Returning Grazing Land to Nature Helps More than Wolves PAGE 4 Wild Canids Among Us: Can We Coexist? PAGE 8 Pros and Cons: The 2017 Mexican Wolf Recovery Plan PAGE 12 Savana Brown Logo Wear T-Shirt Item:1099p Wolf $10.00 Den Store Your purchases help support the mission of the International Wolf Center.

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To Order, visit: or call 1-800-ELY-WOLF VOLUME 28, NO. 3 THE QUARTERLY PUBLICATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL WOLF CENTER FALL 2018

4 Ratner B Jonathan 8 Ilya Raskin 11 UWFWS Clark / Jim Returning Grazing Land Wild Canids Among Us: Pros and Cons: The 2017 to Nature Helps More Can We Coexist? Mexican Wolf Recovery Plan than Wolves More than three billion people now The 2017 Mexican wolf recovery Large carnivores and their prey need reside in cities around the world. As plan, an update of a plan devised in healthy, spacious habitat in order to we’re moving into town, canids are 1982, has evoked strong reactions thrive, but huge tracts of land have right behind us, and they’re subjects from biologists and environmentalists. been decimated by the grazing of of growing scientific interest—so Here, two experts present opposing domestic livestock. About 2,400 much interest that they have earned viewpoints on the validity and grazing authorizations are granted their own name: synanthropes. Here’s effectiveness of the plan—one to ranches across 12 western states what researchers are learning about questioning the science involved, each year. The author describes the this growing group of city-dwelling and the other declaring it solidly problems that can cause, along with carnivores. designed to assure the survival of current efforts to return grazing land this wolf subspecies. By Cheryl Lyn Dybas to a wild state. By Jim Heffelfinger By Tracy O’Connell and Mike Phillips

On the Cover Departments Mexican Wolf © Bob Jensen 3 From the Executive Director Did you know? 20 Tracking the Pack One easy way for you to help us conserve 24 Wild Kids natural resources is to make sure we have your email address. 26 Personal Encounter Simply email your address to 27 Wolves of the World [email protected]. 30 A Look Beyond 32 Book Review Inernational Wolf Center Wolf Inernational Popular “Wolves at Our Door” Programs, Presented to More Than 51,000 Minnesotans, Will Continue

Publications Director he International Wolf Center in June con- Chad Richardson cluded a unique, four-year program that Graphics Coordinator Ttaught unbiased lessons about wolves to more Carissa L. Winter than 51,000 people in the state. “Wolves at Our Door” presentations educated and entertained more than Consulting Editor Kristine Chapin 49,000 students and 2,000 state park and library visitors from September 2014 through June 2018. Technical Editor Funding for the project was provided by the Dr. L. David Mech Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Graphic Designer Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Tricia Austin Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR). International Wolf (1089-683X) is published That funding ceased at the end of June, but based on research results, the quarterly and copyrighted, 2018, by the International Wolf Center has vowed to continue the program. International Wolf Center, 7100 Northland Circle N, Suite 205, Minneapolis, MN 55428, USA. Before and After email: [email protected]. All rights reserved. Follow-up research conducted by educators indicates that the statewide program was a smashing success. Publications agreement no. 1536338 Educators took before-and-after surveys to gauge how much children knew Membership in the International Wolf Center includes about wolves and what they learned from the presentations, also measuring a subscription to International Wolf magazine, free attitudes toward wolves held by young people before and after their exposure admission to the Center and discounts on programs to the program. The results were impressive. and merchandise. Using Clicker survey technology, students were surveyed pre-and post- Membership Levels: (in U.S. dollars) • Wolf Pup $25 (students • Wolf Associate $125 program to collect data on knowledge of, and attitudes toward, wolves and age 21 and under) • Wolf Tracker $250 wolf issues. The resulting data showed an increase ranging from 8 percent to • Lone Wolf $45 • Wolf Sponsor $500 34 percent, pre-program to post-program, in knowledge of wolf facts, positive (individual) • Alpha Wolf $1,000 attitudes, and understanding of current issues concerning wolves and humans. • Wolf Pack $75 (family at same address) “The clear success of the program prompted our board of directors to find Outside the United States, please add an additional a way to continue offering it to schools across the state,” said Rob Schultz, $15 to Wolf Pup, Lone Wolf, Wolf Pack and Wolf the Center’s executive director. “We’re thrilled that students will continue to Associate memberships. receive this educational programming in their classrooms.” Please mail membership payment to: International Using engaging video and photos, the PowerPoint-based “Wolves at our Wolf Center Administrative Office, Attn: Membership, Door” covers basic wolf biology, predator-prey dynamics, the role of wolves 7100 Northland Circle N, Suite 205, Minneapolis, in healthy ecosystems, myths and opinions about wolves, wolf management MN 55428, USA. Contact the membership department and the importance of wildland habitat. Students also learn by handling arti- with questions: 763-560-7374 ext. 230 or [email protected]. facts such as wolf, deer, and moose bones and pelts. International Wolf is a forum for airing perspectives, They Learned About Wolves (2014-2018) science-based information and personal experiences about wolves. Articles and materials printed in The total number of classrooms in grades 2-12 that had 1,981 International Wolf do not necessarily reflect the an hour-long classroom presentation. viewpoint of the International Wolf Center or its board of directors. 49,099 The total number of students who received the programming. International Wolf welcomes submissions of personal State parks in which programs were presented. adventures with wolves and wolf pho­to­graphs. Prior 33 to submission of other types of manuscripts,­ address 32 Public libraries that had Wolves at Our Door programs. queries to Chad Richardson, publications director. PHOTOS: Unless otherwise noted, or obvious from the More than The number of Minnesota counties in which there was caption or article text, photos are of captive wolves. 52 at least one program. International Wolf is printed entirely with soy ink. Paper More than The number of school districts in which there was use is offset with a donation from the Center through 124 at least one program. Print Releaf. We encourage you to recycle this magazine.

2 Fall 2018 www.wolf.org From the Executive Director

INTERNATIONAL WOLF CENTER

It’s dynamic, fun and mega-fauna charismatic. BOARD OF DIRECTORS Nancy jo Tubbs And it’s coming in 2019! Chair n some respects, it was a museum exhibit that led to the creation of the International Wolf Dr. L. David Mech Vice Chair Center. In the early 1980s, the Science Museum of Minnesota developed a natural history Debbie Hinchcliffe Iexhibit featuring the social, biological, mythological and ethical relationships between Secretary wolves and humans. The 6,000-square-foot “Wolves and Humans” display won awards, Paul B. Anderson set attendance records and eventually went on tour in 18 cities around Treasurer the United States and Canada. One of the main biologists from whom the Cree Bradley material for that exhibit came was Dr. L. David Mech. Cindy Carvelli-Yu At the time, Dr. Mech was studying wolves in the Superior National Rick Duncan Forest near Ely, Minnesota. He and his team commonly fielded questions Fitz Fitzgerald Nancy Gibson from the public about wolves. The need for the exhibit to have a perma- Judy Hunter nent home along with the stream of public interest about wolves eventually Connie LaFond led to the 1993 opening of the International Wolf Center in Ely. Deborah Wold Lewis Rob Schultz Since the Center opened, the exhibit has helped educate more than a Aaron Morris million visitors from around the world. But scientific knowledge about wolves has increased Mike Phillips significantly since the exhibit was created, and the story of how this endangered species has Debbie Reynolds Jerry Sanders been recovering in the U.S. over the past few decades needs to be added. Paul Schurke Last winter, work began on a redesign of the entire exhibit. The new exhibit will be installed Keira Thrasher in May 2019, in time for our busy summer months in Ely. New features will include a howling room, interactive displays and even augmented reality. It’s a huge undertaking at the Center, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR but we’re ready for the challenge. Rob Schultz The new exhibit is funded, in large part, by a $1 million grant from the Legislative- MISSION Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources. The funding was secured when Minnesota The International Wolf Center Gov. Mark Dayton signed the budget bill on May 30. We deeply appreciate the efforts of advances the survival of wolf Rep. Rob Ecklund, Sen. Tom Bakk and the Ely City Council for their support of the funding. populations by teaching about We look forward to sharing this wolves, their relationship to wildlands and the human role new exhibit with you in 2019! n in their future.

Educational services and Sincerely, informational resources are available at: 1396 Highway 169 Ely, MN 55731-8129, USA 800-ELY-WOLF Rob Schultz 218-365-4695 Executive Director email address: [email protected] www.wolf.org The Wolves and Humans exhibit, which helped launch the International Wolf Center.

International Wolf Fall 2018 3 Returning Grazing Land to Nature Helps More than Wolves By TRACY O’CONNELL Laura Welp Adobe Sotck/ Carter

4 Fall 2018 www.wolf.org 90 he importance of preserving wild- for the use of both wildlife and livestock. lands to provide healthy, spacious The sheer scope of the grazing allot- Thabitat for large carnivores and ment program, together with the myriad their prey has long been realized by ecological concerns raised by grazing cat- environmentalists. The International tle and sheep on fragile mountain land, is Wolf Center mission, in support of that why the retiring of grazing allotments— idea, is to advance the survival of wolf such as the more than 50,000 acres populations by teaching about wolves, recently removed from the allotment their relationship to wildlands and the program in the Upper East Fork of the human role in their future. Salmon River in Idaho—was a big deal One prominent cause of wild eco- to supporters of system destruction is the grazing of wildland pres- domestic livestock such as sheep and ervation. One MONTANA cattle. Millions of acres of public land, such supporter Yellowstone National managed by branches of the federal gov- is Lynne Stone, Park ernment such as the U.S. Forest Service director of the Boise National and the Bureau of Land Management Ketchum, Idaho, Forest (BLM), are divided into allotments and based Boulder- 15 pastures for management purposes. White Clouds Boise There, the practice of domestic livestock Council, formed grazing coexists with the wildlife native in 1989 to pro- IDAHO to the region. tect, defend and The Forest Service, part of the U.S. enhance Idaho’s 86 Department of Agriculture, notes on its wildlands and 84 website that it “supports livestock graz- wildlife, accord- WYOMING

