Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Get wolf facts straight


This is a response to "Wolves eat, don't they" by Gary Busch in the Jan. 17 Idaho Mountain Express.

Busch wrote that wolf professionals and advocates think wolves live on chipmunks. No, we don't. I've seen wolves feeding on elk many times. I've also seen wolves cleaning up roadkill and the leftovers that hunters left behind, including wounding losses.

I am wondering, if Busch says elk and deer have such "majesty"—then why shoot them? Why is it OK for hunters to kill 21,000 elk and 55,000 deer (2005 Idaho Department of Fish and Game data), but not for wolves to take a fraction of that? The 2005 elk harvest ranked the eighth largest ever. The 2006 elk harvest was expected to be similar.

I like seeing elk, too. In fact, a couple dozen cows, calves and spikes are lounging within view. I also like watching wolves and hearing them howl. Wolf eco-tourism is a multimillion-dollar business in Yellowstone and could be in Idaho.

Busch inaccurately claimed that one wolf eats an ungulate per week. Wolves range in size from pups to sub-adults and adults. Obviously, pups don't eat much. Idaho had an estimated 650 wolves in mid-2006 and 180 of those were pups. Fish and Game estimates a 20 percent annual mortality rate. Pups are now 60 to 80 pounds, about my dog's size. Maybe I'll find a road-killed cow elk and see if he can eat the entire carcass in a week.

If your wolf perception is still based on "Little Red Riding Hood," there's help at www.idahowolves.org. There's also help at the Fish and Game Web site at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/. Also try visiting the Northern Rockies best blog for wildlife: http://wolves.wordpress.com.

Wolves are one of the creator's most intelligent and beautiful animals. How fortunate we are to live in a place that they can exist.

Lynne Stone

Stanley




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