Wolves in the Cascades Star in “Land of the Lost Wolves”
A BBC/Discovery Channel Documentary Film
HOME VIEWING PARTY KIT
conservationnw.org/wolf-film
Thank you for your interest in hosting a home viewing “Land of the Lost Wolves,” an exciting new
documentary about Washington's wolves. Check out the trailer on our Youtube channel,
www.youtube.com/conservationnw .
The film takes viewers on a journey into the Cascades with Conservation Northwest staff member Jasmine
Minbashian as she leads an expedition team in search of Washington’s pioneering wolves, the Lookout
Pack. Wolves returned to Washington on their own after a 70-year absence and Conservation Northwest
has been on the forefront of monitoring their return and promoting their full recovery (see
www.conservationnw.org/wolves).
Washington's wolves will only have a healthy future in our state with advocates like you to help foster an
understanding of the vital role they play in the wild. The greatest threat to wolves continues to be people's
fear and misunderstanding of them.
By sharing this film with people you know, you can help them learn more and care more about wolves,
which will aid their recovery in Washington and ultimately the entire Northwest and West Coast.
Hosting a home viewing party is a great way to ask your friends and family to help recover wolves. Please
become a member of Conservation Northwest (at a discounted rate of just $15), and sign up to receive
email updates and action alerts about wolf recovery in Washington to stay involved in this issue.
Contents:

Home Viewing Instruction, page 2

Wolf Film Discussion Questions,
page 3

Washington Wolf Online Info
Guide, page 3

Home Viewing Game Ideas
(optional), page 4

Sign-in Sheet for all attendees
(collect contact info/emails for
attendees), page 5

Membership/Donation Form (to
collect from attendees and mail to
Conservation NW), page 6

Educational background documents on wolves (Washington Wolf background, Living with Wolves
in Washington), pages 7-10
Home Viewing Instructions
1. Contact Outreach Coordinator Kit McGurn at
[email protected] or 206-675-9747 x 201 and let him
know if you are hosting a home viewing party!
He can help you with any questions and get you additional items such as wolf
stickers shown at right. He can print these instructions for you and mail them to
you, too.
BONUS We’re offering all hosts who recruit 4 or more people to watch the film
with them one of our NEW WOLF SHIRTS. Just return your sign-in sheet with
full guest info provided to Kit by July 20 and note your shirt style and size
(unisex grey or junior-size ladies brown).
2. Invite friends, family, or coworkers to your home to watch the
BBC/Discovery Channel film
Conservation Northwest cannot achieve wolf recovery in Washington without the help of our members,
supporters, and volunteers spreading the word and actively engaging their friends, family, coworkers and
contacts in this issue. Hosting a house viewing party for this Cascade wolf documentary is a perfect first
step to educating people about wolves in Washington State and the greater Northwest.
3. Before the film, mention to your guests that there are 2 main ways they can help
recover wolves in Washington:
TIP: Have a pc or laptop ready and running with our website, guests can read more about our work,
donate, or sign up for our wolf news and action alerts
DONATE to Conservation Northwest’s efforts to recover wolves
You can make full recovery of Washington’s wolves happen. One way to do that is to make a
donation of $15 or more, which will also get you a Conservation Northwest membership for one
year. Attendees can donate online at www.conservationnw.org/donate or complete the donate
form in this packet.
SIGN UP to receive email updates about Washington’s wolves and ways to take online action
Guests can either sign up online at www.conservationnw.org/wolf-film to receive wolf specific
email updates or they can sign up via the sign-in sheet provided by the host (the host will mail it
back to Conservation Northwest with any memberships/donations collected).
4. After the film, use the materials enclosed in this kit to lead a discussion with your
guests about wolf recovery and the work Conservation Northwest is doing.
See the discussion questions below and lead your attendees through the questions. Write down any
interesting points/questions during the discussion and email Kit with those points at
[email protected] or mail your questions along with the sign-in sheet and donations.
5. Collect sign in sheets and donation forms and mail them to:
Conservation Northwest, Attn: Kit McGurn
th
3600 15 Avenue West #101, Seattle, WA 98119
Donations and membership sign-up can also be completed online at www.conservationnw.org/donate
Wolf Film Discussion Questions

What is your overall impression of the film? Did it seem to give a balanced perspective on
what the return of wolves will mean for Washington and the Northwest?

