Wolf Biodiversity

Taxonomic Classification

• 1. Domain: Eukarya      2. Supergroup: Ophistrokonta
•    3. Kindgom: Animalia           4. Phylum: Chordata 
•      5. Class: Mammalia                   6. Order: Carnivora
•         7. Family: Canidae                         8. Genus: Canis 
•           9. Species: Lupus

Where they are

• Gray wolves naturally live all throughout Canada and Alaska
• There are also some that live in parts of Michigan, Wisconsin,
• Minnesota, Arizona, Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico, and
• North Carolina.
• Wolves used to live in many more places but have been hunted.

Wolves in the US

• Green is potential areas where wolves could live or have lived.
• Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York are green. 
• Blue is where populations are known to be in the US (also in Alaska).
• Tan is no data.

Red List

• On the red list, it says canis lupus is least concern but this is of 2010
• However, wolves are still threatened and are listed as endangered or 
• susceptible to endangerment on many other sites and have once been
• close to extinction. Now, wolves are starting to be more protected but 
• we still have to help them and refrain from hunting them.

Population

• There is around 7,000-11,000 gray wolves in Alaska
• 5,000 gray wolves in North America and even more in Canada
• Gray wolves are slowly increasing in population thanks to protection
• by nature societies but they are losing that protection and are being
• hunted more which will cause the population to start lowering again.

Wolves are Essential

• Wolves are essential to the ecosystem because when you remove
• them, the animals they eat rise in population and eat all the plants
• causing the loss of plant species and species that eat the plants.
• Wolves maintain species in an area and when they are removed
• the ecosystem suffers and can't sustain itself.

Value for Humans

• Wolves lower the population of potentially sick elks and deer.
• This is good for us because there will be less diseases to be spread.
• Wolf tourism is an economic boom; bringing wolves back to Yellowstone
• cost $30 million but the tourism has gained #35.5 million annually.
• Wolves protect against climate chance, overgrazing, + control population.

Threats to Wolves

• Wolves are sometimes killed to protect livestock
• People take over wolves' habitats which lowers population of prey and space
• People sometimes kill wolves for game 
• The greatest threat is people's fear and misunderstanding about the species
• Reasons people misunderstand them could be because of fairy tale's portrayal

Protection Laws

• Some wolves are protected by the Endangered Species Act 
• That act might be terminated soon though, if we don't help.
• There are individual laws for different states.
• Some of them are being removed, some because of Obama's administration.
• If you want, at the end of my presentation, you can sign and oppose.

Protection in States

• Wolves lost protection in Wyoming in 2012 (Obama's administration)
• Because of this, by March 4 of this year, 140 wolves were killed.          
• Utah and South Dakota don't have wolves but prepare not to protect them.
• Idaho used to have the largest wolf population in Rockies (1,000) but since
• delisting them, more than 965 wolves were killed by March 10 of this year. 

Protection in States: Alaskan Wolves

• Recently in the Yukon, the Lost Creek pack of 11 wolves was killed
• The National Park service was tracking 2 of the wolves for research.
• The pack had been monitored for 7 years until they were killed.
• This affects ways we could have possibly furthered information on wolves.
• Some of that information might have also helped us too.

Protection in States (Cont')

• Montana is extremely wolf-aggressive and has lengthened the kill season.
• They also have a wolf trapping season which allows 3 wolves per trapper.
• There is no statewide kill limit and by March 10th, 620 wolves were killed.
• Some hunters even killed Yellowstone protected and tracked wolves.     
• There are now laws that allow extreme types of hunting that are terrible.

Protection in States (cont')

• In Minnesota, 413 wolves were killed out of the 3,000 there in under 3 mths
• This was above the kill quota of 400; even that is a lot.
• The population declined 25% since 2009 so kill quota was changed to 220.
• In 2014, the killing season closed a month early because kill quota
• exceeded limit by 17.

Protection in States (cont')

• Wisconsin killed 373 wolves since 2012.
• Michigan passed a bill declaring wolves a "game animal",
• despite there being only 700 wolves in that state.
• In Washington the whole Wedge pack was aerial shot to death in 2012. 
• This was in violation of their Wolf Conservation and Management Plan.

Prtection in States (cont')

• Wolves were driven out of Oregon over 50 years ago but are now back.
• There are only 54 wolves so they're under the state endangered species act 
• The Oregon hunters association overrode management plan, allowing killing.
• 2 members of the first established pack were killed along with others.
• The state now allows lethal control of wolves by the state and ranchers.

I wanted to leave you on a happier note so I will show you some short videos and other stuff :)

Sources

• On a word doc on Edmodo :)
• Have a great day!
• Remember to always stand for wolves!