Wolf population reaches epidemic proportions??

I found this article (( see below ))regarding the population of Eastern Wolves within (and around) Algonquin Park. There are as many opinions regarding species protection/control as there are people out there. Some feel that nature should find balance, some feel that nature needs assistance to obtain that balance (is that a realistic balance?). Often you hear that the cessation of the wolf hunt has caused an "explosion" of their population which is usually attributed to "avid" hunters or by those (and their children) living close to wolf populations and encounter the wolves. Thus a valid fear for their safety. This brings to mind Victoria BC (Vancouver Island). There is (was) a heavily forested area on and around Bear Mountain (named so for the large population of black bear that lived there). The entire mountain and surrounding area has been cleared and a developed. To the chagrin and complete surprise of the people buying homes there it was discovered that the black bears do not want to give up their home. There have been a few encounters and now the locals wish the bear population to be wiped out. Last summer a man returning from fishing much further up island had his boat boarded by a black bear (he had fish and the bear eats fish). Again the call to destroy the bear population. Are we as humans so naive that we can move into and encroach upon wild areas and NOT expect to butt heads with the previous residents?

Wolf story (Bracebridge Examiner) -http://www.gravenhurstbanner.com/article/130871
Bear Mountain Golf Resort (Vancouver Island) -http://www.bearmountain.ca/
Bear attack on boat -http://www2.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=cf6311d5-646f-4a73-8228-89044c3a8de3

People think it is great to feed wildlife or build homes in areas previously occupied by wildlife. They then wonder how it is possible that they encounter said wildlife. I would suggest that the current increase in wolf population is a natural result of the stopped hunt and the population will find an eventual balance. People need to educate and protect themselves with knowledge. Allow the population to find the new balance and decide a course from there.

More education is needed in this matter. Lets hope that calm heads prevail and the Algonquin wolf population does not get "culled".

Here's to hoping...


Derek Specht
http://www.ABRweb.ca .. Algonquin Backcountry Recreationalists - Caring for Algonquin's Backcountry

The article is what it is...speculation.
The photo of the two wolves, looks like coyotes, not wolves.
There are lots of coyotes around(or so I've heard), I've also heard that there has been an over-abundance of deer through-out the region, not falling populations. I've also heard that Moose populations are in decline, whether this is due to the fact that their is a high population of deer(brain worm disease), or wolf predation, remains to be seen. This 'increase' in wolf population, is this due to just more people seeing wolves? OR is it that there are in fact more wolves, where population numbers are returning to more 'normal' values, before humans interfered with the species. I've read in the old days that there was a very healthy population of Wolves in the Algonquin Park Area. To me it seems that only now, after nearly 100 years, are the populations returning to those 'high' numbers. It is now once again becoming a 'problem' again, for humans living in 'their' region.

Keep in mind, this is all speculation on my part!



Mark Rubino
Mark's Algonquin Park Sampler - Blog
Mark's Algonquin Park Sampler

http://www.ABRweb.ca .. Algonquin Backcountry Recreationalists - Caring for Algonquin's Backcountry

"More education is needed in this matter. Lets hope that calm heads prevail and the Algonquin wolf population does not get "culled".
I agree 100% with Derek. I hope and pray nothing terrible happens!



Mark Rubino
Mark's Algonquin Park Sampler - Blog
Mark's Algonquin Park Sampler

http://www.ABRweb.ca .. Algonquin Backcountry Recreationalists - Caring for Algonquin's Backcountry

The suggestion in the Bracebridge article that the wolf population is "exploding" is good news and would indicate that the hunting ban is having the intended effect - it's letting the wolf populations recover. The science behind the ban focused on a few key points:

1) Wolves are social animals for whom pack structure is very important.
2) Almost every single wolf pack in Algonquin had an existing range that extended outside the park boundaries.
3) Deer migration patterns essentially forced wolves to follow this prime food source outside of the park.
4) Wolves were being harvested at such a high rate that packs were routinely collapsing.

In order to create a healthy wolf population the numbers had to increase. Something that would be really good to see now is some follow up measure of pack stability to validate that the social structure is being restored along with the population.