Do you think this film is a good tool for educating Washington residents about wolf
recovery in our state?

Were there any topics or themes that the film covered really well or that you thought the
film didn’t cover so well?

What are the major barriers facing the recovery of wolves in Washington and how might
these barriers be overcome?

What appear to be the reasons people have such opposition to wolves?

Do you believe there is any common ground that people on both sides of the wolf issue
could find to work together for a long term solution for wolves in the Northwest?

From your perspective what is the single most important thing Washington residents need
to do in order to help ensure wolf recovery in Washington?
Washington Wolf Online Info Guide
Conservation Northwest’s wolf recovery:
www.conservationnw.org/what-we-do/wildlife-habitat/gray-wolves-and-recovery-in-washington
Washington’s Wolves Facebook Page:
www.facebook.com/WA.Wolves
Conservation Northwest’s Citizen Wildlife Monitoring Project:
www.conservationnw.org/what-we-do/northcascades/cascades-citizen-wildlife-monitoring
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife gray wolf conservation and management:
wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/gray_wolf
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Wolf Conservation and Management Plan:
wdfw.wa.gov/publications/00001/
Western Wolf Coalition:
www.westernwolves.org/
Defenders of Wildlife Wolf Information 101:
www.defenders.org/wolf/wolves-101
Natural Resources Defense Council Endangered Species Act information:
www.nrdc.org/wildlife/habitat/esa/aboutesa.asp
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife State Endangered Species information:
wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/endangered
Home Viewing Game Ideas
Thanks for hosting a home viewing party for “Land of the Lost Wolves”! This is an amazing opportunity to
highlight the return of wolves to the Cascade Mountains. Looking for a way to keep your party engaged in
the documentary?
A few party game suggestions:
1) “Cheers for Jasmine”
Each time Conservation Northwest employee and star of the film,
Jasmine Minbashian, says “Oh, my Gosh” or “Oh, man” during the
film, each person at the party takes a sip of their preferred beverage.
For those more health conscious party goers, each time Jasmine says
“Oh, my Gosh” or “Oh, man”- a jumping jack or pushup could be in
order.
2) “Washington Wolf Count”
For those more studious and meticulous home viewing partygoers, during the film, each person could
have a pen and paper handy to document each individual wolf ID’ed during the film, from each wolf pack.
After the film, partygoers could compare notes to see who was able to track each wolf shown in the film.
Example:
2 wolf pups from Teanaway Pack
Alpha female and male from Lookout Pack
….
People can mail in their answers with their name/address to find out if they got them all correct. Winners
will receive free Conservation Northwest and Northwest Wolf stickers. (Host can send in answer sheets
with the donation/membership forms and sign-in sheet after the party)
Have fun - for wolves!
Please PRINT information below if you’d like us to send you our info.
Address
City
Zip
E-mail
Phone
to vo
lunte
er
I’d lik
e
Name
Add
me
to em
ail lis
t
Learn more and take action at: www.conservationnw.org
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Overview: Washington’s Gray Wolves
updated Oct 2012
Canis lupus Once ranging across most of the North American landscape, wolves live today in a severely reduced portion of their former
range due to a massive extermination campaign waged by early settlers. They are slowly returning on their own to Washington and Oregon.
Wolves first migrated into Washington from the southern Great
Plains about 10,000 years ago when the last ice sheets retreated.
The long history of wolves in the Pacific Northwest has ingrained
their presence as an important part of the region’s natural and
cultural heritage. Reports from early settlers and explorers say that
wolves were “exceedingly numerous” and were found in nearly every
major river drainage in Washington. Extensive trapping of wolves
for their pelts began with the arrival of the Hudson Bay Company
in the American Northwest in 1821. With the arrival of additional
settlers came continued animosity towards the wolf resulting in
government-sponsored bounty payments for wolf pelts.
By 1940, the species was confirmed extinct in Washington, with
only occasional reports of wolves. Flash forward 70 years, when
starting in 2008 wolf packs began their own natural return to
Washington State, filtering down from BC, Canada, and over
the border from Idaho. As of October 2012, the Department of
Fish and Wildlife says Washington has a known population of 27
wolves, distributed in at least eight packs around the state, with