ing on National Forest System lands.” ing to its web Map data courtesy of Sagebrush Fund Such grazing, the site says, “if responsi- site. Stone notes The highlighted area includes recently retired allotments in the headwaters bly done, provides a valuable resource that more than of the East Fork of Idaho’s Salmon River, which will provide habitat for to the livestock owners as well as the 39,000 acres steelheadNEVADA trout, bull trout and Chinook salmon,UTAH three top carnivores American people.” of this retired (wolves, bears and mountain lions), and bighorn sheep, among others. In the U.S. Department of the Interior, allotment is in the BLM’s Rangeland Administration two new wilder- System handles about 18,000 applica- ness areas, the Jerry Peak and the adja- multi-million dollar fund the WPP has tions and issues 2,400 grazing authoriza- cent Hemingway-Boulders, both created dedicated to buying out allotments from tions (in the form of permits, leases, and by Congress in 2015 and now protecting willing sellers. That fund is managed by other agreements) with ranchers each nearly 185,000 total acres. a “semi-separate” organization with a year across 12 western states, noting Key to such an effort is the Western friendlier image—the Sagebrush Habitat online that it manages the public lands Watershed Project (WWP), whose exec- Conservation Fund—that exists to utive director, wildlife biologist Erik negotiate with ranchers, some of whom Molvar, explained his group’s work. might not meet willingly with WWP “It’s in the philosophical DNA of our because of its perceived anti-grazing organization to take on livestock graz- image. The group has worked to restore ing,” he says, adding that while fre- more than 250 million acres of public quently teaming with other conservation land in the west—places where an array groups to achieve a goal, WWP is seen of birds, fish, mammals, amphibians as a leader in the grazing issue—a topic and rare plants flourish. many don’t want to touch because the The monies used by the Sagebrush grazing industry is very well connected Habitat Conservation Fund resulted politically. “We’re a hardnosed organi- from a unique alliance between WWP zation,” he says of WWP. “Regardless and Ruby Pipeline LLC, a subsidiary of the politics, we are free to take on of El Paso Corporation. Under a legal problems and rock the boat.” settlement, WWP agreed not to oppose Molvar says his group, with offices in a 680-mile underground pipeline several western states, is armed with a project intended to bring natural gas Adobe Sotck/ Brett

International Wolf Fall 2018 5 produced in Wyoming and other Rocky with ranchers, it also brings multiple heavy grazing, cattle provide an open- Mountain states to Oregon for dis- benefits to the rest of the ecosystem. ing to the invasive cheatgrass (so called tribution to West Coast customers. Molvar ticks off examples of environ- because it sends out long roots to cheat In exchange, Ruby agreed to pay $15 mental degradation caused by grazing, other grass of water) to take over. million over 10 years to be used for and the improvements that occur as the “Livestock are rototilling the land and voluntary conservation projects. livestock leave. creating conditions for cheatgrass mono- When the Conservation Fund pur- “Ranching takes all the natural for- culture,” Molvar explains. Also called chases land to return it to wild habitat age away from the native herbivores,” drooping brome, cheatgrass is an annual and protect it from grazing, “It’s a win- he begins, noting that bighorn sheep, plant native to the Eurasian steppes, and win,” according to Molvar. The sellers bison and elk can be driven from an area because it seeds much more prolifically, typically want someone to take over used for livestock grazing by lack of it can eliminate competing native peren- the land, often because their children forage. Additional harm comes from the nials such as bunchgrass and sagebrush. choose to forego ranching, with its mar- trampling of vulnerable soil biocrusts Highly flammable when it dries out in ginal income, in favor of other careers, which contain microscopic communities the summer, it is blamed for some of the he explained. “We give them a golden that capture nitrogen from the air and severe fires in western states. saddle to ride off into the sunset.” hold moisture, among other functions. Damage to waterways is another det- While the return of grazing allotments One hoof print can destroy these crusts rimental effect of grazing allotments. to wildland provides much-needed space for 30 to 100 years, he says. Molvar explains that cattle evolved in for large carnivores to live free of conflict By destroying native grasses through a boggy, northern European landscape

No one alive today has ever seen the massive herds of wildlife that roamed the western range.

Destroyed natural spring Jonathan B Ratner B Jonathan Adobe Sotck/ PriceM

6 Fall 2018 www.wolf.org and spend a lot of time wallowing in streams. In addition to breaking down stream banks and eroding soil, they cre- ate a “serious to extreme” risk of e coli from their droppings, which pollute wild streams with bacteria to an extent often in violation of the Clean Water Act. Among its other work, WWP seeks to ensure that land management agencies such as the BLM and the Forest Service enforce environmental laws, including the Clean Water, Endangered Species, and National Environmental Policy acts. Domestic livestock can spread disease

to wild populations, as well. In the case Melissa Cain & Google Earth of cattle, brucellosis can be transmitted In northern New Mexico’s Carson National Forest, a sheep grazing allot- to bison and elk. Cattle ranchers some- ment is shown on the left. On the right, an ungrazed section of the same times want bison killed to eradicate the area. Sagebrush loss is apparent even from a Google Earth satellite. threat of transmission to cattle, Molvar says, when it was actually the cattle that the best places to see elk, which is also way or another so land that was consid- infected the wild herbivores. an excellent place to see wolves. Elk ered protected is re-opened to grazing. Domestic sheep can spread the are abundant where domestic livestock On still other occasions, the passage of bacterium, Mannheimia haemolycta, are not competing with them, he says, time and the natural destruction of fences which is harmless to them but can wipe noting that WPP looks to strategically lead to de-facto permanent preservation out a bighorn population with a serious create large tracts that, by being free of because it becomes too problematic to illness similar to pneumonia. Whole livestock, also provide an area for wolves restore the required fencing in order to wild herds have been eliminated by and bears free of conflicts with ranchers. reopen the allotment. this condition to which bighorn sheep While the areas removed from grazing As the Sagebrush Habitat Conser- develop no immunity. are large, often the protections achieved vation Fund project helps reduce live- “This region was an American are not permanent. “Most allotments are stock grazing, create de facto permanent Serengeti, as described by Lewis and only closed for the life of the 20-year preservation, and allow retiring ranchers Clark,” Molvar comments, adding, “No forest plan,” Molvar explains, after which to benefit wildlands and wildlife, this one alive today has ever seen the massive they can be reopened. Of the half million does seem like a win-win. n herds of wildlife that roamed the western acres WPP has restored from grazing, range.” “People say wolves kill the prey,” more than 400,000 acres are perma- Tracy O’Connell is professor emeritus at he continues, but points to Yellowstone nently closed to livestock. Other times the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in National Park as an example of one of the Forest Service changes its policies one marketing communications and serves on the Center’s communications and magazine committees. No one alive today has ever seen the massive herds of wildlife that roamed the western range. Gerry Goldner

International Wolf Fall 2018 7 By CHERYL LYN DYBAS

Golden jackal searching for a meal in Croatia. Can We Coexist? Miha Krofel / University of Ljubljana

8 Fall 2018 www.wolf.org Banff wolf pack hunting elk

The absence of large preda- tors such as wolves from cities has also given urban adapt- ers free rein. Infrequently, wolves have populated cit- ies, and when their numbers decrease, mesopredators such as red foxes and coyotes often increase. For example, “Europe is currently experiencing a dra-

Christopher MartinChristopher matic expansion of a new car- nivore across the continent,” says ecologist Miha Krofel of the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia. or the first time in history, a Life in the big city The golden jackal is a native European majority of humans live in Synanthropes demonstrate how species, but its range has been limited Furban areas—more than three quickly wild species can adapt to the to the southern fringes of Europe for billion people reside in cities around pressures of living in unnatural habi- millennia. Now it’s increasingly colo- the world. As we’re moving into town, tats, says wildlife biologist David Drake, nizing new areas, with reports of its canids are right behind us. Or we’re director of the Urban Canids Project at arrival in the Netherlands, Denmark and behind them, sometimes claiming turf the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Estonia. Two new studies have identi- they’ve already staked out. Beyond adapting, synanthropes are fied the likely reason: wolves. Or more In Moscow, feral dogs ride the sub- evolving; some researchers believe that precisely, states Krofel in the journals ways, while halfway around the globe urban living is accelerating the process. Nature Communications and Hystrix, a in Madison, Wisconsin, red foxes tun- Changes that would usually take centu- lack of wolves. nel under garage floors to dig dens. ries are happening in decades or years. Gray wolves once were—and in many Red foxes in Fairfax, Virginia go them For example, urban red foxes in Israel places, still are—persecuted by humans. one better, stealing newspapers from have higher survival rates and smaller At one time, wolves existed throughout suburban front porches to line their home ranges than their country cousins. North America and Eurasia, but were domiciles—or, as one homeowner Human presence may have shortened gradually eliminated until only those quipped, “…to read up on prime real the distance canids and other mammals in remote areas survived, opening the estate in the neighborhood.” roam by two-thirds, according to an way for European mesopredators like Urban canids not only provide end- analysis published in the January 26, golden jackals. less “Can you believe?” tales; they are 2018, issue of the journal Science. In the subjects growing scientific inter- areas with a large human “footprint,” Wolves once more at the door est, so much so that researchers have wild mammals’ maximum ranges aver- That situation may be changing again. Can We Coexist? coined a term for these city-dwelling aged 4.3 miles. In low-footprint areas, Protection of gray wolves is increas- carnivores: synanthropes. that estimate was 13.7 miles. ing their numbers in parts of Europe Some species fare better than others and elsewhere. Wolves now frequent in cities and suburbs. Medium-sized refuse dumps in Israel, Italy, Canada and canids such as coyotes and red foxes, Romania. In Canada, some follow dump also called mesopredators or mesocarni- trucks carrying trash to landfills, timing vores, are often “urban adapters.” Much their appearance to that of the trucks. of their success stems from their diets; In France, where wolves were eradi- they’re far from picky eaters. They trot cated by the 1930s, they’re creeping back, along carrying everything from discarded with some 360 now in the country. The fast-food wrappers to fishery bycatch French government recently announced that washes ashore. a plan to allow 500 wolves nationwide

