HOWLINGS

Compassionate Conservation Volume 3, Summer 2015

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Through education, dispelling the myths.

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3 week FASHION fundraiser!

Proceeds go towards organizing and

hosting public events throughout

Canada for upcoming National Wolf

Awareness Week Oct 12 - 18th.

Wolf Awareness recently took part in a conference hosted by the Born Free Foundation titled

“Compassionate Conservation”. One of the defining pillars of this movement includes “First, do

no harm”. In light of the backwards slide in animal welfare, ecology and conservation

considerations which have come at the cost of industry and resource extraction interests, it was

fitting to see this meeting take place in western Canada. There were exceptional keynote

speakers, whose words resonated deeply as they asked some difficult questions, probing us to

reflect upon our every day actions and how they affect other species. Learn more about this

discussion from Dr. Marc Bekoff in his monthly blog in Psychology Today. Dr. Bekoff, author of

“Rewilding Our Hearts” and many other great reads, was the inspiration for our latest round of

“funder tee’s” (at right).

Several experts from around the world urged participants to consider the welfare of individuals

to be just as important as that of populations. Others asked that instead of simply minimizing

harm, we strive to provide a GOOD QUALITY of life for all species. Wolf Awareness is proud

to be part of the growing field and movement towards compassionate conservation. Although

there are admittedly some diverse opinions, these issues are worthy and necessary of re-

considering as human morals evolve. Our knowledge based on science and experience has

increased our understanding of and empathy towards other species, which should ultimately

influence our deeds and conduct. Will government practices keep up?

Let’s Apply Compassionate Conservation NOW! BC is now reviewing the provinces Predator Conflict Management Policy . There is now

potential for the revision process to: i) bring management practices into sync with

contemporary science & current understandings surrounding large carnivore needs and

behaviour; ii) increase provincial responsibility to conserve large carnivores in times of a global

decline; iii) ensure that animal welfare and ethical practices are prioritized. Read an article in

the Vancouver Sun where WAI weighs in on the issue.

When it comes to wolves and coyotes, BC (and many other provinces across Canada) has

become accustomed to harmful practices, still entrenched in old ways and methods (eg. aerial

gunning, lax hunting/trapping). There is a need to reconnect government methods with

science and compassion for other species and ecological processes. The disconnect that has

occurred is evident in the use of sanitizing language throughout the policy document such as

“control, harvest, taking of, and removal” when these words indicate killing, sterilizing,

poisoning, and destroying individuals and sometimes entire families AFTER humans have

created a situation for interaction.

As the human population continues to skyrocket, we are creating more interfaces where conflicts with wildlife will occur. This

highlights the need for more efforts on prevention and coexistence as well as the need to set aside large core reserve areas for

large carnivores to thrive. Time to change the narrative from one of dominance to one of tolerance and redefine how we treat apex

predators in the natural world before it’s too late .

Photo Peter Dettling

HOWLINGS - In celebration of wolves!

Wolves, like people, communicate in many ways. They use their voice, face,

posture, hair, and tail as well as their senses of smell, touch, vision, and

taste. Skilled communicators, wolves choose what they need to get their

message across: during the day, for example, they may communicate with

posture, but at night howling or other vocal signals may work better.

Howling, the most well known type of wolf communication, is an attention

grabber. According to Fred Harrington and Cheryl Asa in Wolves: Behavior,

Ecology, and Conservation, howling can “instantly reach an audience from

near to far at any time day or night…” But much of the vocal communication

between wolves is quieter, like the subtle sounds from pups in a dark den.

Pups are deaf at birth, start to hear by day 14, and by day 20 reach their

adult hearing level. During those two deaf weeks, they moan, whine, squeal,

and scream, but these sounds decrease as pups grow. By three to four

weeks of age—when emerging from the den with adult level hearing—pups

can make all the sounds of an adult and howl with the pack. But another six

weeks must pass before a pup sounds like an adult.

