Derek Hedges
Grey wolves are an animal that is a shining symbol of using the Endangered Species Act to restore an animal once nearly exterminated by viable numbers. Yet this is not without consequences. Wolves have few natural enemies and their population in an area can grow rapidly.
As prey thins in remote areas where wolves hunt they tend to move to more agricultural areas. While they do not often attack livestock, when they do the results can be devastating to the livestock owner. Wolves hunt in packs and have a tendency to hunt big game such as deer or elk that the hunting enthusiast desires. These are two reasons why many favor the tinning of the grey wolf population.
Having gray wolves in natures ecosystem however is not a bad idea. Wolves help to control big game populations in areas that they are so heavily populated that food supply is affected. Also wolves tend to weed out the weaker animals, helping the remaining animals to improve genetically.
The discussion should not be about whether to hunt gray wolves or not as this is something that makes a lot of sense. Rather is should be about which wolves in which areas should be hunted to strike a favorable balance between wolves, nature, and mankind and about what types of methods should be used to control the gray wolf population.
sources
http://www.lenconnect.com/outdoors/X907384214/wildlife-agencies-seek-expand-grey-wolf-hunting?pl
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/travel-outdoors/focus-earth-wolf-hunting.html
Please change your title - "need hunted" is not proper English and will definitely turn off people who are educated, or at least believe in using proper usage of our language. Now, I'm not sure where to begin. I personally feel that livestock owners who choose to live near grey wolf populations, such as Yellowstone, do so knowing the potential hazards. According to the offical Yellowstone website, Roosevelt felt that National Parks, such as Yellowstone, were to be void of development and settlement. I feel that farmers complaining of wolves are similar to a person moving into the mountains near a trout stream then complaining about a bear in their backyard! Grey wolves were almost dessimated exclusively due to human behavior and we must not let this happen again.
ReplyDelete