Where do WOLF MYTHS COME FROM?
Like all myths, tall tales about wolves are deeply ingrained in culture and religion. "The Big Bad Wolf", werewolves, Aesop's fables, and biblical literature have all contributed to the negative feelings about wolves, while Native American mythology, "The Jungle Books", and stories like "Romulus and Remus" have contributed to the positive. All these have turned the wolf into a black and white creature: either hated or loved.
Some myths about wolves have continued to this day. Most are deeply engrained in culture and tradition, or a simple lack of education about animals and science. I will be discussing more in-depth pages regarding busting these myths, but for now here's a list of some of the myths about wolves that still exist today.
Some myths about wolves have continued to this day. Most are deeply engrained in culture and tradition, or a simple lack of education about animals and science. I will be discussing more in-depth pages regarding busting these myths, but for now here's a list of some of the myths about wolves that still exist today.
1. a foreign, invasive wolf was introduced to the United States in 1995.
This is a very popular opinion, especially in Idaho. It couples with "the foreign Canadian wolf is bigger, more aggressive and destroys more elk". It's also completely not true. There's a huge debate about wolf subspecies, but to put it sort of simply:
- Canis lupus occidentalis, also known as the MacKenzie Valley Wolf was introduced into the US in 1995. This subspecies was chosen because so few of Canis lupus irremotus remained in Minnesota and Montana and they weren't appropriate for the project.
- Canis lupus occidentalis is known to be, on average, larger than Canis lupus irremotus. However, contrary to popular belief, occidentalis existed in the continental United States before extirpation, so it is a native subspecies.
- Let's just say that occidentalis did not exist in the lower 48 before reintroduction. What many people don't know or forget is that another subspecies of gray wolf lived throughout the lower 48, particularly the plains. It was Canis lupus nubilus, also known as the Great Plains wolf or the buffalo wolf. Nubilus was recorded to be bigger than even occidentalis, and only a couple were reported to bring down full-grown bison. They were killed to extinction in the US government war on wolves that ended in the early 1900s.
- Also, let's say the "bigger" subspecies was reintroduced, just hypothetically. Wolves follow Bergman's Rule, a principle in ecology that basically states that the farther away from the equator, the larger the animal, even within species or subspecies. It's why polar bears are so big, and why wolves way up in the Arctic are so big too. It has to do with energy conservation during times of low nutrition and a harsh environment. So let's say those bigger northern Canadian wolves were brought to the lower 48; in following Bergman's Rule, these "bigger" wolves will naturally get smaller to adjust to their environment.
2. Wolves kill for fun.
Here's an in-depth article for this myth.
They do not. Anyone who thinks they do has a fundamental misunderstanding of carnivore behavior. Put simply, hunting is incredibly risky. For wolves, one kick from an elk or one broken leg can kill them. The average weight of a wolf is 80-100 pounds. The average weight of an elk is 400-700 pounds. This is why wolves strategize in selecting their prey- this also means they may change their mind midway through the hunt. This is why elk and livestock sometimes suffer wounds from wolves but aren't killed, but people think it's because the wolf is killing for sport. Additionally, wolves do sometimes kill more they can eat at once. This is called surplus killing and has been recorded in many carnivores including snow leopards, lions, and bears (Kuuk 2002). It happens most during winter, when prey has a harder time escaping. Wolves have a gorge-and-fast lifestyle, like most predators. This means they eat a lot at one time knowing that they may go for a long time without a kill. They take advantage of the kills they can get.
Wolves can get run off their kills for a number of reasons, including other wolf packs, bears, and the scent of people disturbing the kills. This is why many people think they kill for fun, because they only eat some and then seem to abandon the kill. But studies in Yellowstone and other non-human disturbed areas have shown that wolves will repeatedly come back to their kills for up to a week.
Wolves also have a chase instinct, like literally every predator. That means if something runs, they will likely chase it. Wild prey like elk that have evolved with wolves know that it is good to find a river or turn and charge the wolves instead of running (the ones that don't are the ones that get eaten). But domestic prey like cattle and sheep just run. They trigger the chase instinct and are extremely easy targets, partially because, let's face it, they're pretty dumb.
Also, the irony of "wolves kill for sport" is that I hear it the most often from - get this- sport hunters.
They do not. Anyone who thinks they do has a fundamental misunderstanding of carnivore behavior. Put simply, hunting is incredibly risky. For wolves, one kick from an elk or one broken leg can kill them. The average weight of a wolf is 80-100 pounds. The average weight of an elk is 400-700 pounds. This is why wolves strategize in selecting their prey- this also means they may change their mind midway through the hunt. This is why elk and livestock sometimes suffer wounds from wolves but aren't killed, but people think it's because the wolf is killing for sport. Additionally, wolves do sometimes kill more they can eat at once. This is called surplus killing and has been recorded in many carnivores including snow leopards, lions, and bears (Kuuk 2002). It happens most during winter, when prey has a harder time escaping. Wolves have a gorge-and-fast lifestyle, like most predators. This means they eat a lot at one time knowing that they may go for a long time without a kill. They take advantage of the kills they can get.
Wolves can get run off their kills for a number of reasons, including other wolf packs, bears, and the scent of people disturbing the kills. This is why many people think they kill for fun, because they only eat some and then seem to abandon the kill. But studies in Yellowstone and other non-human disturbed areas have shown that wolves will repeatedly come back to their kills for up to a week.