three packs breeding successfully in 2011. There are currently two
packs confirmed on the Colville Reservation.
In 1973, gray and red wolves were two of the first species placed under
federal protections by the Endangered Species Act. Under these
Gray wolf. Julie Lawrence/Wolf Haven International (Tenino)
protections, wolf populations have reestablished in a few portions
of the lower 48 states in the Midwest and the Northern Rockies. In
2011, Northern Rockies wolves were “delisted” by Congress. For
Washington, this removed federal endangered species protection
for the Diamond, Smackout, Salmo, and Huckleberry packs in the
eastern third of the state. Wolves in the western two-thirds of the state
(west of Hwy 97) including the Lookout and Teanaway packs of the
Cascades remain protected under both state and federal endangered
species laws. The Strawberry and Nc’icn packs on the Confederated
Tribes of the Colville Reservation and are managed by the tribe.
Washington’s gray wolves—On the road to balance
After an absence of 70 years, wolves are returning naturally to
Washington. There have been zero reintroductions in the state.
Washington has a known population of 27-40 wolves,
distributed in at least 8 packs around the state.
Some of the wolves documented in the Cascades have had
their DNA traced to wolves in coastal British Columbia. They
have also been documented eating salmon!
Wolves have excellent hearing and a superior sense of smell.
They hunt and socialize in packs.
The largest of canids, Canis lupus, the gray wolf, is two to
three times the size of a coyote, with a broader head and
muzzle and ears closer to the head than a coyote.
As a top carnivore, the wolf, along with other predators such
as bears and cougars, control prey populations so that a
landscape can support healthy ecosystems—affecting wildlife
from songbirds to beavers to elk.
Wolves play a vital role in maintaining the health of big game
by culling older, infirm animals and promoting stable deer and
elk populations. Biologists tell us that herds of big game are
healthier with wolves in the habitat than without.
Wolves once lived around the state, including the Olympic
Peninsula, where their loss has led to big changes in the courses
of rivers and riversides, vegetation, and other wildlife.
Overall, the greatest threat to wolves today is people’s fear and
misunderstanding of them.
Over >
In December 2011, a state wolf conservation and management plan
was unanimously adopted by the Fish and Wildlife Commission.
The state wolf recovery plan is essential to a thoughtful, sciencebased recovery process for Washington’s wolves.
The return of wolves
In the summer of 2008 photos of wolves and wolf pups—later dubbed
the “Lookout pack”—showed up on remote camera. The cameras
had been placed as part of Conservation Northwest’s ongoing citizen
wildlife monitoring program, which is staffed by volunteers around
the state. DNA analysis of the alpha male and female in the Lookout
pack showed that they had migrated into Washington from British
Columbia and central Alberta, respectively, to start a pack of their
own in Washington’s North Cascades.
Today, Washington State has seven more confirmed packs: four in
northeastern Washington, two on the Colville Reservation, and
the Teanaway pack, just north of I-90 in the Cascades. There are
signs, too, that wolves are also returning on their own to the Blue
Mountains of Washington and Oregon.
In early 2011, news broke that several if not most of the nine
Lookout pack wolves had been killed by poachers. A grand jury has
handed down indictments for three residents of Twisp, Washington,
suspected of illegally trapping and shooting at least two wolves,
including one of the pups photographed by Conservation
Northwest. News of the poachings, coming at such a delicate
phase of wolf recovery and when a science-based Washington wolf
conservation plan is just beginning to be implemented—is sadly
just one of a string of stories of illegal wildlife killings to come out
of Washington State. In response, Conservation Northwest and
others have partnered with the Washington Department of Fish
and Wildlife (WDFW) to expand an enforcement reward fund to
assist in apprehending poachers.
Ripple effect: The role of wolves in nature
Research is showing how the long absence of wolves and other top
predators has disrupted an ancient and important relationship
between predator and prey. A recent study published by researchers
at Oregon State University suggests that the temperate rainforest
of Olympic National Park is suffering from loss of wolves and
subsequent domination by herds of browsing elk. Many streambanks
in the park have been largely denuded of young trees. The park as
a result is today a very different place today than it was 70 years
ago. Riparian areas in the North Cascades with over abundant deer
