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Everyone! Please Read!! :o)
Next week is Wolf Awareness Week. If y'all get a chance, please check out this page from the Defenders Of Wildlife. It has events that'll be going on in different states... hopefully in one of yours. While you're there, take the interactive wolf trivia quiz!! I wanna know how y'all do 
http://www.defenders.org/waw/
I beg y'all... educate yourselves and educate others!!
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| October 14, 2004, 13:20 |
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hardrock1955
68 / male
McGaheysville, Virginia, US
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Re: Everyone! Please Read!! :o)
I wasn't keeping count , but I think I got 2 wrong. there isn't anything happening in Va. 
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| October 14, 2004, 13:39 |
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Re: Everyone! Please Read!! :o)
Ok, I started out pretty good on the test but I didn't do too hot.  My state isn't one of the ones listed but the Cleveland zoo has a wonderful exhibit for wolves. They come right up to the glass sometimes. I know not the idea place for them but it educates people. People around here have a bad habit of killing animals they aren't domesticated and maybe if they can see them there, they can see what beautiful animals they are.
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| October 14, 2004, 13:40 |
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Re: Everyone! Please Read!! :o)
Thanks y'all. There's a wealth of information in the quiz alone, isn't there?
And you're right, CG. Zoos aren't the best place for any animal but if they take care of them and use them to educate the public it's always a good thing *smile*
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| October 14, 2004, 13:48 |
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Re: Everyone! Please Read!! :o)
If y'all check around the site there are also some petitions you can support on line.... send them to your friends... they send them to their friends... and so on and so on.....
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| October 14, 2004, 16:21 |
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Re: Everyone! Please Read!! :o)
Thanks for posting that. I've always loved wolves, espcially Timberwolves and if there is one good thing in being trapped in the land time forgot is that they have a conservatory up here for Timberwolves. It's actually a pretty good time.
I did'nt do to hot on the test, but I'm actually thinking about adopting one.
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| October 14, 2004, 16:31 |
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Re: Re: Everyone! Please Read!! :o)
QUOTE (Creeper76 @ October 14, 2004, 16:31)Thanks for posting that. I've always loved wolves, espcially Timberwolves and if there is one good thing in being trapped in the land time forgot is that they have a conservatory up here for Timberwolves. It's actually a pretty good time.
I did'nt do to hot on the test, but I'm actually thinking about adopting one.
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| October 15, 2004, 05:04 |
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Re: Everyone! Please Read!! :o)
MIssouri isn't listed, but wolves aren't in short supply here, neither are coyotes, fox, panthers, and even the bear population has increased. Eagles, just a few decades ago were practically non-existant, now soar in the hunreds along the MIssouri river. The protected Pileated Woodpecker, although he is raising havok on a few trees in my backyard is always a welcomed sight. The Lone Elk conservatory is a 1/2 hour away, has a healthy population of elk, and Bison. The allligator turtle, ugly and unpopular, but protected, sadly, maybe losing the battle here. But proud to say Missouri does do so much in protecting all flora and fauna.
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| October 15, 2004, 10:00 |
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Re: Everyone! Please Read!! :o)
posted a little "haiku" for you moon..
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| October 15, 2004, 13:53 |
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Re: Re: Everyone! Please Read!! :o)
QUOTE (kbateman @ October 15, 2004, 13:53)posted a little "haiku" for you moon..
Thanks, KB
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| October 18, 2004, 08:43 |
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Daily Q&A for WAW :o)
Q. Are wolves dangerous to people?
A. Wild wolves avoid people. The myths about wolves attacking and eating people are distortions of the truth about the elusive nature of wolves. In places where wolves are protected, they may become less fearful of humans. They should, therefore, be treated like any wild animal- with respect.
Q. Why are people afraid of wolves?
A. It's easy to put all the blame on children's stories and fairy tales. But that is over-simplifying it. Wolves, with their big teeth and close-set golden eyes, can look scary. Especially when illustrators exaggerate those features. Also, wolves live in packs. People associate "packs" with "gangs." The howl of the wolf is haunting, too.
