The ethics of hunting wolves as a tool in conservation in the United States
In recent news, a rare white wolf was shot in Yellowstone National Park. Although the alpha female did not die from the wounds, she had to be euthanized due to injuries. She was one of three known white wolves in the park, making her an attraction for tourists (NPR.org, 2017). Not only did this event pull at the publics heart strings, it raised a serious question for the future of wolves: Under what circumstances is it acceptable to hunt wolves? In Yellowstone, the wolf population was completely wiped out in 1926, but it wasn’t until 1973 that they were listed under the Endangered Species Act because the public began to understand the importance of large predators in
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Now in modern day, populations are more stable and the debate of bringing a wolf hunting season back in Yellowstone as well as across the United States is becoming increasingly popular. While some may argue wolves pose a threat to human safety and are apart of hunting tradition, others defend the welfare of wolves and value of all lives.
There are statements and question people must ask themselves to determine if hunting wolves is ethical. The Wildlife Society as published 7 statements called The Model which is a basis of ideas for society to consider if hunting of an animal is ethical (Organ et al. 2012):
One of the main reasons for hunting wolves is the safety of humans. In the eyes of many, human lives are put at a higher status than those of animals. A document called the Memorandum was created to convince the National Resource Commission to allow wolf
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In regards to the amount of complaints over wolves, many are exaggerated showing there is a ver low risk that wolves have to the safety of humans. The longer humans were more in contact with wolves, the amount of complaints decreased ((B. Roell, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, pers. comm). Without a real threat, killing wolves would go against the model with no leginitmate reason to hunt. Even though it may be scientifically possible to hunt wolves, science itself cannot deem it appropriate to kill wolves. One issue with hunting wolf populations for conservation is that the species does quite well in maintaining itself. There is no real need for interference from hunters, hence losing its purpose (SOURCE). Hunting of wolves often gets out of control which causes the species to jump on and off the endangered species list (Olson et al., 2014). Hunters are also not the only key supporters of conservation. As seen in the 1960s, non-hunters created legislation such as the U.S. Wilderness Act and Endangered Species Act and national parks (Duffus and Dearden 1990, Balmford et al. 2009). All of these do not involve hunting and are still important tools in conservation showing hunting is not the only method. Others argue that wolves affect the deer populations, but they are actually a vital part of an ecosystem with keeping deer populations in check. Additionally, hunters kills twice as many deer in a
After reading "scared to death" and "wolf family values" I think the second article gave better reasoning behind why we should protect the wolf population. Both articles talk of the wolves return to Yellowstone national park, but the first essay "scared to death" by Ed Yong focuses on the wolves effect on the elk population. The second essay "wolf family values" by Sharon Levy focuses mainly on the wolves and their population and changes of their behavior because of hunting and trying to manage the population. it also focuses on the effects they have on the environment in general.
...I think that repopulating wolves in an area where they might have to deal with people is kind of a feeble-witted idea. Wolves are not an animal with a great reputation, even though they might not deserve that reputation most people do not like. I think that people as a whole would probably rather have deer in their back yard rather than wolves. Therefore, the questions what can happen, what should happen, and what will happen, with the deer problem all three have different answers. These answers will differ due to the area that the deer are in and the peoples' feeling towards these deer. It is too bad that there is not one perfect solution to the deer problem. Maybe in the future there will be, but until then we will have to deal with each problem that comes up individually.
The wolves’ were hunted in late 1800 s’ and early 1900‘s in the United States because farmers wanted more land for their cattle’s to graze upon. As farmers were moving out west they felt threaten that the wolves would hunt their cattles so the farmers thought that the best solution would be to take them out of the picture. This was possible because at the time there were no government regulations on hunting....
Over the past several years, the gray wolf, native to the Wisconsin area, has been listed federally as an endangered species due to the graphic and horrific treatment they had received during the industrialization periods of America, when they were frowned upon and hated because they are predatory creatures and did, on occasion, attack livestock and pets. Because the government was encouraging the hunting, including bounties for the animals, the wolves were hunted to near extinction. However, now Wisconsin faces a new problem. With the reintroduction of the wolves to the state, and their continued endangered status federally, the population has increased well beyond expectations, reaching what could be considered a problematic state. A regulated hunt and a population control procedure has become necessary in Wisconsin to protect state's economic endeavors of game, wildlife, and agriculture, and also the wolves themselves, to keep them from overpopulating and facing starvation and lack of land.
The history behind the extirpation of the grey wolf in the United States dates back to the very first European settlers that colonized eastern North America in the late 16th century. The killing of gray wolves was done primarily out of fear in an attempt to protect livestock, and, in some cases, to protect human life within the colonies. As more settlers expanded West, the practice of killing wolves was considerably increased to protect livestock that included cows, pigs, and chickens. As waves of European settlers expanded westward, they began to deplete the deer, moose, and elk populations. The gray wolves food source continual depletion gave rise to wolf populations actively targeting the settler’s livestock, causing great financial loss. The fiscal loss of livestock became such an issue to wealthy ranchers and settlers that they began to offer cash rewards for wolf pelts. This practice gave birth to a lucrative cottage industry of professional hunters and trappers. As the wolves began to move further West, and into Wyoming, they began to diminish the elk and moose population. To respond to this threat, Congress approved funding in 1914, to eliminate the native gray wolves from
Wolves have always been a symbol of the wild, free in spirit and roamers of the land. These animals are considered majestic and protectors of the wilderness. They have always roamed the western United States, although their population has fluctuated over time. Over the past 10 years wolf reintroduction into Yellowstone National Park has been a controversial topic to those of the United States. As of 1995, wolves have been reintroduced into the park. This has come with some strong opposition and yet has prevailed. The future of the wolf in Yellowstone park is now looking bright, although not certain since there still are those who want them banished again.
