I understand the reasoning behind having to thin out the wolves, I just wish they could do it in more of a humane way like maybe relocating them elsewhere. They too have the right to live and the Canadian government takes the easy way out of killing and ridding them from this problem
Glenn Brown - 12 years ago
Here are some thoughts from the Alberta Wolf management plan.
"Alberta trappers average take is 261/year with hunters taking another 100/year" (p.33)
"Gunson suggests 1200 wolves are available for harvest each year in Alberta" (p.68)
"Research shows wolf predation to be a limiting factor in caribou, elk & moose" (p.xii)
"In all cases where wolves were decreased ungulates increased(p.65)"
How about we allow the biologists to manage the game in Alberta rather than trying to make a national uninformed program out of this. Back the professionals who are trying for balance.
Wolfman - 12 years ago
We need to do an agressive cull on the Wolves to protect the "endangered" Woodland Caribou! Everything in nature must be kept in check, including wolves. I personally have seen what Wolves can do to wildlife, and trust me they do not go after the weak first, and then selectively take unhealthy animals, the are killers, they take anything that is in there path! Wolves do have there place, but if they are wiping out a species, it must be done. I don't believe for a minute that the Oilsands is the main problem.
Greg Clark - 12 years ago
Actually, culling a population DOES work. Alberta Sustainable resources has being using these methods for years, more recently to control the CWD outbreak in deer. When the public outcry tarnished their reputation after the slaughter of hundreds of deer a few years ago, they have resorted to a natural means of culling. Cougars are being relocated from the eastern slopes regions where they are plentiful, to the eastern areas of the province where deer are overpopulated.
Wolves will prey first on the weak and ill, and then move on to whatever they can find. I've spent years in the outdoors and seen my favourite hunting areas decimated by wolves. The natural cycle of any population is to thrive until its food source has run out. When the caribou are gone, the wolf will move on to the next species. When there's nothing left to hunt, the wolf will become weak and depopulate, allowing whatever species that are left to re-introduce themselves.
About 8-10 years ago, Kelsey Grammar and the World Wildlife Foundation claimed that there were less than 80 wolves left in the Eastern Slopes regions of the province. The next year a bounty was placed on wolves in a region northwest of Calgary and more than 70 wolves were harvested. In that same region, elk herds continue to decrease to the abundance of wolves. On the Ya-Ha-Tinda plains west of Sundre about 300 elk spend their winter, as opposed to about 3000 10 years ago. This is a direct contrast of the capability of the dominance of wolves.
If you feel the need to comment on a topic, become more educated than watching a celebrity-endorsed lobbying network.
Rob - 12 years ago
the CBC should quit spending our tax dollars on useless polls. The CBC needs to be PRIVATIZED now!!!!
Johnny Nesbitt - 12 years ago
In CANADA we are processed to give priority and benefits to those that are liabilities or detriments to our society. That is our socialistic-new democratic- attitude
Useless Canadians that are a liability to our society and our country should be required to contribute , or lose , and not gain as they do .
Wolves need to be managed as do all species of wildlife. Cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens need to be managed too, to feed Canadians and to create jobs, and create an export market for our GNP
If we take the position that we should not manage wolves or criminals or pedophiles then society is destined to suffer and to decline in its ability to promote what is best for this Planet Earth
JN
Mel - 12 years ago
What gives mankind the right to kill off one species in order to allow another to repopulate, when it is infact humans that have taken all the land, killed off numerous species and pushed others to the brink of extinction..
Melissa - 12 years ago
Say no. Its ridiculous that people would ever answer yes to this . Stop messing with nature
Sandra Berrow - 12 years ago
It has already been proven in Yellowstone Park that wolves supply healthy populations of deer and elk. Without the wolves, deer and elk populations were dying off and weakened from sickness and disease.
Nathalie - 12 years ago
Wolves are dogs; would the same apply to Corgies??
Nathalie - 12 years ago
Wolves are dogs; would the same apply to Corgies??
Sunny Petersen - 12 years ago
The real issue aren't wolves. People are the ones who upset the natural balance - by occupying land for living on it, but also by extracting as many ressources in as short a time period as possible. What has upset, and will continue to upset the caribou population, maybe till there are none left in British Columbia, are: forestry, mining, roads, cutlines, habitat destruction of any kind due to housing and recreation, especially but not exclusively motorized recreation.
Are we going to stop that by culling wolves? No. Is culling wolves a short term measure that might help stabalize caribou herds for the moment? Yes. Long term? Definitely not.