Q. What is a predator?
A. Any animal that hunts and kills another animal for food. Prey is the term used for the animal that is hunted.
Q. What is a top predator?
A. Any animal that has no natural enemies within its food web and is not hunted by other animals. The wolf is a top predator.
Q. Why do wolves kill other animals?
A. They have to. They are carnivores. They prey primarily on large hoofed mammals called ungulates. These include deer, elk, bison, moose, caribou and musk oxen. Secondary food sources are hares and beaver. Red wolves eat nutria, feral pigs and small mammals such as squirrels. Occasionally, they will kill birds.
Q. How much do wolves eat?
A. A wolf can survive on 2 1/2 pounds of food a day. They need about 5 pounds a day to reproduce.
Q. How many species of wolves are there?
A. Two. The gray wolf and the red wolf. The Ethiopian wolf, an extremely rare wolf, may soon be officially classified as a separate species.
Q. Is it hard for wolves to kill a large animal?
A. Yes, very. They get kicked and trampled. Even small deer are dangerous with their sharp hoofs. Wild wolves are injured often by prey animals.
Q. Do wolves always kill the old, weak and sick animals?
A. Usually, they do. They also kill young animals if they can separate them from their mothers. This is because getting food is risky at best. Wolves try to select the animal that is least likely to get away and least likely to cause them injury. Even so, they are not successful much of the time. The odds are in favor of the prey animal.
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| October 18, 2004, 08:57 |
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Re: Everyone! Please Read!! :o)
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| October 19, 2004, 10:51 |
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Daily Q&A for WAW :o)
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| October 20, 2004, 13:15 |
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Daily Q&A for WAW :o)
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| October 21, 2004, 08:30 |
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| October 21, 2004, 08:40 |
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Gray Wolf/Canis Lupus
STATUS:
Gray wolves are listed as endangered in the Southwest under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and threatened throughout the lower 48 states. Wolves in Alaska are not listed under the ESA. Endangered means a species is considered in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range, and threatened means a species may become endangered in the foreseeable future. Regions of Yellowstone, central Idaho and the Southwest are designated as non-essential experimental populations, which isolate geographically-described groups from other existing populations and offer special regulations.
DESCRIPTION:
Wolves range in color from grizzled gray or black to all-white. As the ancestor of the domestic dog, the gray wolf resembles German shepherds or huskies.
SIZE:
The wolf is the largest member of the canine family. On average, wolves stand 26 to 32 inches at the shoulder and weigh 55 to 115 pounds. Females are usually slightly smaller than males.
POPULATION:
There are an estimated 7,000 to 9,000 wolves in Alaska and more than 3,500 in the lower 48 states. Around the world there are an estimated 200,000 in some 57 countries, compared to up to 2 million in earlier times.
LIFESPAN:
Wolves live eight to 12 years.
RANGE:
Today the range of the gray wolf has been reduced to the following portions of the United States: Alaska, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
HABITAT:
Wolves can be found in forests, and on tundra, deserts, plains and mountains.
FOOD:
Wolves normally prey on large hoofed mammals such as deer and elk but occasionally prey on smaller animals such as beavers or rabbits.
BEHAVIOR:
Wolves live in packs, which are complex social structures that include the breeding adult pair (the alpha male and female) and their offspring. A hierarchy of dominant and subordinate animals within the pack help it to function as a unit. Wolves communicate by scent-marking, vocalizing (including howling), facial expressions and body postures.
OFFSPRING:
Wolves mate in January or February. Females give birth two months later to a litter of pups. An average litter is four to seven pups.
THREATS:
The illegal killing of wolves has become a leading threat to their survival. Another serious problem is human encroachment into wolf territory, which leads to habitat loss for wolves.
