Cbapter 6 ICause/EffectEssays 107Theauthorofthefollowingessayfavorstheprogram.Asyouread,lookforthe
reasonsshegivesforsupportingthewolves'return.Themodelessayatthebegin-
ningofthischapterfocusedoncauses,butthisessayfocusesoneffects:Whatwere
theeffectsofthewolves'absence?Whataretheeffectsofthewolves'return?
WelcomingBacktheTopDog^1
1 Inourhomes,onourbeds,anddeepwithinourheartsliecreaturesfor
whomthewildismorethana whisper-domesticatedversionsofanimalslong
reviledbyhumankind.Forebearsofourbeloveddogsandcats,wolvesand
mountainlionshaveshareda fatefarremovedfromthatoftheirtamercousins.
Fearedfortheirintelligenceandphysicalprowess,wolvesandmountainlions
werenearlyeradicated.It is onlyrecentlythatwehavebeguntounderstandthe
vitalrolethesepredatorsplayinkeepingnatureinbalance.Onlyrecentlyhavewe
stoppedpersecutingandstartedappreciatingthewondersofthesewildbeings.
2 Justinthenickoftime.Luckily,whengivenpoliticalprotectionfrom
trigger-happyhumansandhabitatwithsufficientprey,wolvesandmountainlions
thriveandtheirpopulationsquicklyrevive.Whilemountainlionshav.§alwayseked
outanexistenceinCalifornia,wolveswereexterminateddecadesago.Butnow,
thepotentialexistsforwolvestomovenaturallyintothefarreachesofnorthern
CaliforniaandOregonfromthenorthernRockies.
3 Wolveswereextinctinthelower 48 statesformorethanhalfa century.Their
restorationtothewildlandsofMontana,Idaho,andYellowstoneNationalParkin
themid-1990screatedvirtuallaboratoriesforwildlifebiologists-andpeoplelike
youandme-toobservethespeciesinitsnaturalelement.Webegantosee
almostimmediatelythatwolvesgeneratea rippleeffectthroughouttheecosystem
forwhichmanyotherspecies,someendangeredthemselves,benefit.
4 Makinga livinginthewildis hard.Asatoppredator,wolvesmakelife
easierbyputtingfoodonthegroundforscavengers.Grizzlybears,baldeagles,
goldeagles,ravens,coyotes,mountainlions,magpies,wolverines,andbeetles
allenjoyfeastingonwolfkills.Thankstothewolves,theendangeredgrizzlybear
is enjoyinga renaissanceanditsnumbershavetakena turnforthebetterin
partsoftheWest.InYellowstone,individualgrizzlypearsaretakingadvantage
ofa goodthing:They'vebeenseenfollowingwolfpacks,waitingforthemto
makea killandthenstealingthecarcassbeforethehard-workingwolves
havehada chancetotakeevena bite!Ninety-poundwolvesarenomatchfor
one-thousand-poundgrizzlies.
5 Thedanceoflifeanddeathbetweenpredatorandpreymakesmanyofus
uncomfortable,yetpreyspeciesarealsobenefitingfromthereturnofthewolf.
Unlikehumanhunters,whotargethealthyadultanimals,wolvescullthesickand
elderlyfromelk,deer,moose,andbisonherds,reducingthespreadofdisease
andkeepingthepreypopulationhealthier.
6 "It'simportanttorememberthatpredatorsandpreyevolvedinlockstep
togetherovermillionsofyears,"saysAmaroqWeiss,BS,MS,JD,western
directorofspeciesconservationforDefendersofWildlife.'Theymakeeach
otherwork."lCardo,Sheri."WelcomingBacktheTopDog."AnimalChronicles15.1(Spring2004):1+.AMarin
HumaneSocietyPublication.