![]() ![]() In recent years, anti-wildlife politicians have attempted to undermine the Endangered Species Act by slipping contentious policy riders into must-pass spending bills in an attempt to strip wolves of federal protections. With the reintroduction of just a small population of wolves, the landscape of the whole park transformed.Įarthjustice has been fighting in the courts and on Capitol Hill for more than 20 years to protect wolves. The stabilization of the riverbanks actually made the rivers and streams change course. Plant life once again thrived along the riverbanks and erosion decreased significantly. As a result, those areas began to regenerate, and species such as birds, beavers, mice and bears returned. The herbivores started to avoid areas like valleys and gorges where they could be easily hunted by predators. When wolves were brought back to the park, they not only killed elk, but also changed their prey’s behavior patterns. The phenomenon occurred again in reverse when the wolves were reintroduced and the natural balance was restored. Their removal in the early 20th century disrupted food webs and set off something called a “trophic cascade,” in which the wolves’ natural prey (in this case, elk) multiplied, all the while consuming increasing amounts of foliage. So much of our knowledge of these creatures focuses on their potential threat to humans, rather than their biological importance.Īs a top predator, wolves are one of Yellowstone’s linchpins, holding together the delicate balance of predator and prey. “We all know that wolves kill many animals, but perhaps we’re slightly less aware that they give life to many others,” he says in the film. British writer George Monbiot lends his voice to this documentary, and his zeal is infectious as he describes how wolves reinvigorated the park. Without wolves, the entire ecosystem of the park suffered.Ī short film, which has garnered more than 40 million views on YouTube, gives a captivating explanation for Yellowstone’s turnaround. Consequently, deer and elk populations increased substantially, resulting in overgrazing, particularly of willows and other vegetation important to soil and riverbank structure, leaving the landscape vulnerable to erosion. Before then, government predator control programs had all but eliminated the gray wolf from America’s lower 48 states. That was the year wolves were reintroduced to the park. Two decades ago, Yellowstone National Park was the victim of defoliation, erosion, and an unbalanced ecosystem. Being alone is bad, alone and injured is even worse, but alone, injured and pack of coyotes nipping at your butt is about as bad as it gets for a wolf.The land of Old Faithful wasn’t always so lush. ![]() “After watching him feed safely and then just walking away un-harassed, we knew it bought itself a few more days to survive in Yellowstone. “I did not hear if anyone knew how this wolf was injured and I checked the daily reporting and no one posted a comment.Īlso on FTW Outdoors: Momma bear in Yellowstone has ‘paws full’ with misbehaving cub “We were all rooting for him since we know if a wolf can’t hunt due to an injury it needs to find food somehow or it, too, is doomed,” Sterbenz told For The Win Outdoors. Sterbenz told For The Win Outdoors the wolf ate for about 15 minutes before moving on. As the wolf approached, the coyotes attempted to attack it several times, but the wolf successfully defended itself before getting to the carcass. Nineteen minutes later, the wolf appeared as three coyotes were taking turns feeding on the bison. Sterbenz had located a bison that had died and was thinking he’d be watching a couple of coyotes and maybe a grizzly bear return to the carcass. ![]()
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