Wolves also have a chase instinct, like literally every predator. That means if something runs, they will likely chase it. Wild prey like elk that have evolved with wolves know that it is good to find a river or turn and charge the wolves instead of running (the ones that don't are the ones that get eaten). But domestic prey like cattle and sheep just run. They trigger the chase instinct and are extremely easy targets, partially because, let's face it, they're pretty dumb.
Also, the irony of "wolves kill for sport" is that I hear it the most often from - get this- sport hunters.
3. Wolves are decimating the elk, moose, and deer populations.
To start off with, wolves were brought back to the lower 48 because the elk were extremely overpopulated. Rangers in Yellowstone had to shoot thousands of elk in order to keep the herds from starving or completely destroying the environment. Additionally, people act like wolves hadn't existed with wild ungulates for thousands of years before Europeans colonized North America. They also existed with Native Americans, who never tried to exterminate them- in fact, nearly every tribe greatly admired wolves.
Secondly, the wolves are not decimating the elk, moose, or deer. I made some graphs using Fish and Wildlife and DNR data showing ungulate populations from 2009-2018 in the eight wolf states (Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Oregon, and Washington). Moose are not included because good counts were not provided, but if you think that wolves are destroying moose, I encourage you to look up scientific literature on the subject (Google Scholars is a great resource) or look at the Isle Royale predator-prey research on wolves and moose . For an in-depth look at Idaho's elk and why wolves aren't their biggest killers (it's hunters), click here. |
4. Wolves are a giant threat to livestock.
According to the USDA, wolves make up 0.2% of cattle and sheep losses across America. In wolf states, they're responsible for 0.5-8% of livestock losses. For reference, coyotes are responsible for nearly 3 times as many livestock losses, and domestic/feral/ hunting dogs are likewise responsible for more livestock losses. For reference, here's a mortality rank of livestock losses in Montana, where wolves kill some of the most livestock.
What people also don't know is that the losses due to wolves can almost always have been prevented by other tactics. Ranchers often graze their livestock in national forests, right where wolves are, but don't take necessary precautions. Often, ranchers bury dead livestock, which lures in all sorts of predators to the property. They also often leave their flocks and herds unattended at night, sometimes for nights at a time, in areas that have been reported to have wolves. Nonlethal methods like fladry, range rides, and livestock dogs are fantastic ways of preventing wolf livestock predation. Many ranchers actually live alongside wolves and successfully avoid problems. Here's one great blog done by a rancher and her husband where she discusses successful tactics of nonlethal methods against predators, and even discusses how they successfully avoided any livestock loss when a pack of wolves decided to den on their property.
What people also don't know is that the losses due to wolves can almost always have been prevented by other tactics. Ranchers often graze their livestock in national forests, right where wolves are, but don't take necessary precautions. Often, ranchers bury dead livestock, which lures in all sorts of predators to the property. They also often leave their flocks and herds unattended at night, sometimes for nights at a time, in areas that have been reported to have wolves. Nonlethal methods like fladry, range rides, and livestock dogs are fantastic ways of preventing wolf livestock predation. Many ranchers actually live alongside wolves and successfully avoid problems. Here's one great blog done by a rancher and her husband where she discusses successful tactics of nonlethal methods against predators, and even discusses how they successfully avoided any livestock loss when a pack of wolves decided to den on their property.
5. Wolves are dangerous to people.
For an in-depth article of this topic, click here.
There have only been two fatal wolf attacks by healthy, wild wolves in North America ever recorded. Since reintroduction in the lower 48, wolves have not even attacked a single person. Wolves are inherently frightened of people- most predators are. They're very easy to scare off, and are more shy than many other predators like coyotes and cougars. When I was in Tanzania, during population surveys of carnivores in the Serengeti, we camped near a lot of hyenas. They came through the camp at night, at least ten. But they were extremely easy to scare off with just a flashlight or throwing a rock/stick. It just goes to show that predators have more to fear from humans than humans have to fear from them.
There have only been two fatal wolf attacks by healthy, wild wolves in North America ever recorded. Since reintroduction in the lower 48, wolves have not even attacked a single person. Wolves are inherently frightened of people- most predators are. They're very easy to scare off, and are more shy than many other predators like coyotes and cougars. When I was in Tanzania, during population surveys of carnivores in the Serengeti, we camped near a lot of hyenas. They came through the camp at night, at least ten. But they were extremely easy to scare off with just a flashlight or throwing a rock/stick. It just goes to show that predators have more to fear from humans than humans have to fear from them.
6. WOLVES HAVE NO NATURAL ENEMIES.
In protected areas, without human involvement, the number one cause of wolf mortality is other wolves. It's part of how they regulate their population. Wolves are highly territorial, and don't react well to encroaching wolves. Often, they kill them. In addition, both bears and cougars will kill full grown wolves and wolf puppies. It's important to note that in non protected areas, humans are responsible for 95-99% of recorded wolf mortality (source: Fish and Wildlife/DNR wolf management reports).
More Myth busting to comeStay tuned for when I go into more detail about these wolf myths, and others.
Header photo: Romeo, the famous black wolf from Alaska who showed unusual friendliness toward people and dogs before being shot by poachers; credit to Nick Jans
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