International Wolf Fall 2018 9 by 2023. Farmers can apply for funding minutes from downtown Minneapolis. Fire Island, where canids (some- to protect their sheep and other livestock According to Mech, it’s the farthest south times) coexist with humans from predators like wolves, but compen- in the state a pack has been found in sation is contingent on measures like recent history. The wolves thrived on Wolves may be inching closer to installing electric fences. the area’s abundant deer. cities, but red foxes are already there. “Biologically, wolves can and will Isanti resident Larry Hogie digs soil Foxes are the most widespread, and live almost anywhere people will toler- from ponds on his property and forms possibly most abundant, urban canid ate them, and that will vary with local it into mounds of dirt for sale to gar- in Australia, Europe, Japan and North culture and politics,” writes Dave Mech deners and horticulture centers. One America, according to Carl Soulsbury of of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Northern day Hogie glanced at the edge of the the University of Bristol in the U.K. and Prairie Wildlife Research Center and the woods near his home…and a gray wolf co-authors of the book Urban Carnivores: University of Minnesota in a 2017 paper looked back. Since then, he’s spotted Ecology, Conflict, and Conservation. in the journal Biological Conservation. wolves four or five times. “But I don’t Sarah Karpanty of Virginia The founder of the International Wolf think many of the wolves are around Polytechnic Institute and State University Center in Ely, Minnesota, Mech wasn’t any longer,” Hogie says. in Blacksburg, Virginia is conducting a expecting wolves to stake out territory Mech believes there may be one or multi-year study of red fox population almost in the backyard of his University two left, and he and his University of density, spatial ecology and dietary ecol- of Minnesota-Twin Cities office. But that’s Minnesota colleagues hope to study ogy on Fire Island, New York. About 31 exactly what happened. them. “We’d like to find out if wolves miles long, Fire Island runs parallel to In the spring of 2015, gray wolves could exist on a long-term basis so close the south side of Long Island, northeast showed up near Isanti, Minnesota, 45 to the Twin Cities,” he says. Adds Hogie, of New York City. Karpanty’s research “For that to happen, we need to learn territory extends from Robert Moses how to live in peace with wolves and State Park at one end of the island to Fire other predators.” Island National Seashore on the other. Research reported in a 2014 paper in The area has one of the highest red Science shows that humans and predators fox densities in the world. How the can successfully share the landscape. In foxes got there, no one is sure, but they areas where wolves and other carnivores probably made their way across the prey on livestock, say the 76 co-authors 8-mile-long Robert Moses Causeway of the Science paper, attempts to reduce that connects the city of Islip, New York, the threat, such as installing electric with Fire Island. fences and obtaining livestock-guarding On a May morning, with a stiff ocean dogs, can facilitate coexistence. breeze flapping small-craft warning flags, Karpanty and I, along with Karpanty’s students Kat Miles and Claire Helmke, Photos: Ilya Raskin are at the Robert Moses State Park’s Field 5— which is, in fact, a park- ing lot. We cross the asphalt in Karpanty’s jeep and pull up near some dumpsters. Not far from the trash receptacles, at the base of a pitch pine tree rooted in a dune, is an open- ing in the sand where a fox family has taken up residence. Before long, one, two… seven small, orange-red kits poke out their faces. We’re well hidden in nearby shrubs, so the young foxes emerge and Fox kits and adult near their den in the middle of a busy golf course in Islip, New York. start to play, batting each other with small paws. From there, we head south to Field 2 and the nearby Pitch & Putt Golf Course.

10 Fall 2018 www.wolf.org International Wolf bow. The dead fox was a mature female State Parkwasfatallyshotwith across chased carsforfoodinRobert Moses trous results. In January, 2017, a fox that thing,” Karpantycomments. runs forit.“Obviouslythisisn’t agood and tossascraptowaitingfox,which The occupantsroll downthewindows As wewatch,acarstopsintheroad. by toseeifpeoplewilloffer handouts. Island, stoppingtolookatcarspassing main road runningupanddownFire dog,” saysKarpanty. Redfoxeshauntthe behavior likewhatyoumightseeinyour f beaches, where foxesmakeoff withthe fish. Thedeadskatesthenwashupon Local fishers often discard skates as trash feathers and fish scales at den “doors.” Karpanty says.Thefoxeshavealsoleft food wrappersandchipbagsatdens,” healthiest diets.“We’ve foundtake-out living high,althoughnotalwaysonthe Con and Conflict Ecology, Carnivores: in theU.S.,according toUrban Australia;andChicago U.K.; Melbourne, other fox-richlocales:Edinburgh inthe “a lotoffoxes.” of 6.25square miles. mile, in a total available area one-thirdevery of a square 2.37 adultsand3.51kitsin Karpanty hasfoundbetween 57 kits.Ontheentire island, end, there are 39adultsand and OldInletatitseastern at theisland’s end western that betweenFire IslandInlet survey, Karpanty estimates they doit?Basedonarecent on Fire Island,andhowdo often rolls intoafox’s den. nearby.” Sonear, infact,thatastrayball might accuratelyadd:“andwithwildlife and challengeofatruegolfcourse.”It taste oftheocean,withhighgreenery park’s adstatesthatthecourse“offers a thicket ofpoisonivyandgreenbrier. The beneath vegetation, this time in a dense Here, asatField5,afoxdenishidden ish parts. Accepting handoutscanhave disas- “These foxesare alsointobegging In suburbanIslip’s backyard, foxesare “In otherwords,” shesays, The numbers are similar to those of The numbersare similartothoseof How manyred foxesmakealiving

servation . - 13.2 million rodents that are crop pests. more than 3,700 tons of animal waste and alone, golden jackals annually remove trash collectors. golden jackalsare asunpaid serving Conservation a 2016paperinBiological front oftheireyes.Astheyreported in leagues discovered asolutionalmost in the UniversityofBelgradeandhiscol- less so in Europe. But Dusko Cirovic of on Fire Island andacross theU.S.,it’s no Symbiotic canids? urban the nearest trashcan—notontheroad.” they candoisplacetheirleftoversin “If peoplelikethefoxes,bestthing foxes, oranywildlife,”saysKarpanty. ing visitorstotheislandnotfeed and partofKarpanty’s study. “We’re ask and suburbs.Medium-sizedcanidssuchascoyotes The researchers estimatethatinSerbia If “wastemanagement”isachallenge Some speciesfarebetterthanothersincities Much oftheirsuccessstemsfromdiets; mesocarnivores, areoften“urbanadapters.” and redfoxes,alsocalledmesopredatorsor they’re farfrompickyeaters. - , Wildlife Geographic, as for Writers, writesonconservationbiology the InternationalLeagueofConservation ecologist Cheryl Lyn Dybas,aFellowof Award-winning sciencejournalist and are. Often, unbeknownst to us, wealready communities.” predators are ofgreat valuetohuman as scavengers,andtoshowthatthese providedservices by mesocarnivores to demonstratethevalueofecosystem greater thanahalf-millioneuros peryear. value of the jackals’ waste removal is The biologists found that the monetary

National Geographic,

The results, says Cirovic, “are thefirst Can we coexist with wild canids? wild with we coexist Can International W n

and manyotherpublications.

National Wildlife, BBC olf aswell

Photos: Arti Wulandari Wisconsin-Madison. of theUniversity Foxes onthecampus

Ocean Fall 2018

11 Pros and Cons:

he wild Mexican wolf population in the United States has been grow- Ting, on average, 14 percent annu- ally since 2009. This strong growth proves the inaccuracy of population models from the 2010-2013 recovery team on which I served (with individuals from Michigan Tech University, Turner Endangered Species Fund, the National Park Service and others) and suggests caution in basing conclusions on those models. The 2017 survey detected all-time, record minimum numbers of wolves (114), packs (22), potential breeding pairs (26) and adult Mexican wolves (88) in the wild. Widespread claims of agency mismanagement and genetic crisis—claims made by scientists, media, wildlife associations and members of the public—are being muted by the successful progress of recovery. The 2010-2013 attempt to revise the recov- ery plan was based on what is now decade-old information and has been eclipsed by more cur- rent data. The 2017 Mexican Wolf Recovery Plan is based on analyses led by an independent, inter- nationally known endangered species population- viability expert with a group that included some Recovering former recovery team members. This latest effort used a more advanced, customized viability model with access to an updated pedigree. For more than Mexican Wolves two years, scientists updated all available data to determine what is needed for recovery. The team used wild Mexican wolf data to update: on a Solid Scientific effects of inbreeding, mortality rates, catastrophe prob- ability, percent of females breeding, pup production Foundation and historical range. Previous models were based on wolf mortality rates from the northern Rockies, but the current plan uses mortality rates from wild Mexican By JIM HEFFELFINGER wolves in the recovery areas. Previous analyses lacked the 15-plus years of data on percent of females breed- ing in the wild, considered in the current plan. The last recovery team estimated the effects of inbreeding with data from only 39 litters, but the current plan is based on 89 wild Mexican wolf litters from 1998-2014 (50 more litters and eight more years of data). Importantly, overall inbreed- ing levels of wild-born pups are not increasing—data which conflicts with claims of a mounting genetic crisis.

Jacquelyn Fallon Jacquelyn continued on page 14

12 Fall 2018 www.wolf.org The 2017 Mexican Wolf Recovery Plan AdobeStock / RbbrDckyBK / AdobeStock

he 2017 Mexican wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) recovery plan is a long Toverdue update of the original 1982 plan. It calls for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to establish two genetically diverse populations in the subspecies’ core historical range. The southwestern United States is targeted for a population of ≥320 wolves and northern Mexico for a population of ≥200. FWS predicts that 25 to 35 years and $260 million will be required to establish 2017 Mexican Wolf those populations. Selection of habitat for the population in Recovery Plan: Mexico is not based on the best—or even good— science, but rather on political pressure. This was made clear in the following reaction by Utah to Really Good on an early draft of the plan, which indicated that, because suitable habitat in Mexico was lacking, Anti-Wolf Politics, the recovery region needed to be extended north to areas outside the subspecies’ historical range: Identification of areas outside the historic range of Really Bad on the sub-species as part of the recovery area…will be vigorously opposed (legally and politically) by the Utah Pro-Wolf Science Division of Wildlife Resources and the State of Utah. Notably, Utah did not indicate that opposition would be based on scientific grounds. Arizona, New Mexico BY MIKE PHILLIPS and Colorado adopted similar positions. The dogged press of political considerations by Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado ensured that the FWS would finalize the 2017 plan with undue reliance on continued on page 15