populations could also benefit from the return of wolves.
Responding to their return
The Department of Fish and Wildlife began developing a conservation and management plan for wolves in 2006—planning ahead for
the expected natural return of wolves and anticipating a wolf delisting
that would shift protection and recovery responsibilities to the state.
Nearly 20 citizen stakeholders (including Conservation Northwest’s
Derrick Knowles) with a broad range of perspectives were appointed
as a Wolf Working Group to advise WDFW staff in developing a
state wolf plan. The plan went through an extensive public process
and a thorough scientific peer review, leading to its final adoption.
Changing attitudes
The public’s attitude toward wolves has changed dramatically since
the last century. A 2008 poll conducted by the WDFW showed 75
percent of Washington residents support wolf recovery. A second
poll showed that most hunters in our state support managing a selfsustaining population of wolves, citing, among other reasons, that
all wildlife deserve to flourish.
Diamond Pack pups close to the Idaho border, 2009. WDNR
Living with wolves in Washington—Resources
Conservation Northwest, conservationnw.org/wolves
Washington’s wolves Facebook page, facebook.com/
wa.wolves
WA Dept. of Fish & Wildlife: wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/
gray_wolf
The film, Lords of Nature: lordsofnature.org
Western Wolves, westernwolves.org
The Wolf’s Tooth: Keystone Predators, Trophic Cascades,
and Biodiversity. Cristina Eisenberg, 2010, Island Press
if you see a wolf—Please
report sightings, poachings, or
depredations to the wolf website maintained by WDFW,
http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/gray_wolf/reporting
or call 1-877-933-9847.
get involved—Contact Kit McGurn,
Conservation NW,
206.675.9747 x201, [email protected]
Living with Wolves in Washington State
Wolves are returning naturally to Washington. Today there are as many as 10 packs in Washington, two in the Cascades, the Lookout and Teanaway Packs, the others in northeast and southeast parts of the state. In 2011, Washington’s
wolves received a state Wolf Conservation and Management Plan. Wolves are on the return. Still, they have a long road
ahead to reach a sustainable population to remain part of Washington’s returned heritage.
In 2012, we celebrated and worked through gains and losses for Washington’s wolves. BBC and Discovery told their—and our—story in a
stunning documentary seen by millions. And we looked for positive outcomes in the tragedy of a wolf pack in conflict.
Learning to live with wolves. Through it all, we focused on finding
long-lasting solutions for wolves and people, from funding a poaching
reward fund and a successful range rider pilot project, to building positive relationships in support of non-lethal wolf control. To improve the
outlook for wolves and ranches, we brought experts and states agencies
together, listened to livestock owners, and learned from the places where
it is working. As wolves track through the Wedge again, we are confident
Washington is poised to do a better job this time.
We’ve come a long way from the last century when wolves were trapped
and hunted out of the state. Today, polls show that more than 70% of
Washington residents asked support wolf recovery in our state.
Take action to create a healthy future
for wolves, go to conservationnw.org/
wolves. Photo: Lookout wolf pups in 2008,
Conservation Northwest remote camera
Wolves have a plan­—give it time to work. Washington’s wolves have a
science-based conservation and management plan. Now, it needs to be
given time to work. Poachers may have nearly wiped out the Lookout
Pack in the Cascades, the first pack verified to have returned to Washington in 2008 with the first photos of the new wolf pups captured on
remote camera by wildlife monitoring volunteers with Conservation
Northwest.
With your help, wolves can be accepted and welcomed back to Washington. Conservation Northwest was a member
of the Wolf Working Group that helped shape a new state wolf plan authored by the Washington Department of Fish and
Wildlife. With your help, we continue to demonstrate that the majority of Washington’s residents want wolves back in
their native home for good.
These steps will help recover Washington’s wolves. Join us as we work with ranchers and others to living with wolves
and partner with other local citizens and wildlife advocates to protect and connect Washington’s wild lands for wildlife,
from wolves to bears.
over >
What you can do for Washington’s wolves
 Get involved. Take part in Conservation Northwest’s remote
camera monitoring program to help document and monitor wolves.
Contact Kit McGurn, Conservation Northwest, 206.675.9747 x201,
[email protected].
Give a donation—and spread the word! To support