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| October 21, 2004, 08:44 |
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Red Wolf/Canis Rufus
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| October 21, 2004, 08:46 |
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Little Red Riding Hood Lied
Myths and Facts About Wolves
Myth: Wolves are dangerous to humans.
Fact: You stand a better chance of getting hit by a meteorite than killed by a wolf. Although wolves are large, powerful animals that could kill humans, they do not. According to wolf expert Dr. L. David Mech, there is no documented case of a healthy wild wolf killing a human in North America. By comparison, more than 20 people are killed and 3 million attacked each year by man's best friend, the domestic dog.
Myth: Wolves will eliminate or substantially reduce prey species.
Fact: Wolves and large grazing animals lived side-by-side for tens of thousands of years before the first settlers arrived. Food availability and weather regulate wolf populations. When their prey is scarce, wolves suffer too. They breed less frequently, have fewer litters, and may even starve to death. Wolves often enhance prey populations by culling weak and sick animals from the gene pool, leaving only the strongest animals to reproduce.
Myth: Local economies in the northern Rockies are based on livestock production, and jobs will be lost if wolves are restored.
Fact: Ranching is a minor part of the economic base of the northern Rockies. For instance, in the counties around Yellowstone National Park, livestock production accounts for less than 4 percent of personal income, while tourism-related industries account for more than 50 percent. Moreover effects on livestock are negligible, so effects on ranching jobs will be virtually nonexistent.
Myth: The Endangered Species Act prevents the control of wolves that prey on livestock.
Fact: Both "endangered" wolves (such as those in northwestern Montana) and "threatened" wolves (such as those in Minnesota) are routinely controlled when they prey on livestock by the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal Damage Control (ADC) units. If wolves are reintroduced into the Northeast Forest Region, they will not fall under full endangered species protection, but rather a special designation that allows land-owners more flexibility in controlling problem animals.
Myth: Wolf recovery on public lands will preclude other land uses, such as logging and mining.
Fact: According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, very few land use restrictions have proven necessary to facilitate wolf recovery in Montana and Minnesota. FWS says land use restrictions are necessary only if illegal mortality of wolves occurs at high levels.
Myth: Most people in the U.S. oppose wolf restoration.
Fact: Numerous polls taken throughout the United States consistently demonstrate that more people support wolf recovery than oppose it. In fact, in 1998, a poll undertaken by the National Wildlife Federation demonstrated that 76 percent of Americans support wolf restoration efforts.
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| October 21, 2004, 08:48 |
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Mexican Wolf
Myths and Facts
Myth: The Endangered Species Act prevents the control of wolves that prey on livestock.
Fact: Both "endangered" wolves (such as those in northwestern Montana) and "threatened" wolves (such as those in Minnesota) are routinely controlled when they prey on livestock by the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal Damage Control (ADC) units. Wolves reintroduced into the Southwest would be subject to the same control.
Myth: Wolves are dangerous to humans.
Fact: According to international wolf expert Dr. David Mech, there is no record of a wild, healthy wolf killing a human anywhere in North America. Unlike feral or domestic dogs who have lost their fear of man, wild wolves avoid humans. From the time they are 3-months old, wolves exhibit fear by avoiding people, other large predators, and even wolves from outside their own group.
Myth: Ranchers in the Southwest will suffer economic hardship due to wolf restoration.
Fact: Under worst case conditions, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service projects livestock loss rates to be less than 1/5th of one percent, based on research from states with both wolves and livestock. In 1991, Montana livestock losses to all causes totaled $40 million; of that, only $1,000 was due to wolf depredation. To better address the concerns of individual ranchers, Defenders of Wildlife established a Wolf Compensation Fund that pays fair market value for verified livestock losses to wolves. Since 1987 Defenders has paid approximately $17,000 to over 20 ranchers. Furthermore, Defenders is currently working with local communities to develop economic programs which will help ranchers benefit from wolves.
Myth: Wolves will eliminate or substantially reduce prey populations in the Southwest.