International Wolf Fall 2018 13 Heffelfinger recovery occur mostly outside Mexico. make unsuitable the historical range continued from page 12 Some advocates with little knowledge of the Mexican wolf in a relevant time- of Mexico contradict the best avail- frame. Quality wolf habitat exists north The newest plan also takes into able science and first-hand knowledge of the Arctic Circle, but we must decide account the gradual phase-out of feed- of Mexican experts. A state-of-the-art how to restore the historical, ecological ing wolves to divert them from livestock analysis by a binational team identified role of Mexican wolves. Scientists have and includes realistic estimates of con- 28,635 square miles of high quality wolf recently warned of the perils of pushing nectivity between populations. Genetic habitat in Mexico; clearly Mexico will recovery north of historical range because diversity retention is addressed with play a vital role in recovery. The same two of genetic swamping by large wolves of objective, measurable and achievable large recovery areas of suitable habitat in Canadian origin that disperse from the criteria—not ambiguous references to Mexico were independently identified Rocky Mountains. (A Yellowstone wolf measurements of genetic diversity that in a jaguar recovery plan. Discounting already visited Arizona). will only lead to endless litigation about that information would contradict the We have binational recovery plans delisting. To date, human intolerance Endangered Species Act requirement for ocelot, jaguar, Sonoran pronghorn, has been limiting Mexican wolf recov- to use best available data in recovery thick-billed parrot, condor, masked bob- ery, not inbreeding depression. planning. white, Kemps-Ridley sea turtle and more; Members of the last Mexican wolf This updated habitat analysis includes why shouldn’t the Mexican wolf also recovery team asserted that recovery two measures of human-caused mortal- benefit from expansion across borders? will require three populations of 250 ity (road density and towns). Adding This recovery plan, based on updated Mexican wolves, but this was based on information on livestock distribution analyses far more complex and realistic theoretical genetic principles, and on the and protected areas would stack four than all previous versions, provides for outdated, obsolete model from 2010- redundant layers representing the same successful Mexican wolf recovery in its 2013. Despite these shortcomings, it is issue. Large tracts of private land with historical range. often misrepresented as a threshold for restricted access in Mexico have the Efforts are now appropriately focused successful recovery. The plan’s founda- same function as official land designa- on returning this small wolf subspecies tion is an accurate depiction of historical tions in the U.S. No other carnivore to its ecological role in the American range based on detailed skull and body recovery plan has a better representa- Southwest and Mexico. n measurements, historical records, genetic tion of relative distribution of prey on differences and measures of ecological the landscape; past efforts simply used Supporting Literature differentiation. a satellite image of green vegetation as (with links to full manuscripts) Federal regulations require that a substitute. Criticism that the analysis Mexican wolves be recovered in their lacks a measure of livestock density is a Harding, L. E., J. Heffelfinger, D. historical range unless it is “unsuitably and red herring, as no accurate records exist Paetkau, E. Rubin, J. Dolphin, A. irreversibly altered or destroyed.” Earlier on either side of the border. Aoude. 2016. Genetic management teams chose to ignore tens of thou- Wolves have adapted to environments and setting recovery goals for Mexican sands of square miles of suitable habi- from the Arctic to Arabia, and climate wolves (Canis lupus baileyi) in the wild. Biological Conservation 203:151-159. tat in Mexico, inappropriately insisting change is not going to alter, destroy or https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/ article/pii/S0006320716304256

Heffelfinger, J. R., R.M. Nowak, and D. Paetkau. 2017. Clarifying historical range to aid recovery of the Mexican wolf. Journal of Wildlife Management 81:766-777. https://onlinelibrary.wiley. com/doi/full/10.1002/jwmg.21252

Odell, E.A. Heffelfinger, J.R. Rosenstock, S.S., Bishop C.J., Liley, S., González-Bernal, A., Velasco, J.A., Martínez-Meyer, E. 2018. Perils of recovering the Mexican wolf outside of its historical range. Biological Conservation 220:290-298. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.biocon.2018.01.020

Jim Heffelfinger is the Wildlife Science At only 25–32 inches tall, the Mexican gray wolf is smaller than its Coordinator for the Arizona Game and cousin, the gray wolf, with a coat of buff, gray, rust and black. Fish Department. Larry Lamsa

14 Fall 2018 www.wolf.org Phillips continued from page 13 a woefully inadequate habitat-suit- ability model. The model relies on correlation between climatic and vegetative fac- tors, and locations where Mexican wolves were collected historically to identify suitable habitat for recovery. FWS and the states justify this reliance by opin- ing that Mexican wolves evolved to be precisely adapted to the narrow range of habitat present within the subspe- cies’ core historical range in Mexico. That opinion, however, is undermined by 1) good science which indicates that wolves are broadly adaptable to climatic and vegetative conditions, and 2) the FWS’s longstanding effort to restore the subspecies to Arizona and New Mexico where such conditions differ from those in Mexico. Fallon Jacquelyn More important, the model is woe- fully inadequate because of its disregard for aspects of wolf habitat that good sci- ence deems essential to recovery: limited and managing wolves across millions of failure of science-informed planning density of livestock, adequate density acres of private land necessary to sup- and leadership by FWS simply for the of wild prey, and large tracts of public port ≥200 animals. sake of political expediency. land where human-caused mortality is Although the U.S. public supports Much of the 2017 Mexican wolf typically low. wolf recovery, anti-wolf groups hold recovery plan is based on the state’s Based on the flawed habitat model, immense political influence in Colorado, desire to assign to Mexico as much of the 2017 plan targets 38 percent of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. These the burden of Mexican wolf recovery as recovery on an area in Mexico domi- groups were well served by the scien- possible—not the best available science. nated by small tracts of private property tific gloss the habitat model gives to the It is worse than a poor replacement for with abundant livestock and unknown recovery plan, and by the disastrous the 1982 plan. Deeply discounting the numbers of native prey, and where decision to exclude from it the high- cardinal role of wolf-livestock interac- wildlife protection laws are irregularly quality habitat of the Grand Canyon and tions and importance of land ownership enforced and access and safety for field Southern Rockies ecoregions of north- ensures that FWS will waste precious personnel are concerns. The FWS would ern Arizona/southern Utah and north- time and millions of dollars, all the while never target such an area in the U.S. for ern New Mexico/southern Colorado, failing to recover Canis lupus baileyi. n wolf recovery. respectively. Reliance on the model is already prov- If politics demanded that FWS Mike Phillips has served as the executive ing problematic. Free-ranging Mexican initially focus on marginal habitat in director of the Turner Endangered Species wolves in Mexico are routinely fed artifi- Mexico by adopting a habitat suitability Fund and senior advisor to the Turner cially to promote survival by minimizing model that discounts the importance Biodiversity Divisions since he co-founded conflicts with livestock. Such “diver- of livestock and land ownership, then both with Ted Turner in 1997. Before that Mike worked for the U.S. Fish and sionary feeding” is required because of the agency should at least have defined Wildlife Service and National Park abundant livestock and relatively scarce a recovery region that also included Service leading efforts to restore red wild prey, suggesting that the area is not these two ecoregions. Such an approach wolves to the southeastern U.S. and gray suitable despite being identified as such would have facilitated progress once wolves to the Yellowstone Park. Mike has by the habitat model. The shortcomings the inevitable shortcomings of habitat served in the Montana legislature since of the model will become even more in Mexico became undeniable to even 2006, and will hold his Senate seat apparent as biologists strive to expand the most ardent opponents to recovery. through 2020. recovery in Mexico, completing a record Failure to advance such a common- number of initial releases and monitoring sense approach to recovery represents a

International Wolf Fall 2018 15 WOLF EXPERTS FROM 19 COUNTRIES SHARING 100 PRESENTATIONS Concurrent, Poster, Plenary and Keynote

WOLVES IN A CHANGING WORLD OCTOBER 11–14, 2018 MINNEAPOLIS, MN USA THE LAST GREAT WOLF RESTORATION – COLORADO A presentation on the concept of reintroducing wolves to Colorado, BANQUET focusing on attributes and challenges. Attributes • Prey base KEYNOTE may include: • Amount of public land available MIKE PHILLIPS • Varying eco-regions (high deserts, mountains, etc.) Challenges include • Livestock grazing interests/public grazing allotments factors such as: • Conflicting positions among special-interest groups, politicians and USFWS • Legislatively sanctioned, nationwide delisting of wolves as endangered

PLENARY SESSIONS

PANELS Isle Royale Red Wolves, Eastern Wolves and A panel of four will present a other Canis Mixes in Eastern Wolves of the World summary of ups and downs, and North America: Taxonomic validity Speakers from regions around the changing conditions affecting wolves and challenges to recovery world, including Asia, Europe, and trophic systems over 56-plus A panel of five will discuss topics Canada, the Canadian Arctic and years of research on Isle Royale. related to eastern canids, including the United States and Mexico, will They will also address the ways in implications for the U.S. Fish and cover topics that include progress which reintroduction of wolves Wildlife Service if science reorganizes of recovery in each region, politics would benefit a future Isle Royale North American canid species and in place to ensure a viable popula- ecosystem, given the uncertainties of declares the red wolf synonymous tion, issues and problems that future contributions by ice bridges, with eastern wolves, or declares may need to be addressed. weather patterns, random population it a variant of gray wolves. events, herbivory and other factors Ellesmere that influence this island system. SPECIAL PRESENTATION A series of speakers will discuss the wolves inhabiting Ellesmere Island Wolf Depredation Control on Livestock 20-Plus Years of Wolves in Yellowstone and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, A panel of experts representing Doug Smith, project leader for focusing on observations at dens various viewpoints will discuss wolf the Wolf Restoration Project in and other aspects of pack life, and depredation conflict management. Yellowstone and Emmy Award including a historical summary of Agencies, field agents, a wolf winning cinematographer Bob Landis Dr. L. David Mech’s two-decade study. advocate and a livestock producer will present the history of wolves will discuss key problems and in Yellowstone since their Michipicoten Island the latest news, and find areas of reintroduction in 1995. An overview of geography, species agreement and disagreement. history, human disturbances DEBATE and recent studies of caribou, Mexican Wolf Recovery Plan wolves and beaver. A debate between Mike Phillips, who will discuss and challenge the current Mexican Wolf Recovery Plan and Jim deVos, who will defend it. Gray wolves in Mongolia: changing Risk effects of wolves on free-ranging attitudes and current research livestock: Can prey-gut microbiome PRESENTER Uuganbayar Ganbold,  predict stress response in biologist and anti-poaching protection predator–prey interactions? manager, Hustai Nuruu National Park, PRESENTER Azzurra Valerio, Mongolia Washington State University, Olympia, Washington Gray wolves in Estonia: an overview of population genetics and Adaptive use of nonlethal strategies for hybridization with domestic dogs minimizing wolf–livestock conflict PRESENTER Liivi Plumer,  PRESENTER Suzanne Stone,  Department of Zoology, Institute of Ecology Northwest Senior Field Representative, and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Defenders of Wildlife, Boise, Idaho Harjumaa, Estonia Challenges in wolf management SAMPLING OF Quantifying the diet of the Alexander in Croatia Archipelago wolf in southeast PRESENTATIONS PRESENTER Djuro Huber,  Alaska using molecular methods Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, PRESENTER Aimee Massey,  University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon; Alaska Department of Fish and Game The future of wolf poisoning programs in Canada Through the eyes of a wolf: quantifying PRESENTER Hannah Barron, and classifying the complexities of Wolf Awareness, Inc., facial signaling in wolves Golder, British Columbia, Canada PRESENTER Elana Hobkirk,  Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom

AUSTRALIA BRAIL CROATIA ESTONIA AAN

AUSTRIA CANADA DENMAR INDIA MONOLIA

NORWA OLAND SLOVAIA SWEDEN UNITED INDOM JOIN US at the MINNEAPOLIS MARRIOTT NORTHWEST 7025 Northland Dr N, Brooklyn Park, MN 55428 | www.marriott.com AISTAN OTUAL SAIN SWITERLAND USA Comfort and convenience are right on target at Minneapolis Marriott Northwest. Providing easy access to The Shoppes at Arbor Lakes, this all-suite hotel in Brooklyn Park is the perfect place to stay during the symposium. Spread out in upscale accommodations with private sleeping areas, or wrap up work obligations using ergonomic workstations and high-speed Wi-Fi. Symposium registrants will receive a special conference rate of $119 plus tax (includes complimentary WiFi). To book your room, go to wolf.org, click on Programs/International Wolf Symposium/Lodging. If you prefer to reserve your room over the phone, call Dana Madich at: 763-536-3332. Functional response of wolves to human REGISTRATION development across boreal Canada Registration includes 3 breakfasts, 2 lunches, a PRESENTER Marco Musiani,  reception, all daily break refreshments and materials. Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science and Faculty of Veterinary Rates go up Sept. 1 Medicine, University of Calgary, To register or for more information: Calgary, Alberta, Canada Registration fees Wolf tracks at the doorstep: International Wolf Center Member. . $424 A 1-year cycle of wolf behavior close to houses in Scandinavia After Sept. 1...... $450 PRESENTER Barbara Zimmermann, Non-member...... $474 > Not a member? Scandinavian Wolf Research Project, After Sept. 1...... $500 Join today at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, www.wolf.org/support/ Koppang, Norway Student registration...... $299 membership/ An 18-year spatial and temporal analysis of colonizing gray wolves (Canis lupus) in disjunct population Dietary niche overlap between Winter predation patterns of wolves PRESENTER Theresa Simpson,  wolves, coyotes, and hybrids in in northwestern Wyoming University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, a 3-species hybrid zone PRESENTER Susannah Woodruff,  La Crosse, Wisconsin PRESENTER John Benson,  Regional research coordinator, Alaska Department of Fish and Game Shooting wolves: photographs and University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska the reconfiguration of the wolf Humans and their role in shaping in nonfiction for children Ecology of the Indian gray wolf the ecological functions of wolves PRESENTER Debra Mitts-Smith,  (Canis lupus pallipes) in the Suleman PRESENTER Thomas Newsome,  School of Information Sciences faculty Range, South Waziristan, Pakistan University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia member at the University of Illinois PRESENTER Abdul Hamid, Department of Wildlife Management, Challenging the wildlife decision- Wolves at Our Door: results of 4-year Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, making infrastructure Minnesota education program initiative Rawalpindi, Pakistan PRESENTER Walter Medwid,  PRESENTER Misi Stine,  Vermont Wildlife Coalition, Newport, Vermont Project Coordinator, Wolves at our Door, Competition on two legs and four: International Wolf Center, Impacts of wolf-cougar co-occurrence on Minneapolis, Minnesota Scent-marking and biometeorology: resource selection and survival across An analysis of behavior across canid an anthropogenic gradient Are livestock-guarding dogs a viable tool species Gray Wolf (Canis lupus), for preventing damages in open-range PRESENTER Lauren Satterfield,  Red Wolf (Canis rufus), and livestock? A case study from Portugal University of Washington, Seattle, Washington Coyote (Canis latrans) PRESENTER Hannah Jones, PRESENTER Francisco Petrucci-Fonseco, Individuality in habitat use of Hardin-Simmons University, Abilene, Texas Groupo Lobo, Lisbon, Portugal Scandinavian wolves in relation to anthropogenic infrastructure Patterns of niche partitioning and overlap Do novel scavenging opportunities PRESENTER David Carricondo-Sanches, between sympatric wolves and snow or risk of interspecific killing by AUSTRALIA BRAIL Inland CROATIANorway University of Applied Sciences,ESTONIA AAN leopards in the mountains of central Asia wolves influence occupancy and activity Koppang,Norway patterns of smaller carnivores? PRESENTER Shannon Kachel,  University of Washington, Seattle, Washington PRESENTER David Keiter,  AUSTRIA CANADA DENMAR INDIA University of Nebraska,MONOLIA School of Natural Resources

NORWA OLAND SLOVAIA SWEDEN UNITED INDOM

AISTAN OTUAL SAIN SWITERLAND USA 20 Fall 2018

Don Gossett Kelly Godfrey Don Gossett that kept pack members at bay. that keptpackmembersatbay. standing ofherpreemptivedominance apparent, wedevelopedabetter under- As Luna’smedicalconditionbecamemore bonding experiencewithhispupmate,Luna. Boltz (left)didn’thaveasimilarsocial connection asyearlings,sleepingtogetheroften. Axel (rear)andGraysonshowedaclose bond asyearlinglittermates. Aidan (right)andDenalisharedastrong

the strongest alliancewithAidanwas conflict, but the wolf that seemed to have Denali hadastrong little bondandvery current ExhibitPack. exceptinthe — between littermates ically see the strongest social bonds supporting packmembers,andwetyp alliances. Confidenceisbolstered by a shorttime,dependingontheirsocial nance to “nose-to-nose” greetings within ambient temperatures. enced by seasonal hormones and cooler that builtovertime,significantlyinflu- combination of behavioral occurrences but more a was not a constant pattern, our packleader, Aidan.Testing behavior matured andbegantesting forstatusover T By Lori Schmidt By Lori Beyond and Littermates, as PowerThe of Social Bonding— Tracking Pack the Wolves cangofrom testingdomi- As predicted, littermatesAidanand International WolfInternational Centerlitter some tensemomentsasthe2016 he winterof2017-18included - minished. is clearlydiminished. although hisconfidencetoleadthepack Aidan remains anExhibitPackmember, Grayson’s adulthood;thismaybewhy and apackleaderhascontinuedinto and thatbondbetweenavulnerablepup tion, Grayson gravitated toward Aidan, Grayson. Ifyourecall the2016introduc ranking wolves posture with high tails and showslessleadership,thelower- during packinteractions.AsAidanages which includestheenergy thatemanates that communicatesbybodylanguage, thize, emotionally. Thewolfisaspecies humans, aswetendtoreact, andempa social rules,whichcanbe challenging for us tolookatinteractionsbasedonwolf Interpreting wolfbehaviorrequires www.wolf.org - - International Wolf YouTube channelatwww.wolf.org. of pack dynamics, go to the Center’s allowing Aidantomaintainapresence. ness ofposturingforanewleaderwhile seems thepackisgoingaboutbusi is: What’s rightforAidan?Rightnow, it pack members.Theessentialquestion Aidan wasseekingrefuge from other the hay beds, or entering den sites where approaching Aidan,resting withhimon son, Grayson was many times observed non-littermates. Duringthewintersea rest with otherpackmembers,especially of whichwolfchoosestoapproach and importantly, resting behaviors—records interactions, social alliances and, most It requires dailyassessmentsofpack seriously.but oneourteamtakesvery That’s a challenge for staff to determine, retirement wants. needs to be what Aidan to retire Aidan sincetestingbegan—but and ourwolfcare teamhasbeenprepared confidence started in September 2017, ers, even temporarily. Aidan’s change in and takeopportunitiestobecomelead- For more on the ongoing assessment How isthatdeterminationmade? Despite the arctic yearlings’ testing Despite thearcticyearlings’testing behavior, Grayson still displays a behavior, Graysonstilldisplaysa nose-to-nose greeting to Aidan. nose-to-nose greetingtoAidan. These social bonds, established These socialbonds,established when Grayson was a pup, when Graysonwasapup, will likely extend into will likelyextendinto Grayson’s adulthood.

Jessica Katzenberger n - -

welfare organizations, butpersonalcon with otherArthurConanDoyle fans.) brings hertoMinnesotafor agathering sions, SherlockHolmes,occasionally Wolf Symposium. (Anotherofher pas- far in advance for the 2018 International Manitoba. Shealsobookedherrooms ConferenceCarnivore inThompson, Center staff members attheWolf and Wolf2017, shemetsomeInternational to doingwhatsheloves.InOctober quite asfar, butsheisstillcommitted to spotonthesnow-covered ground. winter. Thewolves,shesaid,were easy over theSuperiorNationalForest in watched wolvesfrom theskyassheflew rable experiencestookplacewhenJoan that livethere. Oneofhermostmemo Islands in search of the unique animals Africa, PuertoRicoandtheGalapagos all overtheworld.ShehasbeentoIndia, f in theearly1990s,Joanhasbeenall-in animal organization, andsince thatday while Joan was volunteering for another Joan totheCenter. Theymetonabus WolfInternational Center, introduced her ownroom iscovered withwolves. inchof and she’lladmitthatevery German shepherd namedWolfie, with hersisteranda13-year-old Mets fan currently lives in Queens with a wolf on it. The loyal New York lector of anything and everything Brooklyn accent. JoanSilaco isacol qualities you’llnoticeisherstrong I By MadisonMcHugh K-9 Queens or wolves. Joan hassupportedseveral animal Joan’s loveforanimalshastakenher Ortiz,formerdirector ofthe Mary These days,shedoesnottravel New York City, oneofthefirst with this friendly woman from f you strike up a conversation INTERNATIONAL WOLFCENTER Member Profile - - - stand thesefascinatinganimals. people, young and old, to better under the AmbassadorPackcanhelp somany mals ofallkinds,sosheisgrateful that Luna represents. structure andbehaviorsofthespecies stare back at her and the complex social she is struck by the golden eyes that picture of our Ambassador Wolf, Luna, wolves. Whenshelooksatherfavorite the bestwaytosupportrecoveryof at theCenter. and get details on what is happening on progress, chataboutrelevant news members throughout theyeartocheck Center pen. She stays in touch with staff Wolf Wolf CoinsandherInternational the arrivalofhernextsetAmbassador Tracker” membership,anxiouslyawaiting Wolfwith herInternational Center“Wolf is thatitdoesn’t happenmore frequently. experts atthisevent;her only complaint ing other wolf fans and connecting with Symposium in2005.Shelovesmeet its staff Wolf wasattheInternational first exposure tothe Wolf Centerand Wolffor theInternational Center. Her nections havebolstered herenthusiasm Joan Silacohasahugeheart forani- Joan strongly believesthatscienceis Joan demonstratesherloveforwolves Fall 2018 n - -