this important work, we need your help. It’s easy to give, whether $10
or $100, and share with friends to spread the word, conservationnw.
org/getinvolved.
It’s a pivotal time for the future of wolves in our region!
Ripple effect: The role of wolves in nature
Ecologists refer to the process following the loss of apex predators as “trophic
downgrading” (an unbalancing of the stable structure of the ecosystem: the pyramidal trophic levels of plant communities at the large base, herbivores in the steady
middle, and carnivores at the smallest top), a process that reaches further into the
machinery of ecosystems than anyone ever suspected.
These small stickers featuring a wolf by
artist Joseph Sxwaset are available for
free by contacting Julia at 800.878.9950 x
10, or [email protected]
Recent research has shown that apex consumers affect “processes as diverse as the
dynamics of disease, wildfire, carbon sequestration, invasive species and biogeochemical cycles.” (Estes, et al. 2011).
Even salmon habitat and the prospects for recovering them in the long term could be partly dependent on healthy predator populations
and natural predator/prey systems.
In a retrospective study, researchers from OSU found that salmon streams on the Olympic Peninsula may have undergone profound
changes since wolves were eliminated early in the 20th century. The researchers postulate that freed from their wolf overlords and human
hunters, Roosevelt elk may have actually changed the way the rivers in the Olympic National Park function by turning the peninsula’s
river corridors into a 24 hour, 7 day a week, all you can eat smorgasbord.
The OSU team concluded that eight decades of elk gorging has led to the restructuring of plant communities along the river banks in the
park, mostly through the lack of cottonwood and big leaf maple “recruitment” or sapling growth into larger trees and the loss of many
shrub species to overbrowsing. This overeating has led to increased stream bank erosion, channel widening, and loss of sediment deposition on river banks.
Songbirds, which depend on the hardwoods for habitat, begin to decline. Coyotes become plentiful and eat the squirrels, resulting in a
decrease in soil productivity. The deer and elk population explodes who then vastly over-graze river-bottom willows, taking away shade
and food for the bull trout. In the absence of wolves, a keystone species, everything starts to change, and the park is today a very different
place today without wolves than it was 70 years ago with wolves.
“What escapes the eye…is a much more insidious extinction: the extinction of ecological interactions.” - Daniel H. Janzen
“The loss of apex consumers is arguably man’s most pervasive influence on the natural world.” - Estes et al. 2011
The truth about wolves
Livestock and ranching in the West continues in wolf country
Source: USDA National Agriculture Statistics Service http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/MannUsda/
Yes, wolves kill livestock, but not to the degree extremists would have you believe. Other factors like illness, birthing
problems, injuries, and harsh weather account for many more livestock losses than all predator-caused losses
combined. Among predator-caused deaths, losses by coyotes and dogs far outweigh wolves for both cattle and sheep
across the west.
Unintended losses-US Cattle
(From 94 million head, NASS data 2011)
2500
Thousands
Cattle. In 2010, according to
USDA data, only about one
quarter of 1% of American cattle
(0.23%) were lost to all
predators. Of that small
percentage, coyotes accounted
for the majority- 53%, domestic
dogs 10%, and wolves 4% of all
predator losses.
2000
1500
1000
In the western states with wolves
(ID, MT, WY), predators account
for 7% of all losses. The other
93% of losses came from health
problems, weather, calving
problems, injury, theft, etc.
500
Predator-caused sheep losses in
ID/MT/WY, by species
(NASS data 2010)
Coyote
Eagle
Wolf
Bear
Fox
Cougar
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Sheep. Predators do make up a larger
percentage of sheep losses, but still only 4% of
the entire inventory in Idaho, Montana, and
Wyoming in 2009, while other losses like
illness, lambing problems, weather, etc account
for 5%. As with cattle, other predators account
for most of the losses, with coyotes accounting
for 70% of all predator-caused sheep losses.
While losses due to wolves aren’t as high as
extremists would have you believe, responsible
livestock owners work hard for their animals
and are stewards of the land. We support a
strong state wolf recovery plan that includes
compensation for livestock losses due to
wolves and support for non-lethal control
methods.
Elk and deer herds in the West remain stable
Source: http://www.westernwolves.org/index.php/hunting-in-wolf-country