Keeping our environment healthy, including caribou numbers, is like keeping our bodies healthy: No matter what magazine propaganda will tell you, you can't eat what you want and not excercise if you wish to have a healthy body. And you can't have healthy game populations if you destroy their habitat. It really doesn't have all that much to do with wolves, but a lot with our own greediness.
bob milligan - 12 years ago
Just for your information , they have been culling wolves in Alberta for years using helicopters and it's not enough. Most of the damage done by wolves is in areas not feasible to fly as its too expensive. The only way to cut down on the wolf problem is to poison them like we did in the 70's. The Caribou population has declined several hundred thousand and I think desperate measures are required. I think its a better approach than trying to tackle the tar sands and protect habitat as that would take way too long politically . Wolves are the problem
I recently attended a talk on Woodland Caribou in Northern Idaho, and the speaker, who had been involved with Caribou recovery for literally decades, stated more than once that wolves are NOT a real threat to Caribou or their reccovery. Somehow because they use the habitat differently, migration patterns, etc. What really IS a threat to the Caribou is habitat disturbance like Snowmobiling, Logging, and Mining ! They cannot/will not move about with those type of disturbances in their environment, nor will they reproduce !
Firstly, The wording in the first sentence that CBC used in their article, will get the uneducated reaction from their Anti-Hunting supporters that CBC wants. "A strategy to protect Canada's endangered Woodland Caribou could include killing off the wolves that prey on them"
This is a bias statement used by CBC to extract from the public exactly what the authors want.
First I believe that no-one has stated that all the wolves need to be killed off, I believe the statement " predator or wolf control is a method that needs to be part of any strategy to protect any prey species"
Wolves are part of the eco system, and they do create a balance of nature, however because Canada's Ministry of Environment is responsible for managing wildlife on a whole, predator control must be used in areas of conscern, such as the Woodland Caribou Issue. No one who knows anything about wildlife management and wildlife conservation would ever make a statement that would suggest a kill off of any species to protect another, but control is a tool that must be considered.
The comments I have read such as " the wolves only kill the weak and the sick" are obviously from uneducated people in this area or they are just Anti- Hunters, not true conservationists but preservationists.These types of people are the real problem with wildlife today, as they know nothing about wildlife management.
I have lived most of my adult life in the wilderness, and have witnessed the brutality of huge packs of wolves that kill just to teach their pups, and leave whole carcasses of healthy ungulates ( caribou included) behind uneaten. Then seen them go on to kill another. This has been documented and filmed with the wolf problems in Montana and the decimation their Elk herds.
I wish that media such as CBC would commit to explaining all the facts before embarking on a polling exercize to ensure accurate results, and will enspire actual educated responses form people that truly care about healthy wildlife populations.
David Kawasaki - 12 years ago
Anyone who believes wolves only take "the weak and the sick" is sorely mistaken. Wolves will kill anything they can- sick or not. One of the wolf's advantages in winter is running (healthy) ungulates to exhaustion in the snow- this is why pack hunting is so successful. Fawns and calves (also healthy) are of course easier for wolves to kill than adults.
If you've ever witnessed an animal get ripped apart and eaten alive by wolves you'll quickly lose your view of the wolf as being a "majestic" animal. They're predators- nothing more, nothing less.
Once those caribou are gone they'll be gone forever- and in no way, shape or form are wolves endangered. Predator control would seem to be a reasonable option.
Urban dwelling, educated by Disney types really shouldn't drive wildlife policy in this province and emotion shouldn't trump sound management.
Vanita seth - 12 years ago
The policy of "culling " animals does not work, is unscientific, & morally & ethically repugnant. Yes, what is required is to keep the human & their greedy companies as far away as possible from endangered animals. Wow! we overfish & deplete our fish stocks, welcome criminals to this country, deforest and allow companies to pollute our lands, "cull" its wealth of endangered animals, & slaughter our seals. If there was a Satan he would be cheering our leadership for destroying this beautiful land.
marcella - 12 years ago
WOLVES WILL ONLY TAKE THE SICK AND/OR THE WEAK..IT'S ONE OF NATURES WAYS OF POPULATION CONTROL...ALSO:IF THE FOOD SOURCE IS SCARSE,THE FEMALE WOLF WILL ABORT THE EMBRYO.SO THIS KEEPS THEIR NUMBERS DOWN.{AGAIN;POPULATION CONTROL}
A Canadian - 12 years ago
Nature takes care of itself.
If the wolves eat too many the wolves will die from lack of food.
Nature balances itself.
A Canadian - 12 years ago
NO !
What Gives Humans the right to Mess with Nature?
trudy - 12 years ago
Sure, blame the "big, bad wolf" again. Leave them be.
Cull the Stupid - 12 years ago
We need to start culling the stupid.
Masleca - 12 years ago
What is wrong with people? The cull on wolves back in the 1800's is exactly why we have a coyote problem here in Nova Scotia. I think we should start culling money making corporate pigs to save the caribou. Ecology vs economy, money always wins. This country disgusts me more every day.
