What Is Happening to the Gray Wolves Population?

Gray wolves, the largest member of the canine family, are the ancestors of today's domesticated dogs. These wolves were once common throughout North America and all over the world, with a total population of nearly two million. However, in the present-day United States there are less than 20,000 of these animals left, and they are concentrated in a few states. The biggest cause of the reduction in the gray wolf population has been due to human threats.

  1. Reduction of Territory

    • In the past, the gray wolf lived all over the United States. When European settlers came across the Atlantic, they found these wolves along the East Coast, in the interior regions of America and on the opposite coast. The animals also ranged up into Canada and down across Mexico. Unfortunately, human misunderstanding and fear of the wolves drove them from their historical ranges and lessened their population. By the 1930s, a large majority of them had been killed by human hunters. Today, the gray wolf has been largely pushed out of the United States. They now live in Canada, in American states on the northern border and in Alaska. An estimated 5,000 live in the lower states, while up to 12,000 live in Alaska.

    Human Intolerance

    • The main reason that people hunted wolves in the past and continue to kill them today is because they are seen as a threat to livestock. They are also seen as in competition with big-game hunters. While wolves are carnivorous hunters, they rarely pose a serious threat to livestock. They also do not impact big-game populations enough to affect human hunting of them. Recovery efforts have demonstrated that wolves have an insignificant negative effect on livestock belonging to humans, but this has done little to change public perception of the gray wolf. These efforts also encourage use of nonlethal deterrents to wolves preying on livestock, but it is up to ranchers to implement them.

    Government Actions

    • Gray wolves are currently classified as endangered in all of the lower 48 states except for Minnesota, where they are considered threatened. In Alaska, the gray wolf has no federal protections at all. There are also no protections for populations that have been reintroduced to the Rocky Mountains, because they are considered experimental populations and therefore do not qualify for any special status. There is ongoing debate in the government about the status of gray wolves. The Fish and Wildlife Service recently attempted to remove these animals from the endangered species list, but the decision to do so was taken to court and overruled by a federal judge. This allows gray wolves to keep the protections an endangered animal is entitled to, but the debate continues among government entities as to how much effort should be put into facilitating population recovery.

    Conservation Programs

    • Several wildlife conservation groups recognize the gray wolf's important role in the ecosystem. These groups are constantly working toward rebuilding the wolf's population and protecting it from human threats. They lobby against aerial hunting techniques that are used to kill wolves in Alaska, and they petition for better wolf management by the government. Conservation programs seek to educate ranchers on nonlethal ways they can keep predators such as gray wolves away from their herds and work to stop unnecessary hunting of these animals.