Current Issues on Grey Wolves free essay sample

For quite a long time now an increased concern of wildlife has developed. This includes protection, conservation, global warming and the most important factor: our very own impact on the flora and fauna on this Earth. After some steady research in the extinction and diseases of wildlife I have discovered there are a lot of problems, some are man-made but a lot are unknown or natural. Which is interesting in itself, does this mean that all wildlife will soon die off no matter how hard we try to maintain it? Or does it mean we are not doing our part as protectors of the wild? What does that even mean to be a protector of wild? Isn’t that contradicting the very concept of being â€Å"wild? † The Grey/Gray American Wolf or common wolf is one of the largest members of the dog family. Surprisingly the Grey wolf is not actually grey; the coat can actually vary from shades of white to black. The Grey wolf looks similar to a domestic dog, with a strong body, a heavy head, wide temple and a very predominant jaw. The size of a wolf depends on the environment it resides in, Northern wolves are predominantly bigger. Wolves live in linked families which include the parents, their offspring and sometimes adoptee wolves. The way wolves communicate is by howling, whines, barks, growls, and even body posture. They only hunt things that are not considered food if it is seen as a major threat and prefer wild prey. Although the Grey wolf is one of the largest in the dog family, their numbers have greatly decreased. These decreasing numbers have been caused by generally by humans. These activities include destruction to its habitat, hunting, human intrusion, etc. The main problem with Grey wolves is the fact that they are being removed from the endangered species list. The Grey wolf was on the brink of extinction in 2011and was removed from the list earlier this year. This is because people are beginning to feel them as a threat to their communities and felt that the wolves groups were becoming more predominant. With the Grey wolf not on the endangered species list, people are now allowed to freely hunt them. This is called â€Å"wolf management†. The de-listing now allows for trapping and killing wolves to be legal and so many have died due to this one mistake. The endangered species list protects the Grey wolf from being hunted freely. Although they are not at risk widely for extinction, local populations of wolves are still threatened. A threat that is common among local populations is genetic bottlenecking which is caused by a population shattering. This is due to humans isolating the wolf’s habitats so they can only breed within that population. The reproduction rate then decreases especially when a new wolf from a different area tries to reproduce. Because the wolves are so isolated they are not used to being around different wolves and are greatly affected. The human intrusion is one of the largest threats to the wolf population. Wolves are one of the greatest persecuted wild animals. Wolves are killed without a pause or thought towards their life. The wolves are killed for their coats, just out of pure fun and for the protection of livestock and human lives. People are fearful of wolves and for no reason at all. Wolves seldom attack livestock and humans. The people who kill wolves are usually uneducated or greedy hunters without a care for the wild. The second problem not to be seen as smaller than the first is that now wolves have recently been displayed as harmful and ruthless. People believe that if they are stranded in the middle of nowhere the ultimate threat to your survival is not frostbite or starvation but the â€Å"killer wolf†. The Grey wolf is depicted as a violent monster that tears off limbs, ripping people apart and terrorizing humans with snarls and growls. These violent incidents are displayed on commercials, and even becoming the main foundation of a movie called â€Å"The Grey†, Little Red Riding Hood, and Twilight. These displays of violence are terribly wrong because most wolves are actually very calm and run away from humans, not towards them. A specialized trapper and book author stated that Grey wolves â€Å"are curious, they’re cautious, they’re aloof, and they really don’t want anything to do with you† (TheDailyBeast, 2012). Essentially Grey wolves are harmless animals unless provoked and people need to understand this. The people involved in harming the Grey wolf are hunters, uneducated people, ranchers, and even some Departments of Fish and Game and people who watch too many movies. The individuals involved in the protection of the Grey wolf are wildlife protection agencies, federal wildlife biologists, animal rights activists, educated people and people like me who believe that wolves are important to the animal kingdom. This issue is so significant in the line of wilderness protection and management. The issue of the Grey wolf removed from the endangered species list is critical. This is important because without the list the Grey wolf is no longer protected against human attacks. It is now legal to hunt and kill the Grey wolf