Theresa - 12 years ago
Are wolves endangered? I am amazed with the "no" having such a high percentage of votes. I've always heard that when any species of animal/bird, etc. is endangered, they would/should be protected by what ever means need be--so if that means calling some wolves to protect an endangered Woodland Caribou--so be it!!
I understand the reasoning behind having to thin out the wolves, I just wish they could do it in more of a humane way like maybe relocating them elsewhere. They too have the right to live and the Canadian government takes the easy way out of killing and ridding them from this problem
Here are some thoughts from the Alberta Wolf management plan.
"Alberta trappers average take is 261/year with hunters taking another 100/year" (p.33)
"Gunson suggests 1200 wolves are available for harvest each year in Alberta" (p.68)
"Research shows wolf predation to be a limiting factor in caribou, elk & moose" (p.xii)
"In all cases where wolves were decreased ungulates increased(p.65)"
How about we allow the biologists to manage the game in Alberta rather than trying to make a national uninformed program out of this. Back the professionals who are trying for balance.
We need to do an agressive cull on the Wolves to protect the "endangered" Woodland Caribou! Everything in nature must be kept in check, including wolves. I personally have seen what Wolves can do to wildlife, and trust me they do not go after the weak first, and then selectively take unhealthy animals, the are killers, they take anything that is in there path! Wolves do have there place, but if they are wiping out a species, it must be done. I don't believe for a minute that the Oilsands is the main problem.
Actually, culling a population DOES work. Alberta Sustainable resources has being using these methods for years, more recently to control the CWD outbreak in deer. When the public outcry tarnished their reputation after the slaughter of hundreds of deer a few years ago, they have resorted to a natural means of culling. Cougars are being relocated from the eastern slopes regions where they are plentiful, to the eastern areas of the province where deer are overpopulated.
Wolves will prey first on the weak and ill, and then move on to whatever they can find. I've spent years in the outdoors and seen my favourite hunting areas decimated by wolves. The natural cycle of any population is to thrive until its food source has run out. When the caribou are gone, the wolf will move on to the next species. When there's nothing left to hunt, the wolf will become weak and depopulate, allowing whatever species that are left to re-introduce themselves.
About 8-10 years ago, Kelsey Grammar and the World Wildlife Foundation claimed that there were less than 80 wolves left in the Eastern Slopes regions of the province. The next year a bounty was placed on wolves in a region northwest of Calgary and more than 70 wolves were harvested. In that same region, elk herds continue to decrease to the abundance of wolves. On the Ya-Ha-Tinda plains west of Sundre about 300 elk spend their winter, as opposed to about 3000 10 years ago. This is a direct contrast of the capability of the dominance of wolves.
If you feel the need to comment on a topic, become more educated than watching a celebrity-endorsed lobbying network.
the CBC should quit spending our tax dollars on useless polls. The CBC needs to be PRIVATIZED now!!!!
In CANADA we are processed to give priority and benefits to those that are liabilities or detriments to our society. That is our socialistic-new democratic- attitude
Useless Canadians that are a liability to our society and our country should be required to contribute , or lose , and not gain as they do .
Wolves need to be managed as do all species of wildlife. Cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens need to be managed too, to feed Canadians and to create jobs, and create an export market for our GNP
If we take the position that we should not manage wolves or criminals or pedophiles then society is destined to suffer and to decline in its ability to promote what is best for this Planet Earth
JN
What gives mankind the right to kill off one species in order to allow another to repopulate, when it is infact humans that have taken all the land, killed off numerous species and pushed others to the brink of extinction..
Say no. Its ridiculous that people would ever answer yes to this . Stop messing with nature
It has already been proven in Yellowstone Park that wolves supply healthy populations of deer and elk. Without the wolves, deer and elk populations were dying off and weakened from sickness and disease.
Wolves are dogs; would the same apply to Corgies??
Wolves are dogs; would the same apply to Corgies??
The real issue aren't wolves. People are the ones who upset the natural balance - by occupying land for living on it, but also by extracting as many ressources in as short a time period as possible. What has upset, and will continue to upset the caribou population, maybe till there are none left in British Columbia, are: forestry, mining, roads, cutlines, habitat destruction of any kind due to housing and recreation, especially but not exclusively motorized recreation.
Are we going to stop that by culling wolves? No. Is culling wolves a short term measure that might help stabalize caribou herds for the moment? Yes. Long term? Definitely not.
Keeping our environment healthy, including caribou numbers, is like keeping our bodies healthy: No matter what magazine propaganda will tell you, you can't eat what you want and not excercise if you wish to have a healthy body. And you can't have healthy game populations if you destroy their habitat. It really doesn't have all that much to do with wolves, but a lot with our own greediness.
