Canadian Wolves being dropped in Michigan via air

[jamshundred]

My question. . . . . . . . . are they only going to kill the Moose?  What about other livestock and wildlife?

[karenp]

Sorry, when I saw the title of the thread all I could think of was WKRP, "as God as my witness I thought turkeys could fly"

[otf]

I could be wrong, but I think people messing around with wildlife in this manner is wrong. It throws everything out of whack.

Gale

[lakeportfarms]

I believe that these wolves were brought to Isle Royal, which is a national park and an island in Lake Superior. There was hope that some wolves would cross the ice in the winter to re-populate the numbers, but for whatever reason they haven't done so in recent years. Because the wolf population had diminished, the moose population has exploded, and there is limited vegetation for them, especially in the winter months with feet of snow on the ground. Weak and sick or diseased moose can't survive under these conditions. There are some instances when human intervention is beneficial to manage populations of wild animals, and their habitats, because humans have also changed the balance of nature due to development and other factors. As a kid I grew up spending a lot of my summer on a private island in Lake Michigan. Deer were brought to the island when I was very young, but because there were no natural predators, they quickly multiplied and decimated the trillum and hemlock vegetation on the island. I have memories of the island when I was little before the deer overpopulation, and the changes after just 10 or so years were significant. So hunters were invited to the island to reduce the deer population, since the deer had little left to eat anymore. Then there was the problem that once word got out about the large deer population, uninvited hunters started showing up when we weren't there and they would use the Jeep, and the cabin, eat all of the food, use the propane to run the generator, etc... So a person had to be hired, especially in the fall to "guard" things. The trillium and ground hemlock vegetation never fully recovered.

[otf]

Thanks, Hans, what you say makes sense.

Edited:  I read the article and saw the short video.  I understand a bit better now and hope it all works out to the benefit of the wildlife.  

(Remember this?  

Gale

[jamshundred]

Actually. .. . . I DO . . .   I do. . . remember that commercial.

We had probably the first TV in our community because my Uncle was in electronics in the war and when he came home opened a radio and TV repair shop.   The antenna was at the top of a metal pipe just above the roof.  There was a plumber's wrench that was used to turn the pipe in the direction of the channel we wanted to watch.  Charleston was to the west, Oak Hill and Bluefield slightly different angles to the south.   I was renowned for being able to shimmy up that pipe.  Sunday nights were Disneyland!   I was madly in love with Davy Crockett.    I can still sing it ! !     Daaaaavy. . . . . . . Davy Crockett. .  .  king of the wild frontier. 

[lonecowhand]

I'm with Hans, hoping the Wolves can manage the stock better than hunters. It has worked in Yellowstone for control of Elk and deer, and has benefitted the local ecology and resulting wildlife populations.

I remember Davy, and his song, Judy!

[lakeportfarms]

www.mlive.com/news/2019/03/6-canadian-wolves-facing-starvation-to-be-net-trapped-flown-to-michigans-isle-royale.html

Here is a bit more of the story.