The magazine of The UK Wolf Conservation Trust, published quarterly

Issue 18 Winter 2003

Published by:The UK Wolf Conservation TrustButlers Farm, Beenham,Reading RG7 5NTTel & Fax: 0118 971 3330e-mail: ukwct@ukwolf.orgwww.ukwolf.org

EditorDenise Taylor Tel: 024 7626 4326e-mail: denisetaylor@ntlworld.com

Editorial TeamJulia Bohanna,Andrew Matthews,Gwynne Power, Sue Sefscik

Contributors to this issue:Zanete Andersone, Dominic Earl, John LinnellRalph Maughan, Sue Sefscik, Monty SloanElena Tsingarska, Stuart Williams

Design Team: Phil Dee Tel: 01788 546565Stephania Balbo, Paul Swainson

PatronsDesmond MorrisErich KlinghammerChristoph Promberger

The UK Wolf Conservation Trust DirectorsNigel BulmerCharles HicksRoger PalmerDenise Taylor

The UK Wolf Conservation Trust is a company limited by guarantee. Registered in England &Wales. Company No. 3686061

The opinions expressed in this magazine are notnecessarily those of the publishers or The UK WolfConservation Trust.

All rights reserved through the world. Reproduction in anymanner, in whole or in part, in English or other languages,prohibited. This work may not be photocopied or otherwisereproduced within the terms of any license granted by theCopyright Licensing Agency Ltd or the Publishers LicensingSociety Ltd.

Aims of The UK Wolf Conservation Trust

● To enhance the conservation, scientific knowledgeand public awareness of the environment.

● To stimulate greater interest in Wolves, theirfood, their habitat and their behaviour.

● To provide opportunities for both ethologicalresearch and for people to interact with Wolves.

● To improve the chances of survival of EuropeanWolves in the wild.

● To set up an education programme for schools,conservationists and dog trainers.

Cover price: £3.00Subscription rates (incl P&P):United Kingdom: £14.00 (non-members);£12.00 (UKWCT members).Rest of world: £16.00 (non-members);£14.00 (UKWCT members).

Looking back on 2003, the World Wolf Congress in Banff in September was thehighlight of my wolf year. The congress brought together 500 people from aroundthe world to talk about wolves and their conservation. I met old friends and made

some new ones, and I was motivated and inspired by the discussions taking place,especially those that involved the ethics and philosophy. My own pet theme, education, was also high on the agenda at the conference. I have written about some of thehighlights from my time in Canada in this issue, but these by no means includeeverything I experienced in this beautiful part of the world. The organisers did anexcellent job bringing together such a diverse group of people, and should be justifiablyproud of this great achievement. And as for Banff – if you haven’t been there, then Istrongly recommend that you do. The scenery is incredible, the people are genuinelyfriendly, and simply waking every morning and breathing in such fresh mountain air wasintoxicating for a city girl like me.

One of our regular contributors, Sue Sefscik, has written about the Dire Wolf, whichhas been long extinct. In contrast, other contributors have written about very recentevents: the current outbreak of rabies in the Ethiopian wolf population, a report on ameeting in Spain in November, and updates from Bulgaria and Latvia.

And finally, an apology to our readers. I know Wolf Print is sometimes late landingon your doormat, which is mainly due to the fact that we are all volunteers at the UKWolf Conservation Trust and undertake this work in our spare time. This time, I havealso had the added difficulty of overcoming a nasty viral illness which has refused to goaway. It is my New Year resolution in 2004 to try and stick to magazine deadlineswherever possible. And on that note, I also hope you have a happy and prosperous2004, and that you continue to support our work at the UK Wolf Conservation Trustin helping wolves and their conservation in the wild areas of Europe and thewider world.

Eddiittoorriiaall

WolfPrint is printed on re-cycled paper. Printed by Colorco. Coventry (024) 7671 1005

PICTURE CREDITS

Cover and of various wolves on pages 6, 8, 9, 14, and 17,Dominic Earl

Wolves of the World

Wolves, lynx and bears: a new projectin the Baltics

Profile of the Dire Wolf (Canis Dirus)

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I ns ide th i s i ssue. . .