Adult sounds, according to one researcher, can be divided into two

categories: harmonic and noisy. Harmonic sounds such as whimpers,

whines, and yelps are used when acting friendly and submissive, Noisy

sounds such as growls, snarls, woofs, and barks are made when being

aggressive or dominant. Other researchers found that when wolves are

close together, howling sounds discordant, but when separated by at least

ten yards, their howling is harmonious.

Howling is long-distance communication. Wolves can hear another wolf howl

up to six miles away in a forest and up to ten miles away on tundra. But

howling is not long-lasting communication like scent marking. Harrington and

Asa write that an average howl from a single wolf lasts only three to seven

seconds. A chorus by a pack can last 30 to 120 seconds, and longer during

Want to Bring Wolf Awareness into a School or Community Event Near You?

WAI would love to visit your community to deliver: i. Curriculum-based education school programs, ii. Public presentations

tailored to groups of all ages, iii. informative booths at special events.

WAI was thrilled to present to children aged 5 through 9 participating in Petit Tournesol French Club , Golden BC. Children learned how to express themselves in the ways of the wolf!

WAI programs are designed to offer a unique glimpse at how large carnivores can effect the health of entire ecosystems. Ask yourself: Will we be one of the first provinces or even countries to deliberately save fundamental pieces of our natural fabric?

YOU can help to ensure that we do.

Help us SPREAD WOLF AWARENESS by organizing or hosting a presentation,

film screening, discussion night, school program or educational workshop. Contact: WolfAwareness@gmail.com

More Details on next page

How Wolves Communicate. Part 1: Howling By wolf advocate and author Rick Lamplugh

Photo Peter A. Dettling © - www.TerraMagica.ca

HOWLINGS

HELP us spread Wolf Awareness!

Spreading the Word for Wolves

DONATIONS gratefully accepted

MAIN OFFICE: RR3, Ailsa Craig, ON Canada N0M 1A0 SATELLITE OFFICE/CORRESPONDENCE: 21-514 Anderson Rd, Golden, BC Canada V0A 1H1 Phone: 250.272.HOWL (4695) Email: WolfAwareness@gmail.com http://www.Wolfawarenessinc.org

breeding season.

Short or long, howling works. It helps wolves find pack mates and can be part

of a reunion. Unfamiliar howls reveal strangers. Lone wolves howl for a mate.

Though many people believe that wolves howling together must be a bonding

experience, Harrington and Asa say that there is no empirical evidence to

support this. They also say that you can’t determine the size of a pack from its

chorus howl, and ”In times of uncertainty, wolves may use a ‘poker’ howl that

limits the amount of information that might be available to unintended ears.”

Howling even varies with the seasons. Doug Smith, head of Yellowstone’s

Wolf Project, told a reporter for Living on Earth that during denning season,

wolves stop howling to their neighbors and howl only to pack mates. But as

summer progresses, wolves howl more and more to neighbors and enemies.

This territorial howling peaks in February during the breeding season.

In a future post, I will write about other ways that wolves communicate.

To listen to a variety of howls on the Living with Wolves website:

http://bit.ly/1Gq8eCS

Rick Lamplugh is a wolf advocate and author of the Amazon Bestseller In the

Temple of Wolves: A Winter’s Immersion in Wild Yellowstone. Available as

eBook or paperback at http://amzn.to/Jpea9Q. Or as a signed copy from the

author at http://bit.ly/1gYghB4.

WAI selected favourite wolf quotes of all time…

“You and I are as much responsible for

the future of wolves as we are for our own

children and for all creatures of this

earth” .

Michael W Fox, Soul of the Wolf

Photo Peter Dettling ©

Jo in o ur Wo lf Co nse r vat io n T e am!

Photo Peter A. Dettling

Follow My Paw Prints ©

Wolf Awareness

Play an active role in wolf conservation by becoming a sponsor of

our Chilcotin Wolf Feeding Ecology Research Project. An annual

sponsorship is possible for WAI Members (WAI Membership is

lifetime!). Sponsors receive updates about the research project

and the wolves involved. A single sponsorship is $40, group/class

sponsorships are $50 and corporate sponsorships are $100.