Fact: Scientists predict wolves will have only modest impact on prey populations. Research indicates that over the past twenty years prey populations throughout the lower forty-eight states have remained stable in the presence of increasing wolf populations. The Arizona Game and Fish Department is currently faced with problems caused by a burgeoning elk population; elk are too plentiful. Excessive populations are damaging the range resulting in starvation and cattle permit reductions. Wolves will help check prey populations and will prevent them from over-exploiting their habitats and lowering regional biodiversity. Wolves will also improve genetic vigor in prey populations by removing inferior animals from the gene pool.
Myth: Wolf recovery on public lands in the Southwest will preclude other land uses such as logging and mining.
Fact: The special rules developed for wolf restoration in the Southwest call for few or no restrictions on existing land uses.
Myth: Most people in the Southwest oppose wolf reintroduction.
Fact: At all of the public hearings held on Mexican wolf reintroduction the vast majority of those attending supported wolf restoration. Furthermore, numerous polls taken in each state have consistently demonstrated widespread support for wolf recovery. A recent NM poll by the League of Women Voters shows broad statewide support for Mexican wolf reintroduction (63% favor, 22% oppose). Similarly, a 1990 AZ Game and Fish Department poll also showed strong statewide support (61% favor, 18% oppose).
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| October 21, 2004, 08:52 |
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Mexican Wolf
Myths and Facts continued
Myth: State wildlife agencies were left out of the wolf recovery planning process.
Fact: State wildlife agencies have been closely involved in the development of the Mexican wolf environmental impact statement. In fact, the Arizona Game and Fish Department's own Cooperative Reintroduction Plan was used as the blue- print for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's proposed action. State wildlife agency cooperators have been complimentary of the federal agencies' efforts to involve them.
Myth: The wolf restoration plans for the Southwest do not take the needs of local citizens into consideration.
Fact: Over 75 public hearings, meetings, and open houses were held to allow for public input. The plan was specifically tailored to meet the stated needs of local citizens based on the public comment process. Key features include: ability of private landowners to harass wolves and even shoot them if found killing their livestock; ability to control wolves if they have significant impacts on big game populations; states offered primary management responsibility; and minimal land- use restrictions.
Myth: Reintroduction of wolves makes coyote control more difficult.
Fact: Wolf reintroduction has had little impact on coyote control. The only restriction on coyote control involves more caution in the use of M-44s (coyote getters) in areas where wolf populations are known to exist. In fact, wolves could actually help reduce animal damage control expenses for coyotes. The federal government and the states in the region annually spend about $3.5 million on coyote control through their animal damage control programs. Wolf biologist Dr. David Mech estimates that each wolf pack may displace up to an estimated 50 coyotes, thereby producing savings in ADC expenses on both the state and federal level. Furthermore, fewer coyotes will mean less coyote predation on domestic livestock.
Myth: Reintroduced wolves will spread disease.
Fact: All reintroduced wolves have been checked for disease and vaccinated. Like humans, wolves can contract rabies, but feral and domestic dogs pose a far greater threat to people.
Myth: Wolf reintroduction would be a waste of taxpayers' money.
Fact: The bigger waste would be in not finishing this project now that all the study, planning, and required captive breeding is complete. If promptly implemented and adequately funded, the Mexican wolf plan could result in the recovery of Mexican wolves and their removal from the endangered species list in as little as eight years. Needless delays and indecision result in real costs to the taxpayer, while accomplishing nothing. Public support for wolves will continue to grow. Promptly recovering Mexican wolves makes sense economically and ecologically, and will result in less unnecessary waste of limited public funds.
Myth: Wolf recovery is a partisan issue.
Fact: It is our country's national policy to restore threatened and endangered species. The Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery Plan was completed during the Reagan Administration, and the first support for Yellowstone reintroduction came from the Bush Administration in 1991. The Endangered Species Act was signed into law by republican, President Nixon.
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| October 21, 2004, 08:53 |
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