Just for your information , they have been culling wolves in Alberta for years using helicopters and it's not enough. Most of the damage done by wolves is in areas not feasible to fly as its too expensive. The only way to cut down on the wolf problem is to poison them like we did in the 70's. The Caribou population has declined several hundred thousand and I think desperate measures are required. I think its a better approach than trying to tackle the tar sands and protect habitat as that would take way too long politically . Wolves are the problem
I recently attended a talk on Woodland Caribou in Northern Idaho, and the speaker, who had been involved with Caribou recovery for literally decades, stated more than once that wolves are NOT a real threat to Caribou or their reccovery. Somehow because they use the habitat differently, migration patterns, etc. What really IS a threat to the Caribou is habitat disturbance like Snowmobiling, Logging, and Mining ! They cannot/will not move about with those type of disturbances in their environment, nor will they reproduce !
Firstly, The wording in the first sentence that CBC used in their article, will get the uneducated reaction from their Anti-Hunting supporters that CBC wants. "A strategy to protect Canada's endangered Woodland Caribou could include killing off the wolves that prey on them"
This is a bias statement used by CBC to extract from the public exactly what the authors want.
First I believe that no-one has stated that all the wolves need to be killed off, I believe the statement " predator or wolf control is a method that needs to be part of any strategy to protect any prey species"
Wolves are part of the eco system, and they do create a balance of nature, however because Canada's Ministry of Environment is responsible for managing wildlife on a whole, predator control must be used in areas of conscern, such as the Woodland Caribou Issue. No one who knows anything about wildlife management and wildlife conservation would ever make a statement that would suggest a kill off of any species to protect another, but control is a tool that must be considered.
The comments I have read such as " the wolves only kill the weak and the sick" are obviously from uneducated people in this area or they are just Anti- Hunters, not true conservationists but preservationists.These types of people are the real problem with wildlife today, as they know nothing about wildlife management.
I have lived most of my adult life in the wilderness, and have witnessed the brutality of huge packs of wolves that kill just to teach their pups, and leave whole carcasses of healthy ungulates ( caribou included) behind uneaten. Then seen them go on to kill another. This has been documented and filmed with the wolf problems in Montana and the decimation their Elk herds.
I wish that media such as CBC would commit to explaining all the facts before embarking on a polling exercize to ensure accurate results, and will enspire actual educated responses form people that truly care about healthy wildlife populations.
Anyone who believes wolves only take "the weak and the sick" is sorely mistaken. Wolves will kill anything they can- sick or not. One of the wolf's advantages in winter is running (healthy) ungulates to exhaustion in the snow- this is why pack hunting is so successful. Fawns and calves (also healthy) are of course easier for wolves to kill than adults.
If you've ever witnessed an animal get ripped apart and eaten alive by wolves you'll quickly lose your view of the wolf as being a "majestic" animal. They're predators- nothing more, nothing less.
Once those caribou are gone they'll be gone forever- and in no way, shape or form are wolves endangered. Predator control would seem to be a reasonable option.
Urban dwelling, educated by Disney types really shouldn't drive wildlife policy in this province and emotion shouldn't trump sound management.
The policy of "culling " animals does not work, is unscientific, & morally & ethically repugnant. Yes, what is required is to keep the human & their greedy companies as far away as possible from endangered animals. Wow! we overfish & deplete our fish stocks, welcome criminals to this country, deforest and allow companies to pollute our lands, "cull" its wealth of endangered animals, & slaughter our seals. If there was a Satan he would be cheering our leadership for destroying this beautiful land.
WOLVES WILL ONLY TAKE THE SICK AND/OR THE WEAK..IT'S ONE OF NATURES WAYS OF POPULATION CONTROL...ALSO:IF THE FOOD SOURCE IS SCARSE,THE FEMALE WOLF WILL ABORT THE EMBRYO.SO THIS KEEPS THEIR NUMBERS DOWN.{AGAIN;POPULATION CONTROL}
Nature takes care of itself.
If the wolves eat too many the wolves will die from lack of food.
Nature balances itself.
NO !
What Gives Humans the right to Mess with Nature?
Sure, blame the "big, bad wolf" again. Leave them be.
We need to start culling the stupid.
What is wrong with people? The cull on wolves back in the 1800's is exactly why we have a coyote problem here in Nova Scotia. I think we should start culling money making corporate pigs to save the caribou. Ecology vs economy, money always wins. This country disgusts me more every day.
Are wolves endangered? I am amazed with the "no" having such a high percentage of votes. I've always heard that when any species of animal/bird, etc. is endangered, they would/should be protected by what ever means need be--so if that means calling some wolves to protect an endangered Woodland Caribou--so be it!!
Where's Ludwig when you need him.