Note: All sponsors will receive tax receipt and a certificate

recognizing their important contribution.

ROBERT BATEMAN ART For A CAUSE

On-line Auction Ends September 8th! Limited

edition artist proofs signed by Robert Bateman.

Each beautiful wolf image has been custom framed. Place your bid directly and securely at

www.biddingowl.com/ wolfawareness

“Edge of Night—Timber Wolves”

“Deep Winter Wolves”

Follow My Paw Prints©!

-Submitted by Sophie Vigneau

Wolves and humans alike need to be allowed to exist and flourish in

the complex environment that we share. The human dimension of

beliefs, conflicts, and negative perceptions regarding wolves needs to be

addressed in an educational way to give us humans the knowledge to

fight for protection of these incredible creatures. Valuable information

about wolves needs to be shared with the humans that coexist with large

carnivores to give them the tools to understand and even strive to protect

their fascinating furry neighbors. Above all, us humans need to increase

tolerance levels to allow large predators to survive and thrive. The

human role in large carnivore conservation is too reliant on the economic

and political goals and needs of human beings. When this bias is

implemented in conservation efforts the large carnivores lives, biological

requirements in their simplest form, and ability to procreate and thrive as

a species are compromised (1). Humans need to be open to analyzing

their own misconceptions and myths about wolves and other large

carnivores, and work towards a world where we protect our wildlife and

change our commonly adopted societal (and often misconstrued)

attitudes towards the wild animals we share our land with. If wolves and

humans can coexist in an environment free of negative impacts and

presumptions, there will be much less human-wildlife conflicts and the

chance for happier wolves and humans all around.

(1)Ordiz, Andres, Richard Bischof, and Jon E. Swenson. “Saving Large

Carnivores, but Losing the Apex Predator?” Biological Conservation 168:128

Visiting the Human Dimension as We Dance, Waltz and Collide

Through education, dispelling the myths.

Edge of Night—Timber Wolves

Deep Winter Wolves

Catching the Scent

Have you got a question? Have you got something to share with other

Wolf Awareness Members? Don’t be shy! We want to hear from you!

www.wolfawarenessinc.org

With support and project sponsorship received from Animal Alliance of Canada, non-

profit group Wolf Awareness has seen the launch of a double-sided billboard along

Alberta's Highway 2 between Calgary and Red Deer alerting visitors and residents

alike to the province's misguided war on wolves. (See photos next page). The

billboard is intended to bring exposure to the dire situation wolves are facing and

heighten awareness about preserving this keystone species as a fundamental part

of healthy ecosystems.

“In Alberta, Grey wolves are treated like vermin. Wolf families are exposed to lethal

threats from every angle: aerial gunning from helicopters, neck-snares, and poison-

baited carcasses set out to lure wolves and many non-target species to their

excruciating death littering parts of the landscape,” said Sadie Parr, executive

director for Wolf Awareness. “Lenient wolf hunting and trapping regulations exist

across the province, fracturing integral family units nearly year-round. Alberta has

become a full-on war-zone for wolves.”

Big Lakes is one example of numerous bounty programs across the province,

providing $300 for each dead wolf turned in since 2010. Other bounties offer $500.

Dwight Rodtka, a retired Problem Wildlife Specialist with Alberta Agriculture,

reported:

"The municipal district of Big Lakes has claimed 647 wolves in their bounty program

in less than five years. During the previous winter 2014/15, sixty two wolves were

registered through AB Fish and Wildlife by registered trappers in the Sundre and

Rocky districts alone. Most or all of these were for bounty payments put forward by

the Wyoming Sheep Foundation. Another nineteen wolves were registered as killed

by hunters in these areas. These are bare minimums."