Elk are a prime food source for wolves. While wolves are impacting elk in a few hunting districts, these are
the minority, as elk populations throughout Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming remain high:
Wyoming1: 120,000 elk estimated statewide, 50 percent above objective. The state of Wyoming continues to
manage for a reduction in elk population.
Montana2: 150,000 elk estimated statewide, 14 percent over objective. Montana has the second highest elk
population of any state.
Idaho: Estimated population: 101,100, slightly below objective3: 23 of the state's 29 game management zones
have elk numbers within targets or above4 A large five-year study of over 500 tagged cow elk in 11
management zones found that hunter harvest was the leading cause of elk deaths in six zones and greatly
outweighed wolf predation overall, which was significant in only four zones.
Some hunters in the Northern Rockies have reported that it is harder to find elk since wolves have returned to
the region, but this is not because there are fewer elk. For example, Montana's elk herd has grown from
55,000 in 1978 to 150,000 today. Rather, as documented by researchers and experienced by
sportsmen, wolves cause elk to change their behavior on the landscape. Since the return of wolves to the
West, elk tend to linger less in open areas, often move to higher altitudes, and may even leave one valley to
seek out more hidden locales in a nearby valley.
While changes in elk behavior may create a more challenging hunting experience (for wolves as well as
people), elk populations throughout the region remain high. Wolves help keep elk herds strong and healthy by
preying preferentially upon the most vulnerable, sick or old animals.5
More Facts on Wolves and Hunting:
 Although widely assumed that wolves decrease hunting success, hunter harvest of elk in the N. Rockies
continues to be good in all three states. In Wyoming, hunters had another good year in 2009, leading the
region with a 43% success rate. Montana and Idaho hunter success is 22% and 20% respectively.
 All 3 states acknowledge that a primary reason for locally overabundant elk populations is that elk are
able to find refuge from hunters on privately owned lands closed to public access. Although this has been
little documented, it is possible that wolves may reduce such over-concentrations by hazing the animals
from private land into areas where they can be publicly hunted.
 Wolves help keep elk herds strong and healthy by preying preferentially upon the most vulnerable, sick
or old animals.
 Antelope fawns are a primary prey of coyotes in many areas. A recent study, published in the scientific
journal Ecology, indicates that wolves have actually increased survival rates of antelope fawns in Wyoming
by lowering coyote numbers.
 The biggest threat to elk in the Northern Rockies is not the wolf, but rather the loss of habitat due to
residential and industrial development. Development displaces elk into an ever-shrinking range of quality
habitat and results in the loss of sportsmen access to traditional hunting grounds. For this reason,
preserving as much of our wildlands as possible for elk and all wildlife is crucial, and will require a
sustained, cooperative effort by conservationists, sportsmen, and wildlife lovers.
Additional sources:
1
Wyoming Game and Fish
2
Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks
3
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation 2010 elk forecast
4
Idaho Dept. of Fish and Game
5
Lukens, Jim. "Eleven Years with Wolves - What We've Learned" News release, Idaho F&G, April 25, 2006
The truth about wolves, continued
The wolves in Washington are native
Source: http://www.livingwithwolves.org/AW_question4.html and
http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/gray_wolf/faq.html
Wolves are returning to Washington on their own from BC, Alberta, Idaho, and Montana. The Rocky
Mountain wolves that were reintroduced from Canada in Idaho and Yellowstone National Park are the same
subspecies of gray wolf that previously lived in the Northern Rockies. Stories of 180-pound Canadian superwolves aren’t true. Of the 188 wolves killed in Idaho in the first wolf hunting season, the largest wolf killed
weighed 127 pounds. The average dead wolf was less than 95 pounds. This claim of a larger, more
aggressive, and different type of wolf is often used in attempts to discredit the species reintroduction and has
no basis in reality.
Recent genetic research involving hundreds of wolves sampled from Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming in the
1990s and 2000s found no evidence that the remnant native population of wolves that differed from the
reintroduced wolves. Thus, the native wolves present in these states before wolf recovery began were
genetically similar to those used in the reintroductions.
