| Don't Call It A Comeback, Not Yet | ||
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Gray
wolves are slowly returning to their former range, after successful
reintroductions to habitats in the northern Rocky Mountains and western Great
Lakes states. While this is significant progress, much more needs to be done
before this species is considered safe. However, a new problem has emerged — the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants to start removing federal protections from gray wolves. This would be a tremendous blow against a still-vulnerable population, who already face continued threats of trapping and hunting. Tell President Obama and Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell to step in and maintain protections for gray wolves before all |
Spirit of Defenders Legacy Award – Mike Finley
“Without him at the helm as superintendent of Yellowstone National Park over
twenty years ago, I truly doubt wolves would be running wild in the Northern
Rockies today.” – Jamie Rappaport Clark
In his decades of conservation work with the National Park Service, Mike Finley was entrusted with the care and protection of some of our nation’s most iconic wild places, including Assateague National Seashore, and Yosemite and Everglades National Parks. In the seven years he spent at the head of Yellowstone National Park, he oversaw the reintroduction of gray wolves to the lower 48 – an incredible conservation success story with benefits far beyond Yellowstone itself. Today, in his work with the Turner Foundation, he helps plan initiatives to protect wildlife on private and public lands alike, as well as to restore endangered species and establish protected marine habitats. With that kind of conservation legacy behind him, it’s only fitting that we honored Mr. Finley with our Legacy Award this year.
Farley Mowat’s
NEVER CRY WOLF, a classic in conservation literature, is available as an ebook
for the first time ever! Publisher Open Road Media will donate 10% of the
proceeds from the ebook sales to WildEarth Guardians when you use
this link to purchase the book.
Spirit of Defenders Public Service Award– U.S. Rep Raúl M. Grijalva
“Without him at the helm as superintendent of Yellowstone National Park over
twenty years ago, I truly doubt wolves would be running wild in the Northern
Rockies today.” – Jamie Rappaport ClarkIn his decades of conservation work with the National Park Service, Mike Finley was entrusted with the care and protection of some of our nation’s most iconic wild places, including Assateague National Seashore, and Yosemite and Everglades National Parks. In the seven years he spent at the head of Yellowstone National Park, he oversaw the reintroduction of gray wolves to the lower 48 – an incredible conservation success story with benefits far beyond Yellowstone itself. Today, in his work with the Turner Foundation, he helps plan initiatives to protect wildlife on private and public lands alike, as well as to restore endangered species and establish protected marine habitats. With that kind of conservation legacy behind him, it’s only fitting that we honored Mr. Finley with our Legacy Award this year.
Spirit of Defenders Public Service Award– U.S. Rep Raúl M. Grijalva
One of the most common objections to predators on the landscape is their impact on prey populations. As far back as 1938, Aldo Leopold set the record straight. While the best-available science may indicate that we have the technical ability to “manage” a wolf hunt without endangering the population viability, there is no science, past or present, that concludes it is absolutely necessary to hunt wolves.
From Aldo Leopold’s “Conservation” (1938):
“Harmony with land is like harmony with a friend; you cannot cherish his right hand and chop off his left. That is to say, you cannot love game and hate predators; you cannot conserve the waters and waste the ranges; you cannot build the forest and mine the farm.
“Harmony with land is like harmony with a friend; you cannot cherish his right hand and chop off his left. That is to say, you cannot love game and hate predators; you cannot conserve the waters and waste the ranges; you cannot build the forest and mine the farm.
The land is one organism. Its parts, like our own parts, compete with each other and cooperate with each other. The competition is as much a part of the inner workings as the cooperation. You can regulate them – cautiously – but not abolish them.”
On May 2, 2015, red wolf F1563 (a.k.a. Salty) gave birth to a litter of pups. All of them adorable and each a valuable contribution to the recovery of his and her rare and at-risk species. Under Red Wolf Species Survival Plan (SSP) protocols, captive born pups must be checked during certain milestones in their development. On September 21st, we conducted the most recent health-check.
The Wolf Conservation Center staff and volunteers gathered early in the morning to locate, capture, and “process” the pups. Our goal is to record heart rates and weights and administer wormer and the final of a series of three Distemper/Parvo vaccinations. As newborns, each pup could fit in the palm of one’s hand. Now at four and a half months old, the kiddos look less like pups and more like mini wolves.
Wolf Pup f2120, aka Charlotte
Once they were all captured, Paul Maus, DVM, our veterinarian who donates his time and expertise to the WCC, thoroughly examined the kiddos and they all looked robust (weights listed below), healthy, and terribly cute! And to our surprise, we discovered one pup is not who we thought… Wolf pup f2120, aka Charlotte, is alive.
In mid-July one of the pups passed away at just 10 weeks old. A necropsy (autopsy for animals) revealed that the youngster died of trauma, a puncture to the intestine. The injury was likely an accident, but tragic nonetheless. Although the body of the pup was partially decomposed, we were confident that the pup was the lone female of the litter who we affectionately called “Charlotte.” It turns out we were wrong. Charlotte is alive! While this is wonderful news, we remember the loss of her brother – an adorable and endangered pup who unknowingly touched the hearts of WCC staff, volunteers, and supporters following the pups’ progress via webcam. RIP, Pup.
Pup Weights as of September 21, 2015
- Wolf Pup m2116 – 25.4lbs
- Wolf Pup m2117 – 27lbs
- Wolf Pup m2118 – 29lbs
- Wolf Pup m2119 – 31.8lbs
- Wolf Pup f2120 – 29.2lbs
Earlier this summer all the pups received a microchip linking each to his/her alphanumeric name. Wild wolves and wolves associated with a recovery program are often given an identification number recorded in an official studbook that tracks their history. Letters (M = Male, F = Female) preceding the number indicate the sex of the animal and are capitalized for adult animals 24 months or older. Lower case letters (m = male, f = female) indicate wolves younger than 24 months or pups.
Follow the pups’ progress via webcam and let us know what you see!
Take Action for Red Wolves
Red wolves remain among the world’s most endangered species. The current estimate puts the only wild population of red wolves at their lowest level (50 – 75) since the late 1990s.
Only one place on the planet are wild red wolf populations viable and secure – North Carolina. But the state’s Wildlife Resources Commission has asked U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) to terminate the red wolf recovery program there, a move which would inevitably result in the loss of the last wild population of red wolves and render the species extinct in the wild.
While USFWS, the very agency charged by federal law with protecting the endangered species, continues to review the program, it has halted all captive-to-wild releases and management activity critical to the success of this recovery program.
Please sign the petition to urge USFWS to restore the Red Wolf Recovery Program.
Today we open a new chapter in the life of red wolf F2074, a special gal affectionately nicknamed “Gracie” by the Wolf Conservation Center‘s webcam community. The one-year-old has left her family nest to embark on what we hope will be an exciting and romantic adventure!
Every summer, the Species Survival Plan (SSP) management group for the red wolf determines the program’s breeding pairs. Wolves are “mono-estrus” – breeding only once a year during the winter months. Hence, winter can be an exciting time for wolves in North America, the WCC, and this year for red wolf F2074 (Gracie) too!
Gracie will be moving to the Rosamond Gifford Zoo where she’ll meet her male companion, hopefully breed, and contribute to the recovery of their critically endangered species via potential pups!
Although Gracie will be missed, we are excited for her and eager to follow her future endeavors. The special wolf stands out from the rest. Due to a bone deformity, her rear leg is misshapen and gives her an uneven gait. What makes her stand out the most, however, is not her appearance, but her role as a babysitter, a jester, and an emissary of her species by unknowingly making the lives of all who watched her a little brighter, goofier, and more wild.
Good luck, kiddo!
