PAW Act- Save Wolves (Fairbanks: home, work, hospital)

[megensmom]

A friend of mine sent me a bunch of information on this. It sounds very unnecessary to hunt them in this manner. Is this something that is really needed? Are wolves that big of a problem in most areas?

https://secure.defenders.org/site/Ad...ename=homepage

[Marty Van Diest]

Wolves are not that big of a problem in most areas. They are only targeted in few areas.

I heard recently on the radio that the Alaska Peninsula caribou herd has been reduced from 10,000 to 600 by predation. What happens is that the calves are killed by wolves and bears almost immediately after they are born. In this area and in some other areas almost all the calves, (sometimes over 80%), are killed each year.

I like wolves and would never want them eradicated. But they need to be controlled in certain areas to prevent complete collapse of the some moose and caribou herds.

[megensmom]

I didn't know that they were actually doing that much damage in places still. Very interesting.
So what is the reason for shooting them from planes? Is it due to lack of roads? I like wolves as well as other animals and I was just curious about this because since I am moving to Alaska a couple of people have asked me why would the people allow this to continue there. I don't know so I thought I would ask as to why this would be going on and if it was necessary.

[arctichomesteader]

I've talked with a lot of people in the "bush" and something I've heard from many are that the moose and caribou they depend on for meat are being reduced in numbers too much by wolves, the wolves are out of control in some areas. Bears contribute to the problems too. Studies have backed up these claims. So if someone supports increasing restrictions on killing wolves, be aware of the results it will have...more wolves, less of the prey animals, more trouble for some people to get food, increased conflicts between people and wolves, etc. They're not going to wipe out wolves (which would be very counter-productive for trappers especially) but simply bring them down to more appropriate numbers, and, of course, keep their fear of people more intact which disappears when people don't hunt animals.

The people associated with this movement are part of the radical animal rights movement, they want to eliminate all hunting and are working on it piece by piece (they know doing it all at once will fail so they do it a little at a time). They are entirely divorced from reality and truly do not base their ideas on science but rather on emotions, but they're good at creating propaganda and getting people to go along with it based on emotions...I've dealt with the same types in VT where they'd love to ban hunting and trapping...so far they're not getting anywhere but they have in other states, like MA...

[arctichomesteader]

Originally Posted by megensmom

I didn't know that they were actually doing that much damage in places still. Very interesting.
So what is the reason for shooting them from planes? Is it due to lack of roads? I like wolves as well as other animals and I was just curious about this because since I am moving to Alaska a couple of people have asked me why would the people allow this to continue there. I don't know so I thought I would ask as to why this would be going on and if it was necessary.

Access, more efficient, easier to find the wolves, and so forth. Going by land in a lot of forests is pretty slow and hard work...

[Rance]

Heck the bears are increasing in numbers in my area and the moose are tapering off. I'm a little worried.

[Miborn]

Whats interesting was the reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone and now they are a huge problem.
They did not know they were suppose to STAY in Yellowstone and not venture out of the boundaries! LOL ....

[megensmom]

Thanks for your input. I wanted info. and more input about this. I have suggested to the people that asked me about it that they do some more research before jumping on a wagon just because it sounds good. I also said that they don't live in these areas and might not have an idea of what is "really" going on. I did say that if wolves get hungry they could become dangerous to people living in the remote areas.

[Rance]

The wolf pack in my area (Skilak) has been cursed with lice and mange that render their hides useless to man. Yet they continue to hunt the moose and caribou to survive. Along with the ever increasing brown bear population they are taking a very noticable toll on the newborn moose in the area. If not controlled...there will be nothing but older and barren moose. Next thing you know...there are no moose. Now you've got a hundred hungry bear and wolves wandering into town looking for something to eat. Or ambushing anything that hikes down a trail. Even humans.

[RayinAK]

Originally Posted by megensmom

I didn't know that they were actually doing that much damage in places still. Very interesting.
So what is the reason for shooting them from planes? Is it due to lack of roads? I like wolves as well as other animals and I was just curious about this because since I am moving to Alaska a couple of people have asked me why would the people allow this to continue there. I don't know so I thought I would ask as to why this would be going on and if it was necessary.

It's almost impossible to see the wolves from the ground in some area because of the terrain, while some other areas are very isolated. If one was to fly in and then look for the wolves, they would be long gone. One can spot and kill them from the air, then land to collect the animals to take to F&G.

The last numbers I remember seen were around 10,000 wolves or more in Alaska. Wolves often come into towns such as Fairbanks, and then kill and devour pets (dogs). In some villages, packs of wolves kill and devour dogs, and sometimes infect the ones that survive with rabies. When that happens, packs of sled dogs in the villages have to be put down. Several years ago, a 7-year old kid was severely bitten on his back by a wolf that was trying to drag him into the brush (to eat him, of course), but the villagers rescued the kid and killed the wolf. The kid survived after being stitched-up at the hospital. A couple of years ago, a lady not too far from Fairbanks fought a wolf that was biting her on the legs and tights. She survived.

I didn't even read the link you posted, because it's propaganda. That's how animal rights groups make their money.