without backlash from the government. The idea is that the Grey wolf is harmful to the human society, which is completely wrong. I believe this will impact other aspects of this area because without the protection of the Grey wolf they might try to take off other species if they become too widespread across the country, because humans feel it as a threat to themselves. The problem is that we as the greater species are not looking at the effect it will have on the lesser species. We need to see that wolves and any other kind are not harmful and are more likely to run at human contact than attack. My stance on this issue is to but the Grey wolf back on the endangered species list. It is backed by the fact that we need to include animals as a part of our community and not just humans. We need to understand the wolf more in depth before we can just kill it off, work with it not against it. Wolves should be allowed to be wolves. Guha said â€Å"it is an error to equate environmental protection with protection of wilderness† (Lecture, April 2012). What he is saying is that we need to protect the environment and wilderness separately. We cannot protect the wolves as we protect the people. The Grey wolf needs to be put back on the endangered species list because it is now being harmed. Wolf populations are no longer increasing, but decreasing. People are taking action themselves without any present danger and just shooting with a blind eye. I believe if the Grey wolf is put back on the endangered species list and managed they will be allowed to freely populate without fear of humans slaughtering them. If people are educated then they will understand that wolves are not as scary as they are made out to be. The notion that wolves attack humans is ridiculous,† says Wendy Keefover, carnivore-protection director for WildEarth Guardians, one of several groups that have called for a boycott of the film, claiming its â€Å"inciting terror† of wolves in the same way that Jaws did of sharks (TheDailyBeast, 2012). I think the Grey Wolf is a wondrous majestic animal that should be allowed the same survival that a bird has. To freely roam, to protect and feed it’s young. Because of our uneducated population the Grey wolf has been de-listed by some U. S. states. A detritus factor is the human population. In Yellowstone National Park there are no Grey wolves present, this is because humans perceive them as a threat to their livestock and family. This not only affects the human who want to experience this park but also the other animal populations in the park. Without the Grey wolf many animals in the park have increase in numbers because they do not have a predator anymore. There have only been two documented cases of death or injury from a Grey wolf attack on humans. This is unlike the human attacks caused by domestic dogs, which has risen greatly to around 600 cases per year. So what I don’t understand is why people live side by side with domestic dogs but cannot seem to let the Grey wolf even survive alone without harm. The end goal is beneficial to the â€Å"greater good†, because it will allow the animal kingdom to thrive and humans to become educated about wolves and live without fear. The end goal would be to allow the Grey wolf to remain on the endangered species list. This would allow wolves to not be hunted. The second part would be to start an education process where people could learn all about wolves and other species that are displayed as violent. With more well informed people we could live side by side with wolves without the emotions of fear. I think the end result of this debate will either be fantastic or terrible. If the goals are reached the end result could be considerably outstanding. The wolves would be allowed to roam free without terror because there would not be anything to fear. But if it goes the opposite way with the goal of not being on the endangered species list then ultimately the Grey wolf would slowly become extinct. I believe this is possible because people are so careless, they are not educated and would shoot a Grey wolf because it apparently seems harmless. In all reality the wolf would actually run away once it saw a human. This issue may never be resolved if people do not get involved and take a stand to help protect the lives of the Grey wolf. Even though people believe the Grey wolf is not endangered anymore it is. Human beings will always want to hunt it and torture it. This issue of killing might be because of the movies and their depictions of the wolf or because they do not know that wolves are not usually harmful to humans. This issue is very controversial it depends on what person you are talking about and how much they actually know about the Grey wolf. If they have watched the movie or commercials or even read the book they might be steered in the wrong direction. We have to prove them wrong; we have to show that the Grey wolf deserves to live. I hope people become inspired to learn and go against the â€Å"norm† of killing just because they can. Grey wolves are part of the wilderness that we all love so dearly, so loving just a small part can make a big difference.