by Chris Berens, D&DH intern
Steps being taken to remove Upper Midwest wolves from the Endangered Species Act could be tripped up if a new proposal is put into place. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is expected to remove the Midwest’s Western Great Lakes Population Segment from the Act, but has recently proposed that there are two species of wolves in the Midwest, which could hinder states’ management abilities.
Deer hunters throughout the wolves’ range have supported USFWS and state efforts to remove wolves from the protected list because of the effect that burgeoning wolf numbers are having on deer populations. Delisting the wolves would allow each state to individually manage its wolf population in alignment with the best interests of the wolves, habitat, livestock, hunters, deer and other wildlife. The new USFWS proposal follows a Congressional rider that immediately removes Western wolves from the Act. However, it states that there are two species of wolves in the Midwest. One is the gray wolf, Canis lupus, which is now listed on the act; and the eastern wolf, Canis lycaon, which historically inhabited eastern Canada and northeastern United States, the Journal Sentinel said.
The gray wolf would be removed from the Act, while the eastern wolf would not. This could possibly handcuff management efforts according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, because there is no separate population of the eastern wolf in the state. The subspecies have mixed.
The current wolf population in Wisconsin is between 782 and 824 after the latest winter survey. The original population goal was 350 wolves, and the DNR has supported their delisting since 1998, believing that the population has fully recovered. Minnesota currently has more than 3,000 wolves, with more than 550 living in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
I thought they found with DNA testing that the reason the Eastern coyote was bigger then its western cousin was that it had Red Wolf in the DNA. I thought the Red Wolf was the eastern wolf and thats extinct, or is somebody blowing wind up my skirt?
Is this the same Eastern Wolf that was recently DNA tested and found they are 75% Coyote?
Oh the convenience of politically applied biology. When you run out of lies to push your agenda, just create a new species. They dumped a non-native species of wolf on the rocky mountain west, and for 16 years they have been screaming "a wolf is a wolf is a wolf!". Well, unless of course you can use it to further this vile fraud and perpetuate more lawsuits to fund welfare lawyers.
Sub species of wolves do not coexist, one will either over take the other or they interbreed and become a hybrid. This is just more of the same fraud and outcome based science the wolf issue has become so well known for.
Let me get this straight this is the same liars traitors two face useless scumbags in the USFWS that sais a wolf is a wolf out west after it was expose they brought in larger Canadain gray wolf is now saying there is a differnce between the wolves in Great Lakes BS. The orginal agreement was 100 wolves between Michigan and WISCONSIN nothing but lies con artist and ruin hunting anytime wolves are involved. Delist them all they are nothing but feral mutts wiping out our wildlife. Enough to the liars in the USFWS trying to change rules to fit their anti hunting agenda.