Ethiopian Wolf update

Wolves hunted again in Bulgaria

“Living with the wolf” -Segovia, Spain, November 2003

World Wolf Congress - Banff,Alberta Canada

Book Review

Wolves of the World4

treasures, like Tommy Sheridanor Kirsty Wark.

The forces ranged against him, however, are formidable,including sheep farmers, who aresaid to be outraged at theproposal, and Scottish NaturalHeritage, which howls: "Wolvesaren't on our agenda at all!"Presumably because they don'texist in these parts. Be that asit may, Mr van Vlissingen isdetermined to pursue his dream."We have to be more daring inour thinking," he says. "We can'tkeep depending on the LochNess monster for tourists."Which, when you come to thinkof it, makes a lot of sense.

Source:Alan Taylor's Diaryhttp://www.sundayherald.com/36409

FinlandPredator PopulationsGrowing Slowly

According to census estimatesreleased on Wednesday, thenumber of wolves, wolverines

Pack of wolves appears infront of motorist nearRussian border

Ministy of Agriculture andForestry grants licence tokill one wolf

A large pack of wolves was seenon Tuesday night on a road nearTohmajärvi in Northern Karelia,not far from the Russian borderand the border crossing point atNiirala. Local farmer AnteroNenonen met the pack shortlybefore seven while driving on theHuikkola road between Kiteeand Tohmajärvi.

"I saw at least nine or tenwell-nourished wolves. Theyscattered into the forest", saysNenonen. He notified the localGame Management Associationas well as police, and localhunters went to identify thetracks. Nenonen met the wolvesin a forested area some 2.5 kmfrom the nearest village.

In and around Tohmajärvi anumber of solitary wolves as wellas groups of several animals have

EUROPE ANDSCANDINAVIA

United KingdomWolves: the new NessieHAVING made this benightedheath a safe haven for foxes, whowould bet against the ScottishExecutive sanctioning thereintroduction of the wolf?Older readers may recall seeinga wolf as recently as 1745. Sincethen, alas, sightings have beenrarer than tax cuts. But thatcould all change. Paul vanVlissingen the wealthy Dutchbusinessman who owns the80,000-acre Letterewe estate inthe Western Highlands, wants toreintroduce the wolf.

His logic is incontrovertible."To people who say this is aridiculous idea," he says, "I simplypose this question: if there werestill wolves in the wild inScotland, would you want themkilled? It would be unthinkable."If Mr van Vlissingen has his way,the wolves would be protectedby law and treated as national

and lynx increased in 2002.Meanwhile the bear populationr e m a i n e d t h e s a m e o rslightly declined. The highestconcentrations of bears were ineastern Finland as well as west ofLake Päijänne in central Finland.

The wolf population was alsoconcentrated in the east, butthere were also active dens inparts of central and southernFinland. The smaller wolverinesare most common in the fells ofLapland, with a small breedingpopulation in western Finlandas well.

Last year there was a recordnumber of sightings of largepredators, 13,800 in total.

At the end of 2002, there werean estimated 870 lynx, 830 bears,135 wolves and 125 wolverinesin Finland. However many ofthese animals wander acrossnational borders, so no precisefigures are available.

Source:http://ww2.yle.fi/pls/show/page?id=231086

Wolves of the World 5

Map Stefania Balbo

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1. United Kingdom2. Finland3. Norway4. USA5. Canada6. India7. China

The Ministry of Agriculture andForestry granted one. "Threewould have been better, butthis is better than nothing",says Olavi Ehrukainen, ExecutiveManager of the Tohmajärvi GameManagement Association. "Eventhough some people fear wolves,there is no hysteria in the air."

The elk hunting season willstart on Saturday. The wolves

moving in the area pose athreat to hunting dogs. "Theyhave been seen to attack a dogeven when the hunter is standingnearby. I won't set my own dogloose in an elk hunt until thesituation has cooled down.Several of my friends agree,"argues Ehrukainen.

