Wolves in New England?
SUDBURY – The sound of wolves howling is one of the most beautiful yet eerie noises in the natural world and, like its owner, has become synonymous with the pristine wilderness. The cry of a wild wolf is one of the surest ways to make our blood run cold, and to prove that we have wandered somewhere untouched by civilization and far out of our own comfort zone. This dramatic association has been created because such remote places are the only ones where this sound can be heard. Now the question has been raised again, will such music be heard in New England, let alone Massachusetts again?
Cynthia Menard discussed the issue in a presentation “Wolves in New England?” to a standing room only audience at the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge headquarters in Sudbury on June 25. Her first order of business was to answer the title question by stating the official answer, which is “there are no wolves in New England” meaning there currently is “no self sustaining population of wolves”.
While this doesn’t mean that the odd individual doesn’t wander down south from Quebec (a subspecies known as Algonquin wolves), and those are usually shot and killed. The most recent event was earlier this year, when there were reports of livestock killings in western MA. Biologists were called in and incorrectly identified it as a domestic dog from the bite marks. Permission to shoot the animal was given and it was identified as a one year old male wolf by post mortem analysis.
To better explore the possibility of these animals returning to the region, Menard described the wolf’s physical characteristics and explained its ecological niche, the role it plays in its ecosystem and what is needed for its survival. Wolves are what are known as “apex predators” near the top of the local food chain that play a vital role in sustaining a healthy ecosystem.
Also known as an “umbrella species” because the requirements for such a species to survive are comprehensive and if fulfilled, it would mean that the entire ecosystem is thriving. An important indication of the lack of an apex predator is the coyote and deer populations in Massachusetts which are growing unchecked. Originally, the wolves kept the coyotes in check, but when the former was wiped out from the region, the coyote, dubbed “the most adaptable North American predator” flourished where the wolf had not. Coyotes are now close to the top of the New England food chain, having no real competition. However, coyotes can never fully replace the wolves in the regional ecosystem and they cannot take the role of the new apex predator. As a result, the deer population in the state is “unhealthy” according to Menard. While coyotes do hunt deer, they do not do so with the frequency and intensity to sufficiently cull the population. If the true apex predator is brought back, balance to the region’s environment will be brought back with it.
Public opinion in the room, while not necessarily anti-wolf was mainly focused on valid and practical issues of reintroducing a large predator into a densely populated area like New England. The primary concern of those opposed to wolf reintroduction is live stock predation. A legitimate one for many who raise livestock for a living since losing even a few can be disastrous. Wolves will hunt cattle when prey is scarce but choose not to due to their innate unwillingness to be in close proximity to humans. Minnesota is a success story in natural wolf population recovery and the coexistence of ranchers and farmers with wolves. An annual survey revealed that ranchers lose approximately only eighteen mature cattle, eighty-seven calves, twenty-three sheep, and sixteen dogs to wolves each year. The wolves keep to the northern region of the state where the abundance of natural prey cuts down on the frequency of livestock predation.
Menard made it clear that, in New England, the preferred habitat of wolves would only be the northern mountainous forests of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. Southern New England residents would not have to worry about seeing a wolf in their back yard, a worry that was expressed through questions from the audience.
A secondary concern is the threat posed by wolves to domestic dogs in addition to the threat from coyotes, foxes and raccoons. According to Menard, the risk is minimal since wolf populations would stay away from thickly settled areas and since wolves are not scavengers, they would not attracted to household garbage and waste products in the same way that coyotes and raccoons are.
The accompanying danger of rabies being transmitted from wolves to domestic dogs is not increased in any way due to the distance between the populations. In addition, wolves would prey upon sick wild animals effectively reducing the spread of disease between them and household pets.
Since coyotes can live and hunt on their own or in pairs, they do venture closer and take up residence in human habited areas often remaining undetected. Wolves, being animals that live and hunt in packs hesitate to encroach on human areas and are unlikely to go undetected. U.S. Fish and Wildlife officers will investigate any sighting of a suspected wolf and shoot, kill or remove any animals venturing too close to humans or making a nuisance.
These facts act as mitigating factors for those worried about human-wolf interactions as well. Aside from the fact that “wolves are shy and wary of humans”, as Menard pointed out, there have been no documented cases of attacks on humans by wild wolves in the United States. If wolves do return to New England, biologists expect encounters to be few and no danger to humans.
Some might feel that while wolves are all well and good, is it really worth it to go through all the effort to rehabilitate them in a region where they haven’t been for hundreds of years? Menard seemed to anticipate this, as nearing the end of the presentation she brought up the subject of “why have wolves?” The answer is mainly for the sake of the New England’s ecological health. Wolves will bring balance to the relationship between predator and prey species in the region, bringing the ecosystem back to its original, natural state. It would also be beneficial for the long- term survival of the species itself.
One of the many steps in the long road to the wolf’s recovery is reintroducing them back to as many of their former habitats as possible. The gray wolf once ranged all across North America, found almost everywhere in what is now the United States. While it may never go back to its former glory, it’s the least we can do to an animal that has been so wrongly decimated by our hands.