Yellowstone Wolves

by Grace

Grey wolves were doing excellent but then the first English settlers first arrived
and they had thought wolves will kill their livestock and for over 100 years they had been hunting wolves and occasionally bears but when they killed all wolves 1928 then the land was not the same. Elk and other prey animals had overpopulated the area and most died in winter of starvation; grasses had become weak, and the young trees were eaten before reaching adulthood. Beavers were having trouble too, since they relied on trees to build dams, and fish were dying. Waters were getting dirtier, and wetland creatures were going away. Beaver dams were crucial in Yellowstone. Without wolves, the coyote became an apex predator, driving down populations of pronghorn antelope, red fox and rodents, and birds that prey on small animals. Rabbits, foxes, and rats were suffering, and songbirds were running away from Yellowstone because they didn’t have trees that they could build their nests in. Various scavenger species suffered without year-round wolf kills to feed on, like eagles, ravens, and bears.

In 1984 scientists decided to bring back grey wolves to Yellowstone.
They brought grey wolves from Canada; in total they brought 14 wolves.
For 10 weeks, they stayed in a very large cage to get used to the smell and sounds and basically get used to everything. The scientists put radio collars on them so they could track them. Now after they were released, photographers recorded everything; they were trying to get the wolves photographed so they can know wolf behaviors. Now one died immediately from a bullet, it’s hard out in the wild for wolves. Just a few wolves made a difference, elk and mule deer were now getting killed by wolves, and elk started to not stay in plains because it’s easier to get killed. Songbirds came back, beaver colonies were increasing, everything was thriving, after wolf reintroduction. In the northern range, elk numbers drop and beaver colonies increase from 1 to 12. Insects, songbirds, fish, and amphibians thrive. As the wolf returns, coyote numbers drop by half, allowing antelope, rodent and fox populations to increase.

Now after about 50 years, Yellowstone is healthy again. Over 100 wolves each year are alive, and elk numbers were 20k and are now in healthier numbers 7k,8k, and 6k. The wild is thriving but wolves still die from illegal shooting, and if they go out of Yellowstone then anyone can shoot them, they are on their own. The regular life span of a wolf is 5 because of their harsh life but some live longer to 8 or 10 years its hard to live that long for a wolf.

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