Viewpoints: Letters / Opinions
Wolf mother deaths threaten pack survival but not population
By Richard Steiner
July 09, 2014
Wednesday AM
The research on Denali wolves confirms what we have said all along, that the killing of breeding females can result in catastrophic consequences. Indeed, it is absurdly obvious.
The trapping kill of the Grant Creek breeding female in 2012 is a perfect example. The pack subsequently did not have pups, dispersed, and ultimately disintegrated entirely. Viewing success of park wolves has plummeted from 45% in 2010 (when the no-take buffer was removed) to just 4% last year.
We have repeatedly asked the state to re-establish a no-take buffer along the eastern boundary of the park. In 2012, I asked ADFG Commission Campbell three times to issue an emergency order closing wolf take along the boundary of the park, which they declined each time. We petitioned the Alaska Board of Game twice that year to issue an emergency closure, which they declined. Obviously, neither the State of Alaska nor the National Park Service wish to fix the problem.
And while Denali National Park Superintendent Don Striker says in this release:
“Given the park’s current low wolf densities and small average pack sizes, we are concerned about harvest of wolves from packs that reside primarily within the park”
...please see below, where he has just recently declined my request that he close wolf take on all park managed lands. He has the authority and responsibility to do what he can to protect Denali wolves, and yet he has done nothing. His professed concern rings hollow.
The Park Service is part of the problem, not part of the solution.
Regards,
Rick Steiner, Professor
Anchorage, AK
Received July 08, 2014
- Published July 09, 2014
Related:
Wolf mother deaths threaten pack survival but not population By MARIE THOMS
- When a breeding wolf dies, its sex and the size of its pack can determine whether that pack continues, according to research published online this month by the Journal of Animal Ecology. - More...
Wednesday AM - July 09, 2014
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