$6.95 Now What? Two Views Address the Declining Wolf Population at Isle Royale PAGE 4 Where Have All the Red Wolves Gone? PAGE 8 Take Only Photos, Leave Only Footprints... Safely PAGE 11 The Grand Bargain: Time for Revision PAGE 14 by Monague Native Crafts Ltd. Earth Stone Jewelry Collection Every piece of jewelry has an enchanting story to tell. Item 1907 Item 1913 Item 1906 $16.95 $22.95 $16.95 Members Save 10% Item 6667 Item 1908 $18.95 $17.95 Order today at shop.wolf.org or call 1-800-ELY-WOLF Your purchases help support the mission of the International Wolf Center. VOLUME 23, NO. 4 THE QUARTERLY PUBLICATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL WOLF CENTER SPRING 2014 4 Sally Irmiger 8 Melissa McGaw 11 Elke Duerr 14 Betsy Downey Now What? Two Views Where Have All the Take Only Photos, Leave The Grand Bargain: Address the Declining Red Wolves Gone? Only Footprints... Safely Time for Revision Wolf Population at Red wolves were returned to With nearly everyone in the In the fall 2013 issue of Isle Royale the wild in 1987, following wild armed with some type International Wolf, Mike Wolves and moose living on five generations of successful of camera, questions have Jimenez and Steve Grooms Isle Royale have been the topic breeding in captivity. The surfaced: What kind of conduct described the “grand bargain,” of studies for more than 50 wolves have established a is ethical when it comes to the deal on which wolf years. As of January 2013 small but robust population in wildlife photography, and reintroduction in the Northern there were only eight wolves northeastern North Carolina. what endangers the safety Rockies was based. This article with perhaps four females and But the hard-won success of and wellbeing of photographer, addresses two issues not four males. With extinction the recovery years is now wild animal and wildland? discussed in the earlier piece: possible, various views have threatened by the recent anti-wolf opposition to the By Elke Duerr been presented concerning loss of significant numbers “grand bargain” and the what intervention, if any, to of wild red wolves. need to revise the bargain take to stabilize the to protect Yellowstone By Cornelia Hutt wolf numbers. National Park wolves. By Tracy O’Connell By Betsy Downey and Bob Landis On the Cover Departments Sitting wolf pup at the Zürich Zoo, Switzerland 3 From the Photograph by Emmanuel Keller Executive Director To view more of Keller’s photography, visit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tambako/ 18 Tracking the Pack 21 Wolves of the World Did you know... 24 Personal Encounter One easy way for you to help us conserve natural resoureces is to make sure we 26 Wild Kids have your email address. Simply email 28 A Look Beyond your address to [email protected]. International Wolf Center International Wolf Publications Director Tom Myrick Graphics Coordinator Carissa L. Winter Consulting Editor Fran Howard Technical Editor L. David Mech Graphic Designer Tricia Austin International Wolf (1089-683X) is published quarterly and copyrighted, 2014, by the International Wolf Center, 3410 Winnetka Ave. N., Minneapolis, MN 55427, USA. email: [email protected]. All rights reserved. Publications agreement no. 1536338 Membership in the International Wolf Center includes a subscription to International Wolf magazine, free admission to the Center, and discounts on programs Color Sponsorship Ad and merchandise. Membership Levels: (in U.S. dollars) • Wolf Pup $25 (students • Wolf Associate $125 age 21 and under) • Wolf Tracker $250 • Lone Wolf $40 • Wolf Sponsor $500 (individual) • Alpha Wolf $1,000 • Wolf Pack $70 (family at same address) For those outside the United States, please add an additional $15 to Wolf Pup, Lone Wolf, Wolf Pack and Wolf Associate memberships. Please mail membership payment to: International Wolf Center Administrative Office, Attn: Membership, 3410 Winnetka Ave. N., Minneapolis, MN 55427, USA. Please contact the Membership department with questions: 763-560-7374 ext. 227 or [email protected]. International Wolf is a forum for airing perspectives, science-based information and personal experiences about wolves. Articles and materials printed in Inter- national Wolf do not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of the International Wolf Center or its board of directors. International Wolf welcomes submissions of personal adventures with wolves and wolf photo graphs. Prior to submission of other types of manu scripts, address queries to Tom Myrick, magazine coordinator. PHOTOS: Unless otherwise noted, or obvious from the caption or article text, photos are of captive wolves. International Wolf is printed entirely with soy ink on FSC® certified paper. We encour- FSC logo here age you to recycle this magazine. 