Megan Campbell Opportunities in Zoology Dr.

Kristen Baum October 28, 2013 Political and Ethical conflicts with the Grey Wolf When has an ecosystem changed enough that human involvement is required? This issue has been of interest for many years now when it comes to discussing the Grey Wolf population in North America. The Grey Wolf was listed onto the Endangered Species List on March 11, 1967 (ECOS, 2013). The Grey Wolf was placed on the ESL because its populations were dwindling to very small numbers. This in turn caused a boom in the population of grazing species that were previously the wolves prey. The overpopulation of grazers then affected the overall flow of the ecosystem. This is a real life example of a trophic cascade. The term trophic cascade came from an American zoologist Robert Paine. A trophic cascade is defined as an ecological phenomenon set into motion by the addition or removal of top predators. Trophic cascades also involve reciprocal changes in the relative populations of predator and prey through a food chain. This often results in dramatic changes in the ecosystem structure and nutrient cycling (Carpenter, 2013). The Grey Wolf is the top predator that was removed in the western Great Lakes area. The idea of reintroducing the Grey Wolves into set areas was brought to the table. Since the populations of reintroduced wolves are sustainable and growing, there have been some incidents where the wolves have attacked livestock or family pets. So the question is, should people be allowed to hunt these wolf populations that have overgrown the food supply and area boundaries? Where should we draw the line in human interaction of present ecosystems,

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should the Grey Wolf be taken off of the Endangered Species List and should the hunting of the Grey Wolf continue? Since humans have set foot on this great side of the Earth, we have been interrupting the natural flow of present ecosystems. After we realized the effect we were having on the plants and animals around us, we started to change our ways to lessen our impact. These changes involved the production of the Endangered Species Act and the United States Fish and Wildlife services. This act and agency play a large significant role in the survival and thriving of many different species. However, great benefits come from acts and agencies similar, when should we leave the ecosystem alone and let it heal and adapt on its own? Many people are involved in answering this question. Some solutions have been that the overpopulated species are eligible for being hunted. Since the ungulate population lost their main predator, their population was growing rapidly. Permission to hunt certain ungulate species then was granted to qualified hunters. A limit had to be set so that the population of the ungulates wouldnt drop to dangerous lows. Along with the approval of the hunting of said ungulates came the solution of reintroducing the Grey Wolf population. This solution has proved effective since the act passed on February 27, 2008 (ECOS, All Federal Resiter Documents for the Grey Wolf, 2013). This brings us to our next question: when should the Grey Wolf be taken off the Endangered Species Act? It was proposed back in June13, 2013 and not finalized until October 2, 2013 (ECOS, Federal Register Documents, 2013). Further support for the removal of the Grey Wolf off of the Endangered Species Act comes from data recorded on the genetics of current western Great Lakes Grey Wolves and Wisconsin coyote which was published in a peer reviewed article. The authors of this study stated The recolonized WGL (western Great Lake) states wolves are genetically similar to historical wolves from the region and should be

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considered restored. (Fain SR, 2010). Another peer reviewed article goes over the legal proceedings of the possible delisting of the Grey Wolf. Perry stated the delisting is debatable, the rider revealed a weakness of the Endangered Species Act: limited state participation in endangered species management reduces its political popularity, leaving it open to challenges and possibly harming conservation outcomes. (Perry, 2012). From the substantial amount of evidence, I strongly believe that the Grey Wolf will not be on the Endangered Species Act list for much longer. But our next question remains unresolved. Should the hunting of the Grey Wolf continue is the final posing question. Other people may have different views but I came from a family that hunts certain species of animals when the season is open. Granted we are talking about the Oklahoma Panhandle and Southwest Kansas area and not the western Great Lakes area but I believe that options would be about equal. Those opinions would be to continue hunting the Grey Wolves to the set limit but strictly enforce the over hunting of these wolves. If we are going to play a large role in multiple ecosystems, we have to be responsible for those actions and affects. There are farmers and ranchers in the western Great Lakes region that would support this opinion because the Grey Wolves have been attacking their livestock in the past (Maytan, 2013). No matter if we hunt the wolves or not, there will never be complete balance between the Grey Wolf population and the ungulate populations. All we can do is try: and try we shall. As ecological rulers of the world, we must pay careful attention to our surroundings as we live out our days. We also must listen to other peoples views on controversial issues. Some responders to Maytans article strongly believe that the U.S. should stop shooting all animals completely. There are others who go on about needing a cull for some politicians in office right now. I do not concur with many of these opinions on the matter of the Grey Wolves but everyone

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is entitled to their own opinion and we all must respect that. We also must respect the lives of the animals that are continuously happening around us. There are agencies to help regulate those animals to make sure they are sustaining a healthy population figure. The placement of the Grey Wolf may change soon but continuous watch must be maintained so that the wolves are not placed back on the list in 10 years or so. The hunting status of the Grey Wolf may also change to correspond to their population. There is no one right solution to a very complicated problem. As an open-minded society, we must look as all of the variables and consequences before a major plan is put into place. We also must learn from our past plans and try to improve them in all ways. There will also be downfalls to a solution no matter how remarkable it may seem to begin with. However, we cannot be afraid to live our lives. We just have to be conscious of the smaller world that is revolving with us.

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Works Cited Carpenter, S. (2013, October 28). Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1669736/trophic-cascade ECOS. (2013, October 27). All Federal Resiter Documents for the Grey Wolf. Retrieved from U.S. Fish and Wildlife service: http://ecos.fws.gov/speciesProfile/profile/displayAllDocuments!fedreg.action;jsessionid= DB44ADA0EF0CF949C91B73A16E56E3B4?spcode=A00D ECOS. (2013, October 28). Federal Register Documents. Retrieved from U.S. Fish and Wildlife service: http://ecos.fws.gov/speciesProfile/profile/speciesProfile.action?spcode=A00D#status ECOS. (2013, October 28). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved from Species Profile, Gray Wolf: http://ecos.fws.gov/speciesProfile/profile/speciesProfile.action?spcode=A00D#status Fain SR, S. D. (2010). Genetic poutcome of wolf recovery in the western Great Lakes states. Conservation Genertics, 1747-1765. Retrieved from http://apps.webofknowledge.com.argo.library.okstate.edu/full_record.do?product=WOS &search_mode=GeneralSearch&qid=1&SID=2DiwHLRrKU1PYatsJzn&page=2&doc=1 6 Kramer, G. (2013, Septermeber 29). Endangered Species Program. Retrieved from U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: http://www.fws.gov/endangered/news/archives/2011.html Maytan, J. (2013, August 14). Heed the call of the Wild: don't cull the wolf. Retrieved from The Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/14/wolf-cull-hunting Perry, S. (2012). the Gray Wolf De Listing Rider and State Management under the Endangered Species Act. Ecology Law Quarterly, 439-473.

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