Last winter in those districts alone, that could amount to ten or more families being

annihilated, or several more facing emotional trauma as individuals are taken from

their family and functional way of living. Ignored is the evidence that exploited wolf

populations lead to smaller and more unstable packs, smaller territories, increased

stress and reproductive hormone levels, potentially more prey killed per capita,

and/or alternative prey killed, by these inexperienced wolf packs. All of this can and

does increase conflicts with humans, who see wolves as competitors for livestock as

well as wild game.

These billboards are aimed at raising the profile about the reality wolves are facing

in Alberta. There still remains the opportunity to do things differently. Will the

province's new leaders be brave enough to choose to begin to right the wrongs

being done to this highly persecuted being? Will they be wise enough to promote

the goal of learning to coexist with this ecologically important, exceptionally

intelligent and socially advanced creature?

. Please DONATE to help make this visual campaign a lasting reality.

Wolf Awareness Billboard Campaign Update

“You may choose to look the other way,

but you can no longer say that you did not know”

- W. Wilberforce.

Wolf Awareness Inc. was established in

1987 as a non-profit, charitable

foundation (Canada Revenue Agency

Charitable no. 119301851 RR001) whose

primary goal is to foster an awareness

and appreciation of wolf ecology and

conservation. We achieve our mission

through the development and

implementation of educational programs

and by supporting scientific wolf research.

WAI functions as a critical link between

scientists and the public, using the results

of scientific research as a knowledge

base for educational and public outreach

programs.

Can you help to share these

petitions? Those calling the shots are not

in the line of fire. Click HERE to sign a petition asking Alberta’s new premier Rachel Notley to Stop the inhumane killing of wolves in Alberta. Click HERE to sign a petition through change.org asking BC decision

makers to stop killing wolves.

THANK

YOoouuuuuu….

Animal Alliance of

Canada for

sponsoring WAI’s

billboard campaign!

HOWLINGS — In celebration of wolves!

Every donation helps us to become a stronger

voice for wolves!

Please help us to expose the challenges and

suffering this incredible animal faces in Canada,

and to reveal the inherent and ecological values of

this apex predator.

We hope you will continue to support our efforts

towards wolf conservation and also

JOIN THE DISCUSSION!

Coexistence is key.

TOGETHER we CAN create CHANGE!

Interior AB Hwy 2 August 6—Oct 30

WAI President Gary Allan Updates Members on the Freedom

of Information Process Underway in BC

WAI has filed 5 FOI requests to the Ministry of Forests, Lands,

and Natural Resource Operations (FLNR) since late January

2015. We are seeking information from this Ministry on the aerial

wolf cull they are conducting in the South Selkirks and South

Peace areas of BC. WAI is looking for basic information on this

cull such as its duration, the logistics behind the cull, FLNR's

rationale for the cull, the number of wolves killed, whether FLNR

is in compliance with animal care guidelines for this activity, and

other pertinent information. Our ultimate goal is to glean

information that will strengthen our case to have the cull

terminated.

So far the information packages we have received are

disappointing. Much of the material is redacted and severed. It

certainly appears that FLNR is not as transparent about wolf

management in BC as they claim. I feel that Steve Thomson's

ministry does not want to release any information that will be

damaging, thereby invoking even more public outrage for this

activity to stop.

Given that WAI feels FLNR is not complying with the Freedom of

Information legislation, we have filed reviews with the Office of

the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC). The

Commissioner will review the information released and the

information which has been redacted and severed , and hopefully

will rule in our favor. This will compel FLNR to release the

information to WAI so we can continue our opposition to this

aerial cull and have it terminated. Read about this in the Tyee.

Listen to an interview of Gary speaking with Defenders Radio.

Wolf Awareness

Speaking Up for Wolves

Interior AB Hwy 2 August 6—Oct 30

Interior BC Trans-Canada Hwy 1, August 15—Sept 15

WolfAwarenessInc.org

Phone: 250.272.HOWL (4695) email: wolfawareness@gmail.com Twitter: @wolfawareness Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/wolfawareness/