Environmental issues and impacts

¶ … return of the Gray Wolf. The writer details the history of the species including their near extinction. The writer then discusses the comeback efforts that have been employed and their success levels. There were three sources used to complete this paper.

Earth Watch, The Return of the Gray Wolf

For many decades the plight of the Gray Wolf was underplayed through the public's misunderstanding. The Gray Wolf brought to mind flickering movie screens in which gray wolves would howl at the moon and attack prey after dark. The image conjured up a strong and virile species that was destined to live forever in the wild for the public to fear and admire at the same time. The truth is the Gray Wolf was slowly dying off and was eventually threatened with extinction. The Gray Wolf was not a species that elicited warm fuzzy feelings nor did people think they should be cuddled in laps, but when the word began to spread that the Gray Wolf might disappear forever, grass roots organizations began to take interest. The effort to save the Gray Wolf from extinction has been successful and today the species is growing stronger than ever before.

Ask any expert about the return of the Gray Wolf to nature and the word extraordinary will be heard. The saving of the species and the return of it in numbers has been nothing short of a huge success according to many in the field (Hebert, 2000). The species has moved from the endangered list to the threatened list in what many refer to as a record time frame. This applies to all Gray Wolves with the exception of the Mexican Gray Wolf (Hebert, 2000). The Mexican Gray Wolf save effort is only two years old and will take time for them to catch up to their peers in the species before they can be moved to the threatened list. The Gray Wolf used to be endangered and the entire species was in serious threat of becoming extinct only a few years ago. "The gray wolf, whose population once was close to extinct in the lower 48 states, are currently classified as endangered throughout the country except in Alaska and in Minnesota where they considered "threatened" -- a lower classification of protection under the federal law (Hebert, 2000)."

The Gray Wolf became virtually extinct in the 1950's throughout the lower 48 states according to statistics. Today with the efforts of ecological groups there are over 2,400 wolves living in Minnesota, as well as 500 in Wisconsin and the upper peninsula of Michigan. In 1995 the Gray Wolf was re-introduced in Yellowstone Park and today there are more than 300 of them living in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. "We made the right choice to... bring these animals back from the brink of extinction," said Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, in announcing that the animals have rebounded enough to warrant their reclassification in virtually all of the country (Hebert, 2000). "

In a recent report it was concluded that the release and re-introduction of the Gray Wolf to the lower 48 states within the last twenty five years has been a huge success. The group that has worked to bring the species back from the brink of extinction now has a national vision (Releases, 1999). One recent report however, cautions against relisting or unlisting the wolves from the endangered list to soon. "Places for Wolves: A Blueprint for Restoration and Long-Term Recovery in the Lower 48 States." Bob Ferris, director of the Species Conservation Division at Defenders, is the lead author (Releases, 1999). In 1974, wolves were listed under the ESA as endangered in all 48 states but Minnesota, where they were listed as threatened. Although listed nationally, the species recovery efforts have been handled on a piecemeal basis, regionally (Releases, 1999)."

The lack of a national vision may cause the wolves to become endangered again according to experts. They believe that a national plan to maintain the current success is the key to being sure the wolves continue to climb in numbers so that they do not slide back to the endangered zone in the future years.