http://www.burnsville.org/deer_management June 18, 2001. http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/ July 19, 2001. QDM: Are You Up To Its Challenges? Deer and Deer Hunting November 1999
During 70 years of absence from the Rockies, the Grey Wolf had been protected under the Endangered Species Act that was passed in 1973. Since the wolf is under the protection of Endangered Species Act a person could be punished with up to a $100,000 fine and up to 1 year in jail for killing a wolf. Back in the 1850's there was a major population increase of the wolves in America, this was due to settlers moving west. These settlers killed more than 80 million bison, the wolves started to scavenge on the carcasses left behind.
When a Minnesota dentist killed a prized African lion named "Cecil" he received an onslaught of criticism and reignited the debate concerning big game hunting. Is big game hunting wrong? Should big game hunting continue? Big game hunting has been a very controversial topic for some time and these types of questions are being asked daily. There are a lot of people for it and a lot of people against it. This issue causes a lot of extreme behaviors and ideas by both sides. Those who oppose it believe it to be morally wrong, unfair to the animals and damaging to the environment. Those individuals for it believe that it is the citizens' rights and a way to be involved in the environment. Hunting is the law and shall not be infringed upon. In defense of the hunters' I believe that there are five main issues of concern.
A lot of people think that humans are the only ones killing Arctic wolves, but that is not the case. Arctic wolves most dangerous threat is humans, but they are also being killed by gobal warming for melting there habitat to water and since there are less of them now polar bears have a bigger advantages to hunt them down.
Early settlers, all the way back in the 1700s, tried to rid these marvelous creatures from the North American continent, which almost lead to their extinction. They poisoned, trapped, furred, shot and killed all the wolves that posed a threat to their lands and livestock. The settlers seemed to be getting their way in the beginning of the 1700s because as human population increased in America, unfortunately, the wolf population plummeted. They pushed the wolves out of their original habitats and the settlers made their habitats their home. The wolf population could have plummeted for many reasons, but the main reason was the fear the humans had of the wolves. Occasionally, the wolves would hunt in the fields where the settler’s livestock would graze and at the right time, the wolves would ambush the livestock for food. The wolves hunted the cattle because the horses were to much work to kill: the horses had strong hind legs that were a threat to the wolves. Farmers and Settlers also saw these wolves a...
The most popular form of deer control is hunting. Hunting is a helpful management tool for keeping deer from becoming overpopulated. When European settlers arrived, the deer were hunted for meat and hide without thinking of management. After 100 years, deer were threatened with extinction in N.C. Today deer populations are 1.25 million in NC. Hunting can help regulate this population if done correctly. (Hartiganand Osbourne). Hunting helps the deer population by decreasing the likelihood of overpopulation. Without hunting, deer would overpopulate an area and they would be forced to go elsewhere for food. This could lead to them wondering into cities and highways causing car accidents. Without some type of deer control, they multiply. Since deer have lost some land areas due to cities growing, they do not have enough food and start to slowly starve. Thus hunting is a good choice for deer management.
The controversy surrounding the reintroduction of the wolves are many from both sides. Some local farmers are against it because some wolves hunt their animals. However, if the farmers can prove their animal was attacked by a wolf, then the government would reimburse them for the animals value. Another problem is that some taxpayers are against the reintroduction because it cost them money to get the wolves back into the park. Another issue for taxpayers is that they have to pay for the damage the wolves do to the farmer’s animals.
Hunting is a passion for millions of Americans across the United States and without it who knows what the current deer population would be. With the white tailed deer having few predators and a large habitat to thrive in it is important to keep the tradition of hunting going. Besides, the real problem Anti-hunters should be focusing on is the growth of cities and communities because they are what truly hurts the deer population. As long as deer hunting safety remains under control and the deer population stays in tacked, there should be no reason to end future hunts for Americans. To conclude, it is true that many people don’t believe in the ethics of hunting and that is alright, because regardless of how they feel hunting is here to stay for many years to
The problem is that people do not know that they exist or even why they do. As mentioned earlier, hunters defend their actions by saying that they are controlling the animal population, but have they ever taken the time to think about why there are some areas that are overpopulated? One reason that causes some places to be overpopulated by deer is by damaging their habitat. By destroying forests, they really have nowhere else to go. Eventually, some species just cannot survive and they die off. Deforestation is a major environmental issue. It results in a great loss of different species. An environmentalist named John Muir was very passionate about preserving trees, and helping to prevent deforestation. In his essay “Save the Redwoods,” Muir tells us that “we cannot escape responsibility as their guardians.” We can help decrease the number of trees that are cut down by recycling materials and using recycled products. Sure, this will not completely stop deforestation, but it helps. What is important is that people become informed of what is going on with the environment. Being informed about issues can help encourage people to do something about