___________________________
No your other left!
www.loonislandoutdoors.com

Hmmm funny thing about that bear story is the same thing happened in northern Ontario either last year or the previous year.

Guy was fishing in his boat the bear swam to his boat and got in?? what's this guy thinking? He could just as easily left the area. But instaed his curiosity got the better of him.

Anyways the bear crawled in the boat and he jumped out and swam to shore. The bear somehow engaged the motor and down the lake he went, the boat beached the bear got out and left. THAT WAS IT...



The wolves have a certain order and I have never believed in Over population.
They breed accordingly and sustain their pack to suit their surroundings.

NOT like those short snouted inbreed coyotes. The mix of Fox,Dog and coyote.
They as well have there place in nature. But to call every dog like animal in the bush a Wolf is what is so misleading and harmful to them.

Anyways lets hope that they leave well enuff alone and maybe start culling the Coyotes. They are in an over abundance and I've seen them living right in the City of Kingston.

People over look them because they appear more like a dog. And a true Wolf is very easy to distinguish, but to most people who can't recognize the difference, they tag all wild dog like looking animals as wolves. Then they're off on a witch hunt...

But like it was said The Lack of Education .



Just had to add my thought.

I am personally tired of hearing about the wolves that are always sighted in Durham Region (Ajax / Pickering, etc). I have never seen any wolves this far south and from my understanding, there are none (please correct me if I am wrong on this). Each time I am told that someone saw a wolf along Hwy 7 i always tell them it was probably a coyote. "Oh no, it was too big to be a coyote and it looked just like a wolf!" ERG!

There was a write up in our local paper about a pack of coyotes living in a ravine in Ajax. We have friends who live near this ravine and they all confirm they are coyotes and not wolves.





Sean (of Ajax)

http://www.ABRweb.ca .. Algonquin Backcountry Recreationalists - Caring for Algonquin's Backcountry

Exactly Sean

Ignorance is what has always been the death of a species..

I love the bush and have had encounters with wolves and NEVER have seen or felt any hostilty from them. Curiosity yes but never aggression.

All children have heard the story of The Big Bad Wolf and grow up believing that there must be something to it..

Living in Southern Ontario, we have a healthy population of coyotes. I find it funny that many refer to coyotes as brush wolves. Maybe this is where the confusion comes from. Yips or howls? that is the question.

What I found amusing yet frustrating in the article was the fact that the hunter interviewed considers himself a "naturalist". As far as I'm concerned, a naturalist believes in nature as self-sustaining without the intrusion of humans. And yes I agree those are coyotes in the picture - something I would expect from ignorant city dwellers, not northern folk! Dont they have an editor?

Has a wolf education program been deployed for the locals surrounding the park? Maybe it's time for the scientists to conduct a population study and give everyone an update. I saw a documentary recently discussing the possibility that some AP wolves are breeding with coyotes. If that is the case, can we really blame them? As sad as that reality might be for us wilderness junkies, nature adapts to its environment. If you were a species under as much pressure as the wolf, wouldn't it make sense to adapt into a species that can handle human encroachment? I consider myself a true naturalist and I can accept nature changing to suit its own needs. Our pet dogs originally came from wolves.
We only have ourselves to blame will humans evolve past these attitudes?

,..

Has a wolf education program been deployed for the locals surrounding the park? Maybe it's time for the scientists to conduct a population study and give everyone an update.

This has been done since the Theberges carried out their wolf studies, and there are indications that the Algonquin eastern wolf numbers have stabilized and may have increased.

The Algonquin packs are part of a larger eastern wolf population that extends from eastern Quebec to western Manitoba... see the COSEWIC info page and map showing their range:

http://www.sararegistry.gc.ca/species/speciesDetails_e.cfm?sid=608

John and Mary Theberge wrote that during the twelve years they studied Algonquin wolves, there were often single individuals in the packs that appeared coyote-like. This may be because the eastern wolf population contains coyote genes, also described on the COSEWIC page. Wolves are also variable in appearance from individual to individual and this adds to the confusion in identifying them.

So far eastern wolves' status as a species at risk remains at "special concern" and has not been elevated to more critical "threatened" or "endangered" categories... again, this info is on the COSEWIC website.