Like many innocent predators, gray wolves have been given a bad rap, mostly by ranchers. They, along with the buffalo, were keystone species across North America, maintaining balance in this often harsh ecosystem. As settlers pushed west; however, bringing with them their domestic cattle, sheep, and pigs, this balance began to swerve. They pushed out the native buffalo by confiscating its habitat and ultimately, by killing nearly all of them. Having also lost its habitat and its prey, the gray wolf would often turn to killing livestock, to satisfy its hunger.
In 1915, Congress declared war on the gray wolf, with the intention to eliminate them from all public lands – even national parks. Within five years, the gray wolf, like the buffalo, had reached the brink of extinction. All of the remaining wolves in Colorado were exterminated and then in 1973, when the Endangered Species Act was enacted, it was listed among the endangered species. Thanks to this, reintroduction programs in Yellowstone, as well as Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington have aided in bringing their numbers to around 6,000.
Supporters in Colorado have succeeded in possibly getting the issue of restoring the gray wolf to the western part of the state, onto the 2020 state ballot. By restoring the wolf to that area, it will provide the final achievement of restoring the animal to its original range – from the North Pole to Mexico. The gray wolf is vital to a healthy ecosystem because it helps to control over-population of deer that often succumb to wasting disease. Wolves also feed on elk, moose, and caribou. Because they are naturally fearful and distrustful of humans, ranchers can use that to their advantage by implementing non-violent means of shunning them away from their livestock. Like most wild animals, they do not attack humans unless they are provoked or if their young are threatened. They are highly social, living in packs with an “alpha” male, his “beta” mate, and their extended family members.
It is heartwarming to know that there are numerous individuals and groups of people fighting for the rights of gray wolves and so many other species. If you live in Colorado, I encourage you to support this initiative. You can learn more at rockymountainwolfproject.org. Even if you live elsewhere, you can still support the gray wolf in the state where you live.
