There are many reasons as to why gray wolves should be removed from the Yellowstone National Park. Ranchers and farmers are adamant about wolves being removed from the Park because wolves attack their livestock and can easily kill humans. In April 1996, the Nez Pearce pack was released in to the wild, but individuals strayed away and they lost pack unity. This resulted in the wolves killing cattle and sheep and two had to be shot. Local ranchers were even more against the wolves when a year later a local lost 50 sheep. There have also been reports of wolves attacking babies and pets. The ranchers also discovered that the reintroduction was actually illegal. The wolves are on the endangered species list, but because there was a few individual wolves that already existed in Idaho before the reintroduction, they lose protection under the special experimental, nonessential designation, thus making the reintroduction illegal under the Endangered Species Act.
Map of Yellowstone National Park
Mollies Pack Wolves Baiting a Bison
Reintroduced wolves being carried to acclimation p...Being that there are already wolves in the area of Yellowstone and the Idaho region, the ranchers also feel that more wolves would make it more liable for them to roam around and venture out of the Park because there are no fences marking the boundaries, and perhaps discover livestock and attack - which is the ranchers main concerns. The wolves have also had a negative effect on hunting, as the wolves live in the vicinity where hunting takes place, and they will reduce the number of animals to be hunted. The wolves also reduce the number of wildlife people see. Tourists come to see lots of different animals, but the wolves will limit that number by attacking and killing them. The wolves have been said to be the "missing link" in nature, but ranchers think the opposite to this. They think...