Source:http://www.helsinki-hs.net/news.asp?id=20030926IE6

NorwayNew wolf pack roamseastern NorwayA group of men out huntingmoose in the eastern Norwegianvalley called Oesterdalen had aclose encounter with a pack ofwolves last Saturday. Theysnapped digital photos andexperts now say the wolvesconstitute a new family.

been seen recently. Last weekwolves killed two calves andsavaged a third.A number of dogshave been taken by wolves, too."There are now too many wolvesin this area.The packs have to bedispersed, because there are alsobears in the forest. People don'tdare to go picking lingonberries."

One of the local farms appliedfor licences to kill three wolves.

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arrow while peering into afarmer's sheep pen.

The wolf, an endangeredspecies in Michigan, is otherwiseextinct in Missouri. And theGrundy County farmer, whomistook the 80-pound caninefor a coyote, didn't see thenumbered ear tag and radio-tracking collar until the wolfwas dead.

The hunter likely could havedisposed of the wolf with littlefear of discovery. Instead, he tookthe carcass to a Missouriconservation agent, who tracedthe wolf back to near Ironwood,Mich.

Records at the MichiganDepartment of NaturalResources show that the wolfkilled Oct. 23 in Missouri was ajuvenile weighing 22 poundswhen it was initially caught in July1999 in Michigan. That's when itwas fitted with an ear tag and aradio collar.

Michigan officials followed themovements of Wolf No. 18 fornine months, then lost track of it.They had a hard time believingthe news when informed of theanimal's death in Missouri.

As the crow flies, the distancefrom Michigan to Missouri isroughly 450 miles. By the way awolf travels, crossing theMississippi River and countlesshighways, it's more like 600 miles.That ranks among the longestwolf journeys documented bythe Michigan Department ofNatural Resources.

Young wolves, especiallymales, are prone to leave theirbirth places to carve out theirown territories.

"You have to wonder howmany people saw this animalalong the way and either kept itto themselves or told people andweren't believed," said MichiganDNR Biologist Dean Beyer.

The man who shot the wolfwon't be prosecuted, since hewas protecting his livestock andbelieved the animal was a coyote.

"For years, we havebelieved and told people thatthere were no wild wolvesin Missouri," said Dave Hamilton,a wildlife research biologist forthe Missouri ConservationDepartment. "We can't say thatanymore, though the likelihoodof seeing a genuine gray wolfhere still is extremely small."

Gray wolves, also known astimber wolves, were killed off inMissouri by the end of the 19thcentury. Now the state lackswilderness areas large enough to

Wolves of the World6

Researcher Petter Wabakken,who specializes in trackingpredators at a college inHedmark, confirms the wolvesseen last weekend are theoffspring of a pair observed inthe area last winter.

"This means we have a newflock on Norwegian soil,"Wabakken told newspaperAftenposten Friday. He hasdubbed it "Julussaflokken," afterthe name of the area wherethey're roaming.

The hunters told newspaperHamar Arbeiderblad that thewolves came so close that theyfired warning shots to scarethem off. They counted as many

as six wolves as they tookdigital photos.

The area that they're believedto call home borders onthat where the so-calledGraafjellflokken" roams farthernorth in Oesterdalen. Morepuppies also have been spottedthere this year.

Environmental officials havedesignated the area as a safehaven for the wolves, wherethey'll be allowed to establishthemselves with no huntingallowed.

Meanwhile, another wolf packthat frequented the area east ofMoss, south of Oslo, hasdisappeared. Authorities believe

the male leader of the pack wasshot in an illegal hunt.

Source:http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article.jhtml?articleID=639309

NORTH AMERICA

United StatesHungry wolf shot after 600-mile trekAfter a roughly 600-mile trekacross rivers and woods, fromMichigan's Upper Peninsula toMissouri's farmland, a wanderinggray wolf was fatally shot with an

Photo: Dominic Earl

fearing livestock predation.Wolves, however, have killed farfewer livestock than even thebiologists predicted, and coyoteskilled 28 times more sheep andlambs in 2002 than wolves did,according to the MontanaAgricultural Statistics Service.

Proponents of restorationnoted the potential biologicalbenefits, increased tourism, and asense that there is somethingspecial about restoring adangerous mammal that roamedacross the continent beforehumans killed most of them off.

Source:By Nicholas Thompson, BostonGlobehttp://www.boston.com/news/globe/health_science/articles/2003/09/30/not_just_a_predator/

CanadaSlain wolf likely last male inpackDeath the third in theregion in two monthsA black wolf killed earlyDecember near Canmore waslikely the last male member ofthe Bow Valley pack. The smallBow Valley pack, which consistedof a mother and son team, hasmost likely been reduced to alone female.

A motorist struck a wolf onHighway 1A, 15 kilometres eastof Canmore, at about 2 a.m.Thedriver alerted RCMP to theaccident. Rod Jaeger,Alberta Fishand Wildlife conservation officer,said the wolf was found at 8 a.m.,and his body was still warm.

"I don't know if he died rightaway," Jaeger said. CarolynCallaghan of the Central RockiesWolf Project said she believesthe wolf is from the Bow Valleypack, which dens in BanffNational Park. Genetic testing isbeing done on the carcass toverify which pack the wolf wasfrom.There are 12 wolf packs inthe central Rockies.

The death marks the third wolfmortality in the Bow Valley in thepast two months. In earlyOctober, two individuals of thedeclining Fairholme pack werekilled near the Stewart Creekturnoff, just east of Canmore.

"This area is protected forwolves. It is a wildland park - youcan't rifle hunt in this area, BanffNational Park is right next doorand yet wolves are still at greatrisk of mortality by humans,"Callaghan said. In November, theFairholme pack, which dens inBanff National Park, sustained

wolves being (introduced) in anecosystem," said David Mech, abiologist with the US GeologicalSurvey who has done wolfresearch in Yellowstone. "But Ihave been cautioning people notto jump to conclusions. It'searly." Mech adds that wolvescould also bring about potentialunhelpful biological change, forexample through the cascadingeffects of the reduction in thecoyote population.

Smith acknowledges the largeuncertainty over future effectsand concedes that there isn'tabsolute scientific certaintyeither that the willows haveregrown or that the wolvesdeserve credit. But, he said,"when I walk over to Black TailCreek, I see willows that are overmy head. Five years ago, theywere barely at dirt level." Smithalso has studied aspen trees,another key species for manyanimals that appears to be doingslightly better than before wolveswere reintroduced.

When it comes to aspen andwillows, changes in elk behaviorseem to have much more effectthan changes in the elkpopulation. The National ParkService has tried several times tohelp plant species by killing elk,with little impact. In the mid-1960s, the Park Service triedkilling elk hoping that wouldrestore aspen growth. But it"didn't have any effect on theaspen," according to John Good,a now-retired Park Serviceemployee who participated inthe elk hunts.

Instead of simply killing them,the wolves - who hunt year-round and at night - keep theelk on their hooves all thetime. According to CarlSwoboda, director of SafariYellowstone, "The elk used to berelaxed. They'd go up toeveryone and shake theirhands and say `welcome toYellowstone.' They even said thatto the first wolves."

In 1995 and 1996, wolves fromCanada were brought toYellowstone and to central Idaho.Similar efforts by activist groupsto restore wolves totheAdirondacks and northernMaine have not gone far.Currently, about 250 wolves livein Yellowstone and thesurrounding area, a numberunlikely to increase since wolvestend to kill each other off athigher population densities.

Local ranchers have longopposed wolf reintroduction,

when humans exterminatedYellowstone's wolves in 1926.Though no peer-reviewed proofexists of their impact on thewillows, wolves may well bedemonstrating their role as a"keystone species," an animalwhose presence in the areaincreases diversity and overallecological health -- even as theyspend much of their time lungingat other animals' throats.

"Wolves are to Yellowstonewhat water is to the everglades,"said Doug Smith, the NationalPark Service's director of theWolf Restoration Project.

Willows help the park'snorthern Lamar Valley, which wasbeggared of the plant before thewolves returned, in several ways.For one, they provide a decentnesting and migratory stopoversite for many birds.According toRoger Pasquier, an ornithologistwith Environmental Defense,several bird species that nest inthe park could particularlybenefit, including the yellowwarbler, warbling vireo, and thetellingly named willow flycatcher.

Perhaps more important,beavers thrive on willows andthose waddling creatures

have recently returned to theLamar Valley after a long absence.

Wolves do eat beavers, but thebeavers seem to be quite willingto exchange a small chance atending up in a wolf's belly for agood chance at their own tastywillow lunches. There are nowfour beaver colonies in andaround the valley. There werenone before wolves returned.One colony even lives right neara wolf den.

Almost wherever they exist,beavers create biologicaldiversity when they build poolsof slow-moving water aroundtheir dams. These pools createhabitat for otters, muskrats,insects, moose, and manybird species.

Wolves also appear to behelping other larger species. RickMcIntyre, another wolf biologistin the park who has tracked theanimals by radio nearly every dayfor more than three years, notesthat many scavenging species,such as ravens, magpies, and evengrizzly bears, eat the leftoversfrom wolf kills.

A pack of wolves generally eatsonly about half of each of its kills,leaving plenty for other speciesto dine on.

A number of scientists cautionthat much is still unknown. "Youcan expect changes as a result of

sustain wolves without humanconflicts, Hamilton said.

But Minnesota has retained awild population, which grewgradually after the species wasgranted protection and nowtotals 2,445.

Wolves from Minnesota havedispersed into Michigan andWisconsin, where theyhave established independentpopulations and are classified asendangered. Michigan's wolfpopulation is estimated at 200.Wisconsin has an estimated 250gray wolves.

Source:http://www.kcstar.com/item/pages/local.pat,local/3acd1a7f.b01,.html

Yellowstone NationalParkNot just a predator - Wolvesbring a surprising ecologicalrecovery to YellowstoneLAMAR VALLEY,YELLOWSTONENATIONAL PARK - It's amorning of freezing rain in thevalley and a pack of wolves isroaming around Black Tail Creek.A few pups gnaw on an old elkcarcass while some adults scoutthe nearby valleys for prey. Notfar away, a few elk have sensedthe impending danger and aredashing about. To the tourists inthe park, the prospect of a wolfattacking an elk is riveting. Tothe biologists staring into theirbinoculars, the real action istaking place in Black TailCreek itself.

There, a cluster of willowplants is flourishing along thecreek bed – a small but crucialsign that wolves are boostingbiological diversity and restoringbalance to America's oldestnational park.

According to numerousbiologists and wolf-watchers, thewillows have grown because theelk, worried about staying toolong in open streambeds, nolonger gorge on the nutritiousplants. Since the reintroductionof wolves in 1995, the elk havebeen increasingly itinerant anddrawn up out of the wetlandsto high rocky areas where theyeat more grass. As hunters,soldiers, and elk all know,streambeds and valleys aredangerous. Attackers can scoutfrom up high and pounce.

This is just one of thebiologically salutary effects thatwolves may have brought tothe park, restoring a centuries-old balance that was upset

Wolves of the World 7

Wolves of the World8

1Wildlife Institute of India,Postbox 18, Dehradun 248001,India2Genetics Program, SystematicBiology Department, NationalMuseum of Natural History,Smithsonian Institution, 3001Connecticut Avenue, NW,Washington, WA 20008-0551,USA3Department of BiologicalSciences, University of Durham,South Road, Durham DH1 3LE,UK* Author for correspondence (fleischer.robert@nmnh.si.edu).

ChinaWolf spotted at InnerMongolia airportHOHHOT November, 26(Xinhuanet) - Passengers at anairport in northern China's InnerMongolia had the good luck tosee a wolf run quickly along therunway and then disappear intothe grassland nearby.

The scene happened atDongshan Airport of Hailar inHulun Buir City, which is locatedon the fringe of grassland.

In the past, groups of wolvesroamed the area and thelocal government encouragedresidents to kill them becausethey attacked livestock, accordingto an old man who had worked inthe city for many years and oncekilled four wolves in 40 minutes.

As a result, the number ofwolves decreased sharply and theecological chain was destroyed.

In recent years, the localgovernment abolished the policyand took a series of measures toprotect the wild animals, resultingin an increase in numbers.

Source:http://news.xinhuanet.com/english / 2 0 0 3 - 1 1 / 2 6 / c o n t e n t _1200077.htmwww.chinaview.cn

Thank you to everyonewho has contributed newsand updates for Wolves ofthe World. Our specialthanks to Pat Morris(Wolfseeker) for theregular supply of wolfnews from around theworld, and to AndrewMatthews for his sub-editing work. Articles thatare reprinted in full areappropriately creditedwith the author’s nameand details of where thearticle was first published.

"If vehicles travel slowlyenough, you can respond towildlife crossing in front of you,but you have to slow down tomake that happen," Callaghansaid.

Source:Sonia Kuczaj - For The CalgaryHeraldFriday, December 05, 2003http://www.canada.com/calgary/story.asp?id=D7DDF69D-B769-4C7A-9082-9CB10B06F788

REST OF WORLD

IndiaAncient wolf lineages inIndiaAll previously obtained wolf(Canis lupus) and dog (Canisfamiliaris) mitochondrial (mt)DNA sequences fall within anintertwined and shallow clade(the 'wolf-dog' clade). Wesequenced mtDNA of recent andhistorical samples from 45 wolvesfrom throughout lowlandpeninsular India and 23 wolvesfrom the Himalayas and TibetanPlateau and compared thesesequences with all available wolfand dog sequences.All 45 lowlandIndian wolves have one of four

closely related haplotypes thatform a well-supported, divergentsister lineage to the wolf-dogclade. This unique lineage mayhave been independent for morethan 400 000 years. Althoughseven Himalayan wolves fromwestern and central Kashmir fallwithin the widespread wolf-dogclade, one from Ladakh in easternKashmir, nine from HimachalPradesh, four from Nepal andtwo from Tibet form a verydifferent basal clade. This lineagecontains five related haplotypesthat probably diverged fromother canids more than 800 000years ago, but we find noevidence of current barriers toadmixture. Thus, the Indiansubcontinent has three divergent,ancient and apparently parapatricmtDNA lineages within themorphologically delineated wolf.

No haplotypes of either novellineage are found within a sampleof 37 Indian (or other) dogs.Thus, we find no evidence thatthese two taxa played a part inthe domestication of canids.

Source:Dinesh K. Sharma1, Jesus E.Maldonado2, Yadrendradev V.Jhala1 and Robert C.Fleischer2,3*

another blow after a hunter inthe Columbia Valley, south ofGolden, B.C., shot a two-year-oldfemale from the pack.

It is estimated that theFairholme pack, which onceboasted 17 members, is nowdown to about four wolves.However, Callaghan cannot verifyhow many are left until tracks arelocated this winter.

Wolves tend to travel greatdistances and cross several man-made boundaries. To ensure thesafety of wolves outside ofprotected areas, Parks Canadaand the governments of Albertaand British Columbia must co-operate, say conservationists andresearchers.

"If we can't protect the wolvesin protected areas, then the fateof wolves in these areas is indoubt," said Jim Pisott, director ofDefenders of Wildlife Canada.

In September, hundreds of wolfresearchers and conservationistsmet in Banff at the World WolfCongress to share informationon wolf ecology, behaviourand management.

Discussed at the conferencewas the need to enforce speedlimits on the highways and toeducate motorists about beingcautious of wildlife on the roads.

Photo: Dominic Earl

In a previous issue of Wolf Print I wrote aboutthe status of wolves in Latvia. In spring 2003,a new research project was launched – "Largecarnivores in the northern landscapes: aninterdisciplinary approach to their regionalconservation". The project is funded by theResearch Council of Norway and involvespartners from Norway, Baltic States (Estonia,Latvia and Lithuania) and Poland.The UK WolfConservation Trust has also made a donationof 500 GBP, which enabled us to buy two wolfradio collars and two antennas.

The project is aimed at building scientificco-operation between Norway, Balticcountries and Poland and the transfer ofknowledge from Norway and Poland to theBaltic States. At the same time, Balticcountries can share their experience ofhuman – carnivore co-