The Spokesman Review wrote about this myth early last year:
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/feb/17/actual-wolf-weights-often-skimpier-than-hunters
Wolves hunt to sustain themselves
Source: http://www.livingwithwolves.org/AW_question5.html and http://www.slate.com/id/2234729/
Wolves, like all wild carnivores, do not kill for sport. They kill to sustain themselves.
Though it is uncommon, “surplus killing” (killing more prey animals than can be immediately consumed) has
been observed in many predator species. If given the opportunity to secure future meals, many animals will
sometimes do so, leaving food behind. It is a survival mechanism. It is this survival tactic that has led to the
misplaced notion of sport killing. It has nothing to do with sport; only people kill for sport.
Surplus killing occurs when prey is at an unusual disadvantage, offering an opportunity to significantly lower
both the risk of injury to the predator and the amount of energy required to kill the prey. It is for this reason
that surplus killing by wolves, although rare, occurs more with livestock than it does with wild prey.
Wolves also cache and return to meals, like many predators. This behavior actually supplies food for other
animals, and biologists have documented bears, wolverines, coyotes, ravens, and more eating at old wolf
caches.
Wolves pose little threat to people
Source: http://www.fws.gov/midwest/wolf/aboutwolves/qandas.htm
Wild wolves generally are shy of people and avoid contact with us whenever possible. However, any wild
animal can be dangerous if it is cornered, injured or sick, or has become habituated to people through
activities such as artificial feeding. People should avoid actions that encourage wolves to spend time near
people or become dependent on them for food.
Aggressive behavior from wild wolves towards humans is extremely rare. Mark McNay of the Alaska
Department of Fish and Game compiled information about documented wolf-human encounters in “A Case
History of Wolf-Human Encounters in Alaska and Canada.” There are 59,000 to 70,000 gray wolves in
Alaska and Canada, and since 1970 there were 16 cases of non-rabid wolves biting people. Six of those
cases were severe. Since that report was written, wolves may have killed a person in Saskatchewan, Canada
and another woman who was jogging in Alaska. In comparison, nearly a dozen humans are killed by
domestic dogs, pet wolves, and pet wolf-dog hybrids every year in North America. Wolves and wolf-dog
hybrids kept as pets can be unpredictable and dangerous.
Great article from the Wenatchee World: http://www.conservationnw.org/pressroom/press-clips/wolves-andhumans-what-the-experts-say
Tapeworms come from all sorts of wild and domestic animals
Source: http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/gray_wolf/faq.html
The Echinoccus granulosus tapeworm is found almost worldwide in canids, including wolves, dogs, coyotes,
and foxes. The eggs of this tapeworm are spread in canid feces. Wild and domestic ungulates (deer, elk,
moose, sheep, goats, swine, etc.) are the normal intermediate hosts, carrying a cyst form in their organs. When
canids (including dogs) feed on these infected organs, they become tapeworm hosts.
Humans are very rarely infected. Humans would have to ingest tapeworm eggs in canid feces or drink water
contaminated with canid feces. It is extremely unlikely to be spread by handling ungulate capes or meat,
unless those parts are contaminated with canid feces and handlers do not use good basic hygiene. Likewise, if
a pet dog rolled in feces infected with tapeworm eggs, good hygiene is required after handling the dog.
Humans cannot be infected by ingesting cysts found in ungulates. These parasitic tapeworms are not borne by
the wind nor transmitted in any way other than direct ingestion of eggs in feces.
All parasites or diseases harbored by any wildlife should be taken seriously and good hygiene used when
handling live wild animals, dead wild animals, their secretions, or their products.
Wolf recovery is supported by Washington residents
A Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife-sponsored public opinion survey from 2008 on hunting and
wildlife management in Washington showed the large majority of Washington residents (75%) support
allowing wolves to recover in Washington.
Queried on level of worry, 65% of residents said they would be not worried at all or only a little worried about
wolves while recreating outdoors. Wildlife viewing for wolves is also popular: 54% of residents say that they
would travel to see or hear wild wolves in Washington.
Full survey available here: http://www.conservationnw.org/library/otherpub/WA_Hunt_Public_Report.pdf
More information on wolves available at these sites:
ConservationNW.org/wolves
WesternWolves.org
LivingWithWolves.org
bearinfo.org/gray_wolf