wolf’s attacks are less successful. Although the wolf does not have many predators, other wolves do provide a threat. If any wolf is traveling alone, and accidentally gets too close to another pack’s land, it risks the danger of getting attacked and killed.
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