21 Photo courtesy of Joan Silaco INTERNATIONAL WOLF CENTER Quarterly Donations

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If we have omitted your name in error, 22 Fall 2018 please accept our apologies and contact David Kline at (763) 560-7374, ext. 230. www.wolf.org Sustaining Don and Loretta Gossett Jenny Scobie Mitzi Soldner-Shulz Members Cynthia Gray Jan and Dave Sellman Kelsey Swanson Leslie and Jerad Hahn Linda Shadle Kris Taylor and Monthly William Halstead Anna Mae Shala Deanna Turnage Brackets for Kathryn Mahigan Donors Krista and John Harrington Catherine Shepard Kim Wheeler Good Donors Cheryl and Brian Maxwell Jennifer Hart Louise and Ray Short Maddie McHugh Michael Alden Diane Ahrens Dan Hayes Robin Sines Emily Mehanna Anonymous Matching Gifts Anonymous Sue Henderson Paul Smith, Jr. Robert Meyer Taylor Arbour Brandon Baker Angie and Marilyn Bailey Karen Hodsdon Peter Smith Ameriprise Financial Susan Myers on behalf of: Shawn Blaesing-Thompson Josh Becker Heather Hoff Carole and Ronald Sokoloff Gus Neitzel Toni Domino Amy Bleich Jaki Becker Tasia Hooper Sharon Stein Andi Nelsen Erik Johnson Linda Bohrer Rebecca Becker Sharon Howard Misi Stine Reed Nelson Melissa Kotek Kathy and David Boutros Ali Bergstrom Judy Hunter Mark Sugino Lisa Nivens Paul Trevizo Mary Boyer Amanda Jenkins Michael and Karen Tears Alena Novakova Ann Beyer Robert and Gail Brady Erik Johnson Leslye Teuber and Linda Oehmke Paris Block Blue Cross and Blue Shield KC Burgess Yakemovic Lynn and Ken Kaveney David Albert of Minnesota on behalf of: Karen Owen Jane Bloom Cindy Carvelli-Yu Keira Thrasher Jennifer Bowles Judy Kilgriff Rachelle Cotter and Song Yu Grace Padelford Paul Trevizo Diane Bradley Karin Kneeland Lynn Estes Ginny Cashbaugh Steve Parker Nancy Jo Tubbs Dorothea and Peter Bruno Melissa and Heather Hoff Kurt Clark Lynn and Clyde Parkis Christopher Kotek Sherry and Ed Turney Michael Byrnes Amanda Nichols David Daniel Susan Peterson C.H. 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Robinson on behalf of: Melanie Donaghy Barb Camarata and Connie and Nick LaFond Todd Watters Sharon and Rick Reed Paris Block Rick Duncan and Craig Marble Carol Lent Art and Joanne Wessels Beth Goodpaster Debbie Reynolds Debie and Eric Campbell Hui Chuan Li Peter and Julie Wetzels Deutsche Bank on behalf of: Andrea Dupree Gina Roccaforte Mary Beth Campbell Gail Lutsch Richard White Jennifer Buechele Dani Duran Rachel and Di Rolland MaryAnn Canning Elizabeth Mackenzie Steffanie Wiggins Michiel Gerritsen John Roxbury, Jr. Hebron Medtronic on behalf of: Cindy Carvelli-Yu and Nancy Gibson Lori Schmidt Anonymous Song Yu Jessica Madole and In-Kind and Ron Sternal Rob Schultz and Mark Spickelmier Kristin Wyeth Susan Carver Mark Gittler Andrew Engelhart Wendy Mathis and Donations Lorianne and David Churn Microsoft on behalf of: Steven Gough Jenny Scobie Gail Robinson Adventure Inn Dennis Cole Anonymous Rex Gradeless Chaz Seale Tina and Jeffrey Moore Animal Emergency & Chris Coletta Raul Garcia Paul Greatrix Paul Smith, Jr. Laurie Morrill Referral Center of MN Rachelle Cotter Ronald Petrusha Shawn Hill Robert Sole Karen Morton Anonymous Holly and Chris Cox Debbie Hinchcliffe Mandy Spiess Susan Myers Blue Wolf Brewing Pentair, Inc. on behalf of: Tricia and Rich D’antoni Company Jacque Hogan Susan Stephenson Gus Neitzel Jennifer Scobie Duncan Davidson Cree and Jason Bradley Jaye Howard Susan Todd Andi Nelsen DiAnne Davis Barb Camarata The Timken Company Heather Hunt Elaine Troseth Lavonne Newman Anne Deleage and Craig Marble on behalf of: Nancy Jo Tubbs and Peter Jezyk Judy Hunter Toni Domino Cindy Carvelli-Yu Daniel Welcheck John Virr Lisa Nivens Carrie Hutton William Driscoll and Song Yu Sandra Jennings William Wade Teri Nolin Thomson Reuters Elena Duarte Chris Cordozo Fine Art Jen Wagner Carolyn Owen on behalf of: Jayne Kalk Rick Duncan and Holly and Chris Cox Mary Waldo Lavonne Painter David Heupel Sariina Kalli Beth Goodpaster Nancy Gibson Ann Waters and Michael Pastorelli Richard Kayser Todd Duyvejonck and Ron Sternal Thrivent Financial for Vivienne Faulkner Rick and Suzanne Pepin Jane Keefe Lindi Engelbrecht Google Inc. Lutherans on behalf of: Jennifer Webb Dana Pond Emily and David Kline John Ewing Debbie Hinchcliffe Tim Meehan Joyce Wells Denise Pride Maria and John Kurtz Cameron Feaster Judy Hunter Mary Ellen and Steve West Sarah Prusha U.S. Bancorp on behalf of: Connie and Nick LaFond Martina Fehlhaber Karin Kneeland Jessica White Jose Quinones Cindy Carvelli-Yu Ann and Kevin Landers Carolyn Felden Connie and Nick LaFond Robin Whittington David Reggio Elizabeth Lee Lina Garcia Andi Nelsen Umpqua Bank on behalf of: Marnell Wilber Kathy Reimherr Shirley Lemon Raul Garcia Lisa Nivens Scott Marler Jeffrey Wiles Debbie Reynolds Janie MacDonald Marceline Gearry Steve Piragis Carissa Winter UnitedHealth Group Donna Mack Iwanski Anne Robertson Dana Pond Jeanne Gehrman on behalf of: and Brad Iwanski Audrey Wolf Henry and Carol Rompage REI Nancy Gibson and Lorianne Churn Bernadette Mahan LeeAnn Young Ron Sternal Lauren Rosolino Debbie Reynolds Tasia Hooper Neal and Jessica Kay Schloff Paul and Susan Schurke Gilbert-Redman Anne and Jason Schlukebier Science Museum of Michelle Gobely Rob Schultz and Minnesota Andrew Engelhart Thank You!

International Wolf Fall 2018 23 KIDS The wolf thanked her warmly and was turning away when she cried, “What about that fee of mine?” “Well, what about it?” snapped the wolf, baring his teeth as he spoke. “You can go about boasting that you once put your head into a wolf’s mouth and didn’t get it bitten off. What more do you want?” European Fairy Tales and the Brothers Grimm Wolf Folklore Cartoon animals are a good example of anthropomorphism; they look like ani- Popular European folk tales were mals, but they act like people. written down during the 19th century. By Connor Hager Over time, most people and cultures In 1812, a number of them were pub- have changed their attitudes toward lished by two brothers with the last name wolves because of human activities like of Grimm, under a title still familiar to Folklore, Folk Tales, agriculture (farming), wildlife man- many young readers: Grimm’s Fairy Tales. Legends and Myths agement and environmental studies. The brothers Grimm were lawyers olklore is the word for the tradi- Changing attitudes can alter the way who became interested in folklore as a tions, customs and beliefs found wolves are depicted by humans—and way to study the German culture and within a culture. Folklore is passed that can affect human tolerance for system of laws. They collected these sto- F ries from people they knew, friends of on by telling stories, sharing supersti- wolves, depending on whether the depic- tions, creating music and art, and teach- tions are positive or negative. ing by word-of-mouth. A folk tale, or Aesop’s Fables: The Wolf and story, may contain important lessons, tell a joke or reveal the moral values of the the Crane culture it came from. Cultures may also One ancient example of a myth, or have mythology—a whole collection of fable, comes from a Greek slave named stories passed on through generations, Aesop. Many of his fables used human- as if they were true, that are used to like animals to explain human morals explain mysteries like the origin of the and life lessons. One of his fables, The world, or the behavior of humans and Wolf and the Crane, goes like this: A wolf animals. In myths and folklore, wolves got a bone stuck in his throat, so he have been used as characters to discuss went to a crane and begged her to put social issues—human issues—when in her long bill down his throat and pull it fact, real wolves are focused only on out. “I’ll make it worth your while,” he their own survival. added. The crane did as she was asked

“Romulus and Remus” is a Roman and got the bone out quite easily. carlacastagno Sotck/ Adobe myth in which two baby brothers are raised by a mother wolf until they are adopted by a peasant family, and Romulus grows up to become the founder of Rome. In that myth, the mother wolf is described as kind and nurturing, though many modern myths and folk tales depict wolves in negative ways. Giving human characteristics (such a “kind” and “nurturing”) to non-human creatures is called anthropomorphism. Adobe Sotck/ editonepankaj16

24 Fall 2018 www.wolf.org friends, and peasants and farmers, revis- ing them to be appropriate for an upper- class audience. In many of the stories, Start Your Own Story the wolf character symbolizes a villain Every myth, every story, starts with an author’s idea. Try your or an enemy, rather than representing hand at telling your own story by continuing the sentence below. a real wolf. One famous fairy tale from the brothers Grimm is Little Red Cap, now more commonly called Little Red nce upon a time, there was a wolf that Riding Hood. The story’s villain is the Big lived in a mysterious forest. The wolf was Bad Wolf, an evil character that shows up in storytelling even today. Owalking through the trees, searching for… Most of these fairy tales were cre- ated during a time when people were afraid that wolves would eat them or their livestock. They remembered old, false ideas about wolves’ magical powers and human characteristics—storytellers made the wolf characters clever, devious and dangerous. These stories continue to provide material for books, movies and television—and even today, many people use “wolf-like” to mean hungry, deceitful, vicious and dangerous. n

Word Jumble Unscramble the letters to form the correct words. Use the highlighted words above to help you out! 4 FLOK TLEAS

1 WVLEOS ______5 IGB ADB WLOF

2 GMRIM ______6 MTOYLGOHY

3 FLRKOOLE ______7 ACUGRITRULE Adobe Sotck/ leafart

______Answers: 1- WOLVES 2- GRIMM 3- FOLKLORE 4- FOLK TALES 5- BIG BAD WOLF 6- MYTHOLOGY 7- AGRICULTURE 7- MYTHOLOGY 6- WOLF BAD BIG 5- TALES FOLK 4- FOLKLORE 3- GRIMM 2- WOLVES 1- Answers:

International Wolf Fall 2018 25 PERSONAL ENCOUNTER

First came the lead cow, thundering at Wolves, Bison Enact Ancient Ritual full speed, with the rest following. Then, in Remote Canadian Wilderness dashing in and out came the wolves. Except for the muffled rumble of hooves, predator and prey were so eerily silent By Lu Carbyn that it all seemed surrealistically mechan- Ed. Note: In the last issue (Summer 2018) of International Wolf, Canadian environmental ical. I saw wolves attempting to tear at scientist Lu Carbyn described his observations of an aging wolf he dubbed “Ole Gimpy.” the hindquarters of bison, bison wheel- Here, he recalls an autumn hunt he observed years ago in Alberta’s Wood Buffalo National ing about to face the wolves and then Park, where young, powerful wolves—including, possibly, a much younger Ole Gimpy—took running again in panic. I could feel on a bison herd. These remembrances and many more are from his submissions to a collection my heart pounding in my throat. The of stories called Wild Wolves We Have Known, which can be purchased at shop.wolf.org. closer the action, the more engrossed I he trail led to my favorite lookout. The bison began to run, and the became. It was primeval, cruel, and very As the sun’s rays began to pene- wolves picked up their pace; as they real. There was no escape, no cover if I trate the mist I could make out a closed in, the black line split in two. were to be surrounded. Nothing to do T but wait and see! herd of bison—thirty of them, mostly Calves, the prime targets for wolves in lying down. In the distance, I saw a summer, usually move to the center The wolves isolated a large calf. faint, long line of black—a larger herd when wolves are in pursuit. The wolves Within minutes they were slashing and of bison joining the ones lying down. had succeeded in exposing the calves. I tearing at its hind end. In their frenzy It was coming my way, possibly two saw the black and white streaks inter- they also attacked its front and middle. hundred head. Then I noticed a shorter, mingling. Meanwhile, the herd in front Most of the adult bison moved on, but white line moving briskly toward the of me appeared oblivious to the drama three cows made a vain rescue attempt. herd—wolves! unfolding in the background. A few min- Soon they left the calf, as well. It seemed utes later they, too, became embroiled the victim’s fate was sealed. The wolves in the melee. and calf formed a single, moving mass. With wolves pressing hard, the large As the calf’s stomach was ripped open, herd stampeded directly toward me. warm air from the body cavity mingled with the cold air around it, forming a halo of condensation around the wolves and the calf. That image was burned into my mind. A large wolf braced its hind legs firmly on the ground and clawed itself up onto the calf, gripping the calf’s back with its teeth. Suddenly the action stopped. Inexplicably, the wolves slunk off, abandoning the injured calf, which now lay hunched. What prompted the wolves to relinquish their meal, now so imminent? Faintly at first came the answer— motorboats. Every fall and spring, native hunters from Fort Chipewyan travel riv- ers and creeks, shooting ducks and geese. The wolves dispersed over the meadow, some lying down, others moving about restlessly, but unwilling to finish off the wounded calf. One wolf was licking blood from its front paw, the white fur around its muzzle smeared red. Lu Carbyn

26 Fall 2018 www.wolf.org WOLVES OF THE WORLD I could count the wolves: seventeen, all light colored. After some time, four returned to the injured calf which had remained, exhausted, abandoned by the herd. The foursome grabbed at the victim, which once more stood in an attempt to defend itself. As they toyed with their quarry, the bison herd returned. The four attackers seemed to lose Majority of Eurasian Wolves Carry interest in the dying calf. The drone of the still-approaching motorboat became Dog Genes; Urban Wolf Safaris too threatening. A single cow deliberately and rapidly advanced, then sniffed the Let Humans Get “Wolfy” calf. Then the most heartrending sight unfolded. The calf began to follow the By Tracy O’Connell cow. It could only move very slowly, head bent to the ground. A few remaining ating between domesticated dogs and wild wolves in Europe and Asia over wolves watched from a distance. The cow hundreds of years has left a genetic mark on the Eurasian wolf gene pool, and calf moved off into the aspen forest. Mnew research has shown. The international study reported by Eurekalert. I sat in a daze. How tough and stoic org, an online source for global science news, indicates that around 60 percent the calf was. I tried to master my feel- of Eurasian gray wolf genomes carry small blocks of DNA from domestic dogs, ings of pity. I would have been happy suggesting that wolves cross-bred with dogs in generations past. to help end its misery, but in a national The results indicate that wolf-dog hybridization has been occurring for centuries park nature must be allowed to run its across a large part of Europe and Asia. The phenomenon is seen less frequently in course unimpeded. North American wild wolf populations. On that long-ago October morn- Despite the evidence of hybridization, wolf populations have remained geneti- ing I so vividly recall, the bison calf cally distinct from dogs, suggesting that such cross-breeding at low levels does not had suffered the vicissitudes of nature. diminish distinctiveness of the wolf gene pool. But years later, as I reflect on that hunt The study was led by researchers from the University of Lincoln in the United while warming myself with tea in Kingdom, the Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, the early-morning February cold, I and the University of California, Los Angeles. Others from realize it is now, perhaps, Ol’ Gimpy’s Denmark, Poland and Belarus participated, as well. turn to suffer. This once-healthy, Dr. Malgorzata Pilot, from the School of Life Sciences dominant male wolf I am observing— at the University of Lincoln, said “Our study has high- possibly a participant in that years-ago lighted a need to reduce the factors which can cause bison hunt—has been reduced by time hybridization, such as abundance of free-ranging dogs, and nature to a scavenger trying to sur- small wolf population sizes and unregulated hunting.” vive one more harsh, northern winter, The findings were published in the journal which will likely be his last. As I watch Evolutionary Applications; the full study can be him maneuver through the deep snow found at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/ and disappear from view in the distance, full/10.1111/eva.12595. n I hear a wolf pack howling. n

Lu Carbyn is an adjunct professor in the Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta and retired research scientist with the Department of the Environment, Ottawa, Canada. He has worked on wolf studies for 42 years, including studies in in Poland and Portugal. He is a member of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Canid Specialist Group.

Adobe Sotck/groster

International Wolf Fall 2018 27 CHINA DENMARK Statuary depicts legendary Italian twins Romulus and Because of her love for the As wolves move closer to Remus in Lupercal, the animals, a young woman is urban areas of Europe, “wolf cave where they were dedicating her life to raising wolf pups safaris,” hosted by a Finnish art collec- suckled by a female wolf. for a center in China’s Inner Mongolia tive the name of which means “Other Autonomous Region. According to the Spaces,” are being held across Western Yangtse Evening News, 25-year-old Yang Europe and Russia to build understand- Wenjing left a job in tourism to volun- ing of the wild canids. Other Spaces teer at the center, where 36 wolves, on producer Timo Jokitalo told the online average, are cared for. The article notes media outlet CityLab.com that the idea that the job is tough, but rewarding. was an offshoot of a performance in It also states that she “finds it hard to which the public was invited to learn gain their trust during the early stages. about and act like reindeer. In order to get close with the animals, Jokitalo said one of the artistic goals is Yang puts herself in the cage with the for people to have a “non-human” expe- young wolves.” She plays with them as rience. “We hope that the participants streets. That was challenging, because would an adult wolf, which has led to will, at least momentarily, feel that they I couldn’t tell them what I was doing. her being bitten and scratched count- actually become a wolf,” he said. “We I was supposed to be a wolf, after all.” less times, and the constant crouching think that this transformation is a key to over the year she has worked with the a deeper understanding of the animal, pups has resulted in spinal degeneration. and it also transforms the character of ITALY Yang’s parents initially opposed, but now our humanity.” The exact location of Lupercal, support her work, the article continued. One Copenhagen participant inter- the cave where twins Romulus Wolves are a nationally protected species viewed for the article said the workshop and Remus, believed to have been Rome’s in China. The center’s manager hopes his did make her feel different. “Maybe I founders, were according to legend suck- facility will become a scientific research didn’t think or feel exactly like a wolf; led by a she-wolf, is a subject of academic and protection center. I don’t know if that’s possible. But I inquiry. The city’s creation story gave did feel more wild and free. I think it’s rise to an epic festival each February 15 very valuable to look at called Lupercalia, named for the twin your city from behind “wolf-men,” or Luperci. Goats were sacri- an animal’s eyes. It can ficed and their skins cut into strips with help you understand and which scantily-clad young men flailed at hopefully respect them a women while running through the city little more. ” in a practice believed to enhance fertil- Others described ity—which the women encouraged. the event by saying, Portrayed in the film Gladiator, “Instructors taught us Lupercalia was also referenced in all about wolves’ natural Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar as the and social lives, how they event in which Mark Antony three times are threatened by people, offered to Caesar a crown which was and how wolves commu- three times rejected. The rejection was nicate with sounds and meant to convey that Caesar was not body language. Then, interested in overstepping his bounds when they thought we despite the great power he had amassed, were wolfy enough, they which had been a source of concern to set us off on the streets.” the Roman senate. “I howled and Despite the importance of the howled, and ran around Lupercalia festival, the actual location exhausted, trying to find of the Lupercal is proving difficult to my pack, and it was determine. Krešimir Vukovi, an academic completely exhilarating,” who studied the location of this cave for one said. “I got strange a thesis, wrote for The Guardian, “…the On “Wolf Safaris” across Western looks from people on the Lupercal would be the find of a century: Europe and Russia, participants the cave of Romulus and Remus, with howl to their “packs” as part of their she-wolf stepmother, an icon of their wilderness experience Rome wherever its empire spread.” Lisa Hall

28 Fall 2018 www.wolf.org Projects that don’t go well can have News) by shepherds and farmers bringing lasting repercussions, the article notes. their livestock farther each year into the In 1990, researchers tried to vaccinate wolves’ territory. In one area, wolf habitat some packs of endangered African wild shrank by 34 percent from 1985 to 2003. dogs (Lycaon pictus) in Tanzania and Islands of wolf populations persist sur- Kenya against rabies. Every dog in the rounded by oceans of free-ranging dogs. study died, for reasons never proven, The Ethiopian effort will be the first causing increased skepticism about vac- mass, oral vaccination program to tar- cines and leading some African countries get an endangered species in the wild. to tighten vaccine regulations. In the United States, an indirect effort Aiding the decision to go forward to save the endangered black-footed fer- in Ethiopia is a “One Health” conser- ret of the Great Plains, was executed by vation belief that in cases such as this, orally vaccinating the ferret’s prey—the

