Wolf Population Argumentative Essay

Wolves have been around for as long as anyone can remember, but the sudden need to decide on whether wolves should be endangered is a somewhat new topic to discuss. We have always known wolves to be a crucial part of wildlife preservation, but soon they became something we should fear. Even though wolves help the environment by living in their own territory, the wolf population has been steadily increasing since 2010, more than doubling the predetermined amount of 350 that were expected in Wisconsin (Wolves In Wisconsin, 2018). With these kinds of numbers, and the fact that the wolf population is still growing, should they be considered an endangered species and is there a need to fear them?

There have been a lot of discussions on whether

or not wolves should be considered an endangered species. Given their negative impact on the environment, one may argue that they should not receive endangered status. Previously, in the 1960’s there was an estimated population of 0 for roughly 20 years. Their population has been steadily increasing since the 1980’s, with more than 700 wolves scattered throughout 181 wolf packs across the North. This increase led to them being dropped from the endangered species list in 2007 (Wolves In Wisconsin, 2018). In addition, there are also wolf hybrids, which are known as wolf-dogs, who have at least killed 10 children since 1986, while also injuring 15 other children. These injuries include, but are not limited to, countless bites or the loss of an arm. These victims are not all children, either. The number of wolf-dogs in America is unfortunately unknown, but the population continues to rise. There isn’t a registry for these types of hybrids, but, there has been a population figure quoted from HSUS estimating 100,000 to 300,000 residing in the United States (Rosenberger, 1995). With numbers like these, is there even a reason on why there should be a debate on whether wolves should be on the endangered species list?
Could this damage that they cause be our fault, though? We continually blame the wolves because it seems like the easy thing to do, but when we really look at the facts and data, we could be just as much to blame for the actions wolves take. Bear hunting is currently permitted in 30 states, with 17 of those states allowing the use of hunting with a dog, and 10 allowing the use of bait to hunt (Joseph K Bump, 2013, para. 1). Wisconsin is a state that allows both baiting and using dogs for bear hunting. Baiting can begin as early as April, whereas in Michigan (another state in the Great Lakes region) can start baiting in August, with both states being able to train their dogs in early July. Since wolves have a very territorial nature and feed their young during Wisconsin’s early baiting season, dog depredation increases while wolves defend these bait sites. The rate of depredations is 5 times greater in Wisconsin than Michigan because of the 4-month difference in baiting times (Joseph K Bump, 2013, para. 12).