Today I want you to read some informational text about WOLVES. Wolves are really cool animals and I am excited to learn about how they rehabilitated Yellowstone National Park. It's actually quite amazing. So, please read below...
Humans have managed to kill off some animal species unintentionally as cities, towns and highways have spread across the continent. America’s gray wolf, on the other hand, was purposely wiped out. Its near-extermination was driven by a deep fear and hatred.
If efforts to bring back the wolf are to succeed, the animal's image will have to change. Improving the wolf's reputation is not a simple task, however.
Throughout history, wolves have been pictured as terrible creatures. Take the story of Little Red Riding Hood, for example. The wolf is a crafty killer who dresses up in grandma's clothes after eating her, in order to trick Little Red Riding Hood. More recently, the 2011 movie "The Grey" features a pack of vicious wolves that mercilessly torment an exhausted Liam Neeson.
People have strong feelings about wolves, said Doug Smith, who is in charge of efforts to restore the animals to Yellowstone National Park. “Some people just hate them."
Wolves Deserve A Fairer Shake
Smith’s team has worked tirelessly to improve the wolf's reputation. They give more than 200 talks a year and plead with journalists and people in entertainment to treat wolves in a fair way.
The Yellowstone wolf restoration project began 20 years ago. Between 1995 and 1997, 41 wolves were reintroduced to the park, where none of the animals had lived for 60 years. At the time, many people were against the reintroduction, but none of the problems they predicted have occurred.
“One congressman said there would be a dead child within a year," Smith said. "Well, we are 21 years on and no one has even been bitten.”
An Essential Predator In Nature
Today, the reintroduction is widely considered a great success. It is also seen as providing proof that large predators — meat-eating hunters — are essential to keeping nature in balance.
Years ago, the land that is now Yellowstone had plenty of wolves. After the animals were killed off, the elk population exploded. The elk then stripped the park of willow, aspen and cottonwood trees. Having fewer trees was bad for beavers and birds. Animals that rely upon the remains of elk killed by wolves also suffered.
The return of wolves changed everything. Elk numbers were kept in check, and as trees recovered, songbirds and beavers returned.
Wolves Make Gains In Popularity And Population
Some wolves became famous, leading people to feel a little warmer toward them. A wolf called No. 9 had the first litter of eight pups, and was soon known as the founding mother of Yellowstone. A male was labeled Casanova, for his unusual habit of luring females away from different packs to mate with them. One female was known for her hunting skills and was mourned when she was shot outside the park in 2012.
Yellowstone now has 100 wolves in 10 packs. The success of the reintroduction has spurred a worldwide “rewilding” effort. It has also helped to improve the reputation of wolves in general.
“Fifty years ago, everyone hated wolves," Smith said. "Now, half the population hates wolves. We are progressing; it’s getting better. We are arriving at the idea that we can live with them.”
Once, half a million wolves roamed across America. They coexisted easily with Native Americans, who revered them for supposed healing powers.
This affection was not shared by European newcomers, who began systematically killing wolves. The animal was hated as a dangerous pest and a threat to cattle.
The American gray wolf came close to dying out. At its low point, only a small band of holdouts in the Great Lakes region remained.
Beginning in the 1960s, the wolf began to recover, and in time there were populations in a handful of states. Government protections that outlawed wolf hunting followed, and wolf populations continued to grow. In the western states, 1,904 wolves were counted last year, with 3,600 more in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Resistance To Wolves Remains
Wolves generally like to steer clear of people, so attacks are rare.
Fear still persists. In New Mexico, attempts to reintroduce wolves are being fiercely resisted. Legal action has been launched to stop the repopulation.
“It threatens families, it threatens their pets," said Caren Cowan, who heads the New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association. She is also concerned about threats to cattle.
Many people still feel strongly that wolves should be wiped out, and in recent years the killing of wolves has been on the rise.
“People will never fully accept wolves,” Smith said. The most we can expect is that they will learn to put up with them, he said.
Still, wolves are back, even if they do continue to face threats. Their return is certainly something worth celebrating.
Then, once you have read this article, I would like you to view the following video. It's awesome. Really awesome. I'm not a professional video watcher like Mr. Peters but I can assure you that it's awesome. Click on the link below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysa5OBhXz-Q
After you watch this video, I would like you to grab a wolf comprehension assignment and complete it with complete sentence. I want you to write with correct punctuation and also use commas when necessary. You can look back at the wolf article to do this. In fact, you'll have to look back. It's expected. When you are done with the comprehension assignment, keep it safe until tomorrow. We will be discussing out answers and thoughts in class tomorrow.
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