Wolf Reintroduction: How the Wolves Came Back

Summary

Wolf reintroduction still faces opposition on all fronts. Even after the completion of the second round of reintroductions, some factions of the public hold resentment toward the project. In this article we saw the wolf wars illuminated. An animal whose image is as explosive as the wolf’s seems to necessitate the political battles that ensued from bringing wolves back to the United States.

Many biologists support reintroduction for the benefits wolves can bring to the Idaho and Wyoming ecosystems. Some politicians and ranchers support the reintroductions because the experimental population offers greater flexibility in dealing with depredating wolves. They realize that allowing wolves to migrate down from Canada naturally under complete protection of the ESA could be a nightmare for ranchers. Management flexibility for dealing with livestock-depredating wolves would be virtually non-existent. On the other hand, ranchers oppose the reintroductions on grounds that they will face economic losses from depredation and land-use restrictions. Environmentalists oppose the reintroductions on grounds that the ESA is weakened by the use of the experimental population designation. Yet the general public supports wolf reintroduction. The general public does not fear depredation, a weakened ESA, or land use restrictions. They see only the wild wolf, symbol of the now-fading wilderness. Clinging to that image, the majority of American society supports return of the ultimate wild animal: the wolf.

As of February 1996, the reintroductions have been a success. With actual conflict between wolves and humans at a bare minimum, the wolves are able to adjust and adapt to their new surroundings. We may well be on our way to a viable and thriving wolf population in the western United States.