Wolves occupy a very particular place in human folklore and history. They are revered as symbols of wildness, worshipped as the spirits of nature, idolized as the ultimate social animals. They were once widespread throughout the Northern hemisphere, but have been systematically exterminated as human populations increased and encroached on the wild places where they once flourished. Our primal fear of this nocturnal predator can be seen in ancient folk tales such as Little Red Riding Hood - the wolf is rarely the hero in such stories! And who can forget the furore surrounding Amazon's Three Wolf Moon t shirt back in 2009?
According to the International Wolf Center, wolves once ranged over almost all of North America north of Mexico City. However, after settlers from Europe arrived they began to be driven out and were nearly exterminated by the mid 1930s through government-sponsored poisoning and trapping campaigns. They received endangered species protections in 1975, when there were about 1,000 left, in northern Minnesota. Since then numbers have recovered. Currently, Alaska hosts the largest US wolf population with between 8,000 and 11,000 gray wolves. Another 5,000 or so inhabit the lower 48 states.
Wolves play a vital role in managing populations of prey animals such as deer, elk and moose, which if left unchecked can cause severe damage to natural habitats. Wolf predation helps get rid of genetically unfit or diseased animals, leading to smaller but healthier herds. But of course wolves do not discern between wild prey and domesticated livestock, and so can pose a problem for farmers and ranchers. In 2022, gray wolf attacks killed or injured around 800 cattle, sheep and other domesticated animals across 10 states according to depredation data collected by AP News. While this can impact individual ranchers and farmers, the attacks represented only 0.002% of herds in the affected states.
The response across the US is mixed - with some states protecting their wolf populations while others seek to reduce numbers through hunting and trapping. Let's take a look at some of the legislation that has been enacted and other wolf related activity.
Colorado Reintroduction
On December 19 five gray wolves were released on a remote mountainside in Colorado's Rockies by Colorado Parks & Wildlife. The release was the culmination of efforts dating back many years, and the result of Proposition 114 which was approved in a Colorado ballot measure back in 2020. The measure narrowly passed 50.91% to 49.09% largely through strong support among urban voters and despite vigorous opposition from rural communities, the Colorado Cattlemen's Association and other groups worried about the effect of wolf predation on livestock and other wildlife species.
Wolves “have larger-than-life places in human imagination, in the stories we all grew up with and tell each other,” said Governor Jared Polis after the release. “To see them in their natural habitat, and turn around look curiously at us ... is really, really a special moment that I will treasure for my entire life.”
Not all lawmakers agree, however. Republicans introduced SB256 which sought to prevent the reintroduction of wolves until the federal government granted authorization for forms of "lethal take" - permission to kill wolves predating livestock. The bill attracted broad bipartisan support, passing the Senate 28 votes to 6 and the House 41 votes to 21. It was then vetoed by Governor Polis in May.
To allay livestock industry fears, ranchers who lose livestock or herding and guard animals to wolf attacks will be paid fair market value, up to $15,000 per animal. Colorado officials also have a detailed strategy to deter wolves from livestock, including blinking lights that hang along fence lines and propane cannons that make frightening sonic blasts. Another method is tying fabric streamers to fences to make wolves wary of crossing onto ranches. The predators eventually get used to such deterrents, so they are used for relatively short periods of time.
Wider State Wolf Legislation
While wolves, we can confidently assert, display no political preferences, attitudes to wolves do tend to split along partisan lines. This stakeholder page identifies over 100 bills related to wolves that have been enacted over the last 12 years.
Populations are expanding most rapidly in Oregon and Washington — blue states that wolves are naturally recolonizing after being reintroduced to neighboring states. There, you see bills such as HB3035 in Oregon in 2019 which increases penalties for certain wildlife crimes to five years' incarceration and a fine of $125,000. Or HB2276 in Washington which sets rules for hearings regarding predator reintroductions.
In Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, where wolf hunting is legal, Republican-dominated legislatures have sought to drive down wolf numbers by loosening rules for killing the predators and increasing the number that can be taken by individual hunters. Bills such as S1211 in Idaho in 2021 which authorized private contractors to kill up to 90% of the state's wolves. Or HB224 and HB225 in Montana in 2021 which license trappers to kill wolves. In Montana, there are persistent issues with hunters and trappers decimating Yellowstone's famed wolves if they stray out of the park. These states refused to share their wolves with Colorado for the reintroduction effort. Colorado eventually turned to another blue state - Oregon- to provide their wolves.
Congressional Wolf Efforts
State officials say such measures have helped reduce attacks on livestock as wolves become more wary of humans. In response, the Biden administration said in 2021 that federal protection may need to be restored to protect populations, after then President Trump lifted protections in his last days in office.
Congresswoman Lauren Boebert from Colorado is having none of it. She introduced the Trust The Science Act in the House in February 2023, which aims to delist the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act of 1975 and therefore remove its protection in those states where it remains. The bill languishes in committee. She was particularly incensed at the reintroduction into Colorado. "Instead of caving to radical environmental groups, we should be listening to our ranchers and farmers when they say this is bad for Colorado.", she said.
Photo by Marc-Olivier Jodoin on Unsplash
The good news for wolf aficionados is that despite the best efforts of ranchers and lawmakers, and Lauren Boebert, wolves are unlikely to disappear from the United States any time soon. Unless the federal government was to invest in a concerted poisoning campaign such as that in the 19th and 20th centuries, we shall be able to hear their mournful cries on frosty nights long into the future.
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