Yellowstone Wolves
Yellowstone National Park is home to the largest concentration of mammals in the lower
48 states (science scope, 2019). Yellowstone is notable for the number of large animals involved
in predator-prey relationships (science scope, 2019). This involves one of the most popular
animals for wildlife viewing, the elk. Along with the elk are grizzly bears, grey wolves and
cougars. Yellowstone National Park was created in 1872, where the first pack of grey wolves
were released into the park (nps.gov, 2020). However, in the early 1900s, they got rid of those
wolf packs completely and things got challenging in the ecosystem. The US Fish and Wildlife
Services then let the pack of wolves back in the park in 1995 and ever since then, the wolves
have been roaming free around this 3,471 square miles of land (nps.gov, 2020).
Some of the negative effects of the wolves being taken away is the elk population rising
rapidly, not enough capacity for elk in yellowstone, and climate change ruining the vegetation
(Chief, E, 2019). When the wolf packs were taken away from the park, cougar and grizzly bear
numbers were declining rapidly (Chief,E, 2019). With a lack of top predators the yellowstone elk
population grew tremendously which resulted in overgrazing of mountain meadows and forest
(Chief, E, 2019). Yellowstone's carrying capacity for elk had exceeded its limits and the public
concern grew about the devastation at the same time that cougar and grizzly bear numbers started
to rebound (Chief, E, 2019). There was also an upsurge of elk hunts just outside of Yellowstone
National Park boundaries. More recently, bison began competing with elk for space in the
northern yellowstone range, and climate change started to have a negative effect on vegetation
(Chief, E, 2019).
Since the wolves have been let into the park again, they have become very powerful by
roaming around freely, having tourists attacks, and hunting more which is decreasing the
population of bison and elk dramatically. The Wolves population had been decreasing because of
poisoning by area ranchers and occasional shootings by Army Scouts (Chief,E, 2019). Wolves
have had a history of attacking people and they still continue to do it, putting tourists in danger
and the pack in danger as well. They have continued to breed making their pack bigger and
easier to hunt animals (Chief,E, 2019). The wolves in large packs hunt many elk and deer
decreasing their population tremendously during the winter (Chief,E, 2019). This divides the
herds of elk and deer making the wolves more powerful and dangerous.
Even though wolves can have negative effects on the ecosystem, they actually do good
things for the park that we don’t realize (Dobson, 2014). Even though the wolves are able to run
freely now, causing them to go into ranchers properties, the capacity of elk herds was huge when
the wolves were taken away, causing there to be legal hunting because of the big population
(Dobson,2014). With wolves being back into the park, it balances it out so there doesn’t have to
be an outrageous amount of elk hunting. With the wolves being gone, the elk and deer population
grew so there was a huge amount of animals overgrazing in the meadows and forests
(Dobson,2014). Now that the wolves are brought back into the park, it balances out the
ecosystem and the food chain even if there is a smaller amount of elk and bison compared to the
wolves (Dobson,2014). Since the wolves are back into the park, elk, bison and wolves are all
competing for space. Wolves have been known to have tourists attacks because of them
searching for habitats and being able to roam free, but without the help of the wolves, the climate
would change dramatically causing there to be a negative effect on vegetation (Chief,E,2020).
Keeping the wolves in the park is beneficial. Having the wolves back into the park
equals out the ecosystem and the population of elk and bison. The wolves allow for the
overgrazing percentage to go down so that climate change doesn’t be affected so the vegetation
will be affected positively (science direct). An Overgrazing percentage is repeated heavy
grazing over a period of time that results in deterioration of the plant community and a decline in
vigor, production and biodiversity of rangelands (science direct). The carrying capacity of elk
and bison go down because of the wolves hunting them, making it balanced in a good way
because of the overpopulation that occurred when the wolves weren’t in Yellowstone
(nps.gov,2020).
References:
Chief, E. in. (2019, April 16). 18 Big Pros And Cons of Wolf Reintroduction. Retrieved from
-----https://connectusfund.org/8-big-pros-and-cons-of-wolf-reintroduction.
(2019). Cougars and Bears and Wolves, Oh Elk! Natural Ecological Patterns in Yellowstone
-----National Park. Science Scope, 42(6), 42–55.
-------https://doi-org.libprox1.slcc.edu/10.2505/4/ss19_042_06_42
Dobson, A. P. (2014). Yellowstone Wolves and the Forces That Structure Natural-Systems.
PLoS - ----Biology,12(12), 1–4.https://doi-org.libprox1.slcc.edu/10.1371/journal.pbio.1002025
Gray Wolf. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/wolves.htm
Overgrazing. (n.d.). Retrieved from
-----https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/overgrazing
