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COSTS OF WOLF REINTRODUCTION
While comprising approximately 2% of the population, farmers and ranchers provide the products that feed and clothe the rest of the nation. Farmers, ranchers and private property owners provide 70% of all wildlife habitat and forage. At the same time agriculture withstands most of the damage caused by wildlife.
POINTS TO PONDER The cost of killing one pack of 5 wolves that were killing cattle and sheep near Browning, Montana, was $41,000. One wolf was impossible to catch because of constant movement. (Bill Rightmire, U.S. Department of Agriculture-Animal Damage Control, Billings, MT, July 18, 1998) Minnesota annually kills depredating wolves at the cost of $1,225 each. (David Mech, "Challenge and Opportunity of Recovering Wolf Populations" 1995) Minnesota killed 227 wolves in 1997. The USFWS office concerned with reintroducing wolves to the Smokey Mountains spent $140,000 a year for 8 years before ending this part of the North Carolina program. Authorities found that wolves could not survive in the Smokies old growth forest environment.
WOLF REINTRODUCTION COSTS TO AGRICULTURE BEFORE ANY DEPREDATION OCCURS -Increased labor and feed costs from keeping livestock in or near barns at night -Predator control costs from electric fencing, guard animals and adverse conditioning devices -Extra help to tend livestock -Phone calls to authorities reporting wolf sightings -Replacement or vet bills caused by wolf attacks on guard dogs -Weight loss and abortion of fetuses caused by stress and harassment from wolves -Additional veterinary costs COSTS AFTER DEPREDATION -Phone calls to authorities reporting depredation -Time lost finding carcasses or injured animals -Time lost isolating the injured or killed animal(s) (the animal must not be moved) -Time lost completing paperwork, correspondence and negotiation until payment is realized -Time lost during the investigation and resolution of the problem (trapping, relocation, killing depredating animal) -Replacement/shipment of breeding stock
COMPENSATION -The attack or kill must be verified (there must be a freshly killed or injured animal and evidence of wolf involvement i.e. footprints and monitoring evidence) -Difficulties of verification:
-Defenders of Wildlife only lists cattle and sheep for compensation -Defenders' compensation fund only lasts until the wolf is delisted
RESOLUTION OF THE PROBLEM -No action if there is no depredation -The property owner kills the wolf while it is depredating (on private property) -Trapping and releasing depredating females and pups on site until August -Trapping and relocating depredating animals (which has proven remarkably ineffective) -Wildlife Services (formerly ADC) kills the offending animal
COST OF WOLF REINTRODUCTION PROGRAM -Importing wolves -Continuing inoculations for heartworm, parvo etc. -Radio collaring -Monitoring signals -Training personnel how to use traps etc. -Increased expenditures for response to increased investigations of suspected depredation -Increased funds needed for more intensive game management (trapping, lethal control, translocation, possible sterilization) -Ongoing and increasing funding by the state for compensation when the wolf is down-listed -Funding for legal fees to counter lawsuits brought by environmental organizations and property owners
LOSS OF FUNDS -For wildlife management -Consider losses incurred by Alaska
INCREASE IN TOURIST INCOME -Is questionable - Yellowstone National Park shows no overall increase in tourism; weather, not wolves, is the determining factor in the number of tourists.While more tourists are entering by the gate where wolves are more visible, construction and traffic congestion at other gates is also a factor.
WHO THE PROGRAM BENEFITS -Biologists -Environmental organizations who send out continual fund-raising letters while pushing this program
MAXIMUM PENALTY FOR SHOOTING A REINTRODUCED WOLF -One year in prison -$100,000 fine
DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE
The Wolf Management Committee developed a wolf recovery plan for Yellowstone, Glacier National Park and Central Idaho, also including Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. The committee had varied representation. Defenders of Wildlife and The National Wildlife Federation vetoed the plan. Defenders lobbied Congress for implementation of one part of the USFWS plan. The Wolf Committee plan was ignored.When Defenders of Wildlife first began to lobby for wolf reintroduction, they talked of "35 to 45" wolves in all of Yellowstone Park (Randall 1981:31). Now plans call for 10 wolf packs totaling approximately 100 wolves in Yellowstone. (Dr. Charles Kay) Wolves in Minnesota surpassed the number needed to remove the species from the Endangered Species List, yet were not allowed to be removed because wolf populations in Wisconsin and Michigan were far short of goals of the Eastern Wolf Recovery Plan. One state was hostage to what happened in other areas. (Dr. Charles Kay) Montana and Idaho issued draft plans for when wolf recovery would be turned over to state managers (Rachael 1995, Ream 1995). Both documents claimed that 20 wolf packs were needed in each area before hunting and trapping would be allowed. Thus, they have effectively doubled the number of wolves needed to meet ESA requirements. (Dr. Charles Kay) The Sierra Club and Defenders of Wildlife said last week they would sue the USFWS if the federal agency agreed to turn over wolf management to Minnesota under any state plan that includes public hunting or trapping. (January 1998, Minnesota Outdoors News) Defenders of Wildlife will not allow the Great Lake states to delist the wolf until a new rule has been approved for wolf recovery in the New England and Middle Atlantic States. (This would allow greater numbers of wolves to be required in these areas before they could be delisted.) (November 1998, Steve Kendrodt, Defenders of Wildlife)
WOLF REINTRODUCTION…
Wolf reintroduction has become a full-employment program for the federal biologists. Congressional Aide
Even if wolves were limited to 100, 20-40 wolves would disperse to surrounding areas each year. Dr. Charles Kay
…THE OTHER SIDE To prevent harmful inbreeding and to protect against random environmental changes, most scientists believe that a minimum viable population (of wolves) is 1,500. Talk about 100 wolves is nonsense. You cannot maintain genetic diversity with those numbers. Professor Robert Taylor Attacks on dogs often lead to concern for human safety especially when the dogs are attacked in the complainant's yard. William Paul During 10 years wolves (in northwest Montana) preferred habitat consisting of substantial amounts of private land and livestock grazing areas and it has to be shared with the people who have…lived in these areas before wolves were present. Ed Bangs On being told that New York State biologists say that the deer herds are on the fringe of the Adirondack Park and south, Ed Bangs stated that "the beauty of wolves is that they are not site specific. Everybody will get them." (c) 1998 Land Rights Foundation, Karen Daniels Permission to reproduce in whole or part is granted provided that proper attribution is used.
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