2 Spring 2014 www.wolf.org From the Executive Director INTERNATIONAL WOLF CENTER On the Brink of Extinction… BOARD OF DIRECTORS Nancy jo Tubbs The Last Wild Red Wolves Chair Dr. L. David Mech ust to the west of the Atlantic Ocean beaches of North Carolina’s Outer Banks lives one Vice Chair of the world’s most endangered wolf species, the red wolf. Cree Bradley Since being restored to the wild in 1987, red wolves have been making a comeback, Secretary Jwith their numbers slowly increasing in this single, small portion of their historical range, Paul B. Anderson Treasurer which once included the entire southeastern United States. But the rise in gunshot mortality has slowed the population growth, and now, fewer than 100 red wolves live in the wild, all of Rick Duncan them in the red wolf restoration region of North Carolina. Nancy Gibson Debbie Hinchcliffe In recent months, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has Judy Hunter called for the assistance of the public for information leading to the arrest Deborah Wold Lewis and conviction of persons responsible for the illegal killings. In 2013, Dr. Rolf O. Peterson nine red wolves were illegally killed, and another wolf was found shot in Mike Phillips early January 2014. Concern over this issue is growing both in the region Debbie Reynolds and throughout the nation, and efforts are underway to prosecute the offend- Jerry Sanders ers—including the offering of a significant reward. Paul Schurke While the International Wolf Center maintains a neutral position on wolf Dick Thiel Rob Schultz issues, we are adamantly opposed to the illegal killing of any wildlife, includ- Ray Wells Teri Williams ing wolves. Poaching is a serious crime, and the effects are especially harmful to an animal like the red wolf, which is protected under the federal Endangered Species Act. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR As these events continue to unfold in North Carolina, the Center is monitoring the situation Rob Schultz and is supportive of efforts to stop the illegal killing of red wolves. In this issue of International Wolf, we’ve dedicated a timely article (pages 8-10) to draw MISSION attention to this situation and the USFWS request for The International Wolf Center advances the survival public assistance. of wolf populations by Please join us in calling for a stop to the illegal killing teaching about wolves, their relationship to wildlands and of red wolves in North Carolina. Over 26 years of work to the human role in their future. restore the species to a small portion of its original habitat Educational services and is in jeopardy of being lost and the survival of red wolves informational resources living in the wild is at risk if these crimes continue. n are available at: 1396 Highway 169 Ely, MN 55731-8129, USA 800-ELY-WOLF 218-365-4695 email address: [email protected] Rob Schultz, executive director Web site: www.wolf.org © 2009 Melissa McGaw International Wolf Spring 2014 3 Rolf Peterson Now What? Two Views Address the Declining Wolf Population at Isle Royale BY TRACY O’CONNELL Editor’s note: Isle Royale is a U.S. national park and federally designated wilderness area in Lake Superior. Wolves and moose living there have been the topic of studies for more than 50 years. As of January 2013 there were only eight wolves with perhaps four females and four males. With extinc- tion possible, various views have been presented concerning what intervention, if any, to ensure survival of the population. 4 Spring 2014 www.wolf.org ntervention in the face of nature action in the form of the introduction options, offering a framework for deci- is usually discouraged by the U.S. of parvovirus and the impact of cli- sion making: While introducing cari- INational Park Service (NPS), John mate change, which has reduced the ice bou might add equally to the character A. Vucetich, Michael P. Nelson and on Lake Superior, eliminating the only of the place, the ungulates would not Rolf O. Peterson assert in a paper pub- access wolves have to the island and offer the educational or scientific value lished in 20121. The authors state that increasing stressors for the moose popu- that wolves do. wilderness policy is “not a simple, lation. Therefore, the authors argue that Using that same framework, these unquestioning, and inflexible dictate some type of intervention is warranted. authors balance competing values, such for nonintervention,” adding that “a Vucetich and his co-authors address as whether science is better served study- large body of wilderness policy treats the values including wilderness character, ing inbred populations, of which there conflict (as being one) between nonin- ecological health, science and education, have been many studies, or genetic tervention and other wilderness values.” and they find in each case that the argu- rescue, of which there have been few. With their paper subtitled “A Case ment for supporting the wolf population They address animal suffering induced Study on Wilderness Management in a on Isle Royale, in one of several proposed when inbreeding results in potentially Changing World,” Vucetich, Nelson and formulae, outweighs the argument for painful spinal deformities, noting that, Peterson cite an evolution in human nonintervention.