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Myth
and Science
Ron
Gillette, leader of the Idaho Anti-Wolf Coalition, says: "The
wolves introduced into Idaho, Wyoming and Montana are EXOTIC
CANADIAN gray wolves. Idaho's gray wolves are extinct. The
Canadian strain is larger and more aggressive."
Dr.
Doug Smith, Yellowstone Wolf Project Leader, says: On the
"Canadian" wolf thing. Bob Wayne, who is the leading expert
on canid genetics in the world from UCLA, just did an analysis
that completely discredits the "they reintroduced a foreign
wolf that was not here". Bob's work shows that genetic variation
for wolves is on a continuim from Mexico to the arctic, in
other words wolves are not easily put into categories like
this wolf is of this kind and this ine is different. They
all are very similar and hard to split apart, esp wolves from
Alberta to MT. I can go into more detail if it comes up for
you again, but another thing to remember, taxonomy is a human
contruct and it works pretty well down to the species level,
but below that you run into trouble I think and there is a
lot more Gray.
Ed
Bangs, USFWS, says: "Wolves travel across the border all the
time. Canadian and American gray wolves are the same creature
.
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Ron
Gillett says: "Each wolf kills up to 24 game animals a year,
kills twice that many for the sport of it, and also follows
elk herds, killing calves immediately after birth.
Ed
Bangs says: "Each wolf kills the equivalent of 12 cow elk
a year. In Idaho, that would be about 16 ungulates, elk and
deer. Wolves very occasionally kill more than they eat, but
sport killing is a popular myth. Some wolves are killed each
year by being kicked by elk.
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Ron
Gillette says: "Wolves kill the big-game animals in an area,
then other predators and finally cannibalize other wolves.
Ed
Bangs says: "Wolves kill enough to eat. They limit their concentrations
to about 10 wolves in 300 square miles. They move to new areas
rather than crowd one place. They are not cannibals.
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