PDF《Gray Wolf (Canis lupus)》

48 States and in Mexico, except that in Minnesota they were listed as threatened.** Alaska wolf populations number 6,000 to 7,000 and are not considered endangered or threatened. The wolf's comeback nationwide is due to its listing under the Endangered Species Act, resulting in increased scientific research and protection from unregulated killing, along with reintroduction and management programs and education efforts that increased public understanding of wolf biology and behavior. Wolf recovery has been so successful that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has removed the gray wolf in the western Great Lakes area from the threatened and endangered species list. Today about 3,020 wolves live in the wild in Minnesota,

30 on Lake Superior's Isle Royale, about

434 in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and at least

465 in Wisconsin. In the northern Rocky Mountains, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reintroduced gray wolves into Yellowstone National Park and U.S. Forest Service lands in central Idaho in

1995 and 1996. The reintroduction was successful, and the recovery goals for this population have been exceeded. By December

2006 there were about 1,100 wolves in the Yellowstone area and Idaho;

in total, at least 1,240 live in the northern Rocky Mountains of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. Wolf recovery has been so successful that the Service has proposed removal of the gray wolf in the northern Rocky Mountains from the threatened and endangered species list. The Mexican gray wolf, a subspecies, Canis lupus baileyi, has also been reintroduced into Arizona and New Mexico. Native to the Southwest, the wolves existed only in zoos until 1998, when

13 of the animals were released in Arizona. By the end of 2006, there were about

60 wolves in the wild in Arizona and New Mexico with another

300 in zoos and other facilities. Since 2002, wolf packs have produced pups in the wild. The goal is to establish a self-sustaining wild population of at least

100 wolves in their historical range. Gray wolf populations fluctuate with food availability, strife within packs, and disease. In some areas wolf populations may change due to accidental or intentional killing by people. There is some concern that wolf recovery may pose a threat to human safety. However, wolf attacks on humans are extremely rare in North America, even in Canada and Alaska where there are consistently large wolf populations. Most documented attacks have been in areas where wolves habituated to people when they were fed by people or attracted to garbage. Special features of the Endangered Species Act have been used in parts of the wolf range to allow the removal of wolves that prey on livestock. There are programs to compensate for the loss of livestock and pets in most of the recovery areas. Photo by Tracy Brooks-Mission The Yellowstone and Idaho wolves and the Mexican wolves in the southwestern United States are designated as non-essential, experimental populations under the Endangered Species Act. This designation allows more management flexibility while contributing to recovery. Wolf recovery efforts have restored a top predator to its ecosystem and improved our understanding of the complex interactions among species in their natural environments. For more information: http://ecos.fws.gov/speciesProfile/ SpeciesReport.do?spcode=A00D *Endangered means a species is considered in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range. ** Threatened means a species is likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 1-800-344-WILD http://www.fws.gov January 2007