Adobe Sotck/ reodejongh efforts to help one species also benefit prairie dog—against the plague in order others, including humans. The article to maintain the population on which the notes researchers in Ethiopia who point ferret depended for survival. ETHIOPIA to one success and to its One Health The article concludes, “Greater aware- Ethiopian wolves (Canis simen- benefits: From 1978 to 2010, oral vac- ness about the overlap of human, live- sis), which while not true cines sprinkled across parts of Europe stock and wildlife health on shared lands wolves, are related to them, are threat- to eradicate rabies in red foxes saw a underlies many of these projects. Ethiopia ened by a trifecta of rabies, canine dis- near-parallel decrease of European rabies has one of the highest rabies death rates temper and habitat reduction. An effort cases in humans and other animals. among humans in the world, and lower- to vaccinate wild populations against Worldwide, more than 59,000 people ing the disease prevalence in any animals rabies has, in some cases, only seen die each year from rabies in places where that humans come in contact with has the animals die of distemper months it is still prevalent. benefits.” n later. Members of the Ethiopian Wolf Rabies in Ethiopian wolves is a Conservation Program have spent 30 human-caused problem, the article Tracy O’Connell is professor emeritus at years tracking the animals across harsh maintains, citing the introduction of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in terrain in difficult weather to carry out domestic dogs (the region’s primary car- marketing communications and serves on riers of rabies and distemper, according the Center’s communications and maga- the inoculations, witnessing during that zine committees. time four major outbreaks of rabies to a September, 2016 article in Science alone, each reducing some populations by as much as 75 percent. A new vaccine may save the endangered Hope lies in a new, oral vaccine which Ethiopian wolf. would be hidden in goat meat left out for the animals every two years to bol- ster immunity. But the March 31 issue of Science News addresses from several angles the larger issue of vaccinating wild populations, pointing to opposition by some who claim disease plays a role in the management of a species; that vac- cinating can prevent the development of immunity later, should the vaccines fail to prevent the disease; and that the cost of benefitting one population comes at the expense of other goals. Further, they believe that vaccinating one spe- cies could give it an unnatural advantage over its competitors; trapping animals to administer injections carries risks for both animals and human trappers; and doses administered in bait might be consumed by species for which it is not intended, with lethal effects. Martin Harvey

International Wolf Fall 2018 29 A LOOK BEYOND

All the evidence suggests that the Red Rebuild the Red Wolf Recovery Effort Wolf Recovery Area is, in fact, one of the state’s richest hunting locales. By Christian Hunt Yet, what is ultimately at issue here is not ecology or annual harvests. The he world mourned in March as the If we’re to prevent another human real issue before us is one of commit- last male northern white rhino, failure of this kind, we must be inspired ment. The FWS is entrusted with pro- TSudan, passed away. by it to speak not only for globally imper- tecting and recovering our nation’s most Guarded continuously by armed iled species, but for those in our own imperiled wildlife. patrols, Sudan was euthanized and laid backyards. For North Carolinians, that In the 1980s, critics thought the red to rest as the last male of its kind—a clan means raising our voices on behalf of wolf was a lost cause. Back then, accord- of rhino that lived for millions of years, the red wolf. ing to FWS, the species was already “99 withstanding every challenge except Like the northern white rhino, the miles down a 100-mile-long road to humanity. With only two females remain- red wolf is the rarest of its kind. Having extinction,” and to some, the recovery ing, the northern white rhino is staring lost 99.7 percent of its range, today’s red effort seemed hopeless. After only two down the barrel of certain extinction wolf clings to life in one small, eastern decades, however, heroic FWS biolo- and represents, as Sudan’s caretakers North Carolina holdout—and even that gists proved the skeptics wrong and put it, “a cautionary tale for humanity.” is in danger of being lost forever. Last accomplished the impossible; with 151 year, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wild wolves, as well as a strong captive (FWS) proposed shrinking what remains population, the species was placed on of the red wolf’s territory by about 90 the road to long-term recovery. percent and forcing most of the last Beginning in the early 2010s, wolves into zoos. though, FWS experienced dramatic This would spell extinction for shifts within its senior leadership. North Carolina’s red wolf in the Rather than leaving the program in the wild and waste decades of hands of recovery biologists, agency conservation progress and administrators in Atlanta, under cutting-edge research. A pressure from the state of North small handful of anti- Carolina (supporting documents below) Adobe Sotck/ Jean-Edouard Rozey wolf landowners have brought the program to its knees, ending applauded this calamitous essential management efforts that had proposal. In their view, the sustained wolves in the wild. The red red wolf’s disappearance would wolf population predictably collapsed, benefit private landowners in the recov- and today fewer than 45 likely remain ery area. The science, however, suggests in the wild with only 23 known wolves the opposite. on the landscape. Since the red wolf makes regular If the agency moves forward with meals of nest predators like raccoons, it’s its latest plan, the wild recovery effort believed that turkey and quail popula- will be drastically curtailed, and the tions are higher in the Red Wolf Recovery red wolf could become nothing more Area than elsewhere. The red wolf also than a zoo curiosity—a prospect that, for preys upon invasive nutria that other- virtually all North Carolinians, is simply wise damage crops and, as the larger of unacceptable. the two species, the red wolves, when Last year’s public comment period on in healthy numbers, will suppress coy- FWS-proposed changes to the recovery otes. As for deer, the annual harvest has program generated more than 55,000 increased in the Red Wolf Recovery Area comments from all 50 states, 99.8 for the past 30 years. percent of which were opposed to the

30 Fall 2018 www.wolf.org FWS plan. Only 25 comments were Just as it took courage to pull the anti-wolf; only 10 backed FWS. Within red wolf from the jaws of extinction, it Supporting Documentation the recovery area itself, 68.4 percent of will again take courage for the Fish and land-owners voiced their support for the Wildlife Service to honor the public trust. North Carolina Wildlife Resources species. Scientists have publicly urged It will also require the voices of people Commission. 2015. the agency to reconsider, warning that who understand and believe in the FWS Resolution Requesting that the United its plan is not supported by science and mission of protecting wildlife. Without States Fish and Wildlife Service Declare is a sure-fire recipe for extinction. support from the public, we can expect the Red Wolf (Canis rufus) Extinct in In eastern North Carolina, we are that the species will, like the northern the Wild and Terminate the Red Wolf blessed with an abundance of wildlife. white rhino, become a memory of our Reintroduction Program in Beaufort, Home to black bears, alligators, huge wilder past. n Dare, Hyde, Tyrrell, and Washington flocks of game birds, deer and turkey, Counties, North Carolina it is a wildlife paradise. There are few Christian Hunt is the Southeast program http://www.ncwildlife.org/Portals/0/ comparable places left on the East Coast. associate for Defenders of Wildlife, About/documents/2015- 01-29- It is also the last holdout of the red wolf’s a national conservation organization NCWRC-Resolution-Asking-USFWS- founded in 1947 and focused on wildlife historical territory, which once spread Declare-Red-Wolf-Extinct-in-Wild- and habitat conservation and the Terminate-Program.pdf throughout the Southeast. As a proud safeguarding of biodiversity. Based in North Carolinian, I find that inspiring. Charlotte, NC, he is responsible for We need only drive 30 minutes from promoting the organization’s red wolf the beach to discover, hidden among campaign efforts through grassroots the pine forests and swamps, the world’s outreach, community organizing most endangered wolf. and communications. Adobe Sotck/ Mark Kostich Red wolf pups—offspring of the rarest wolves of their kind—now appear only in eastern North Carolina. A recent proposal by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would shrink the red wolf’s territory and force the last ones into zoos, effectively assuring their extinction.

International Wolf Fall 2018 31 BOOK REVIEW

How to Tame a Fox (and Build a Dog) Book Review by Debra Mitts-Smith

n 1952, Soviet geneticist Dmitri Some scientists theo- Belyaev boarded a train to Tallin, rized that wolves were IEstonia to meet his friend and col- first attracted to human league, Nina Sorokina, chief breeder settlements by food at a fox farm outside Tallin. Under the dumps. Belyaev rea- guise of breeding more luxurious pelts, soned that only wolves Belyaev made a peculiar request; he that could tolerate the asked Sorokina to identify and breed presence of humans silver foxes based not on the quality of would have succeeded their fur, but on their behavior around in feeding and living near humans. Most silver foxes responded to them. He theorized that humans either aggressively or fearfully. a tendency toward tame- A few seemed to respond more calmly. ness, like aggression or For Belyaev, these calmer foxes might fearfulness, must be an hold answers to his questions about the attribute already present domestication of the wolf into the dog. in the wolf’s genes. This Under Belyaev’s direction, Sorokina (and would mean that tame- later, Lyudmila Trut) began to select and ness was not a mutation breed foxes based on their reaction to caused by domestication, humans. Within 20 years, Belyaev and but instead a genetic trait Trut’s experiment showed that breed- amplified by domestica- ing for one quality—tameness—also tion. At the waste sites, triggered doglike traits such as floppy calmer wolves would ears, rounded faces and wagging tails. breed with each other. Each new How to Tame a Fox (and Build a Dog) In How to Tame a Fox (and Build a generation would become tamer and Authors: Dog), Lee Alan Dugatkin and Lyudmila more tolerant of humans—and food Lee Alan Dugatkin and Lyudmila Trut Trut provide an engaging account of dumps, by offering a more consistent Publisher: University of Chicago Press these fox experiments. Against a back- food supply, would make tameness 216 pages drop of the post-World War II Soviet an evolutionary advantage. Union, Stalin’s purges and the Cold War, Further, despite Darwin’s position that Belyaev’s work also tells a cautionary evolutionary change happens over long Trut’s favorite book, Antoine de Saint- tale about the dangers of letting politics periods, Belyaev and Trut’s domestica- Exupery’s The Little Prince, “you become dictate scientific inquiry. He notes that tion of the fox occurred within 20 years, responsible forever for what you tame.” n even prior to the fall of the U.S.S.R., it suggesting that the domestication of the became clear that international coopera- wolf into dog could have happened over Debra Mitts-Smith is a School of Information Sciences faculty member at tion and free exchange of information a relatively short time span. the University of Illinois. Her research between scientists was key to scientific As the fox experiment moves toward and teaching focus on visual culture, advancement. As time passed, scientists its 70th year, Trut’s remaining goal is children’s literature, history of the book from other countries and fields studied to protect the domesticated foxes by and storytelling. Her book, Picturing the these foxes to better understand the ori- getting them recognized as pets. After Wolf in Children’s Literature, was gins and effects of domestication. all, as the Fox tells the Little Prince in published by Routledge in 2010.

32 Fall 2018 www.wolf.org Savana Brown Logo Wear T-Shirt Upcoming Adventure Vacations Item:1099p at the International Wolf Center Wolf $10.00 Den Store Your purchases help support the mission of the International Wolf Center.

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