Global Wolf

This was a very enlightening video, it goes through many different areas in the world in which wolves are an integral part of a society and hunting and looks at wolves as a part of our history as wolves were our companions for thousands of years. It goes to different regions of the world today, showing the viewer what their relationship with the wolves in their area is and how they learn to live with them or fight with them.
This is important to my paper just so that we get a little history on how our relationship was with them back in the say and to see how it’s changed in North America, but also what’s changed and what hasn’t changed throughout the world. I can compare how we react to the presence of wolves now (wolf tags, engendered species list, etc) to where it was in the past and how it’s changed in modern times.

The Affect Of Wolves On Aspen Trees

The Affect Of Wolves On Aspen Trees

(Press the video link by Dr. Ripple)

This goes very well with my last post: the video goes over the affect of predation of wolves on the ecosystem, particularly the affect the wolves had on Yellowstone and the trees there and the direct correlation between the loss of them and then the reintroduction afterwords.

The Affects The Predation of Wolves Has On The Ecosystem

The Affects The Predation of Wolves Has On The Ecosystem

This article describes the studies that have been done on the ecosystems of some of the areas that have ended up getting rid of the wolves, including the North West–  specifically the loss and then the reintroduction of the grey wolf here in Idaho. The article points to a correlation between the predation of key stone species, specifically wolves, and the ability for an ecosystem to keep its biodiversity after such a loss. This is particularly important to the topic of my research paper because of the idea that the wolves are a keystone species and what could potentially (and what has actually happened in the past) happen if they were to be driven extinct.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/the-wolf-that-changed-america/wolf-wars-americas-campaign-to-eradicate-the-wolf/4312/

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/the-wolf-that-changed-america/wolf-wars-americas-campaign-to-eradicate-the-wolf/4312/

This is sort of a history of wolf baiting, extermination programs and the long history of our constant battle with them.

“During the fall, a pack of wolves had robbed [the farmer] of “nearly the whole of his sheep and one of his colts.” For him, it made sense to devote his winter labor to digging pits, weaving platforms, hunting bait, and setting and checking his traps twice daily. The animals had injured him, and “he was now ‘paying them off in full.’” Audubon’s reaction to the slaying of the wolves is less understandable … The ingenious pit traps amazed him, as did the fearsome predators’ meek behavior and the childlike glee the farmer took in his work. The violence Audubon witnessed, however, did not shock him. Watching a pack of dogs rip apart terrified and defenseless animals was a “sport” both he and the farmer found enjoyable.”

-Jon T. Coleman

Living With Wolves

Tags

Wolf pack, Wolves

For centuries, wolves have been characterized as bloodthirsty beasts, tormentors of ranchers and the bane of helpless livestock. Determined to overcome this misconception, filmmakers Jaime and Jim Dutcher, creators of the Emmy-winning “Wolves at Our Door” spent six years in a tented camp in the wilderness of Idaho, living with a pack of wolves, listening to them and earning their trust.

Join the Dutchers as they share their extraordinary experiences living with the Sawtooth wolf pack. Exclusive footage reveals the innermost details of life in the pack – its unique social structure, how wolf cubs are raised within the group and how these powerful creatures interact with man. Overcoming forest fires, marauding mountain lions and sub-zero winters, the Dutchers and these elusive, intelligent animals share the heartwarming and unique partnership of human and predator.

Source: http://docuwiki.net/index.php?title=Living_with_Wolves

This has been one of the better documentaries I’ve seen on wolves. It’s dives into the deep structure and inner working of a pack and allows you to see what goes on in a wolf’s world.

Introductions

Hello, I’m an undergraduate at the University of Idaho researching whether or not the extinction of wolves would drastically affect our local ecosystem.

My father is from Minnesota and grew up with Wolves and respects them greatly. He went to the University of Idaho to be a scientist and grew an even greater respect for them as he studied more of the natural sciences. So I grew up with curiosity about wolves and that same respect as my father taught me more and more about them. Living in Idaho I’ve had to work with people who wish wolves to be exterminated, so I thought I would research whether that would affect us adversely.

With this I hope to get more than one side of the wolf debate and create a  descent understanding of what could potentially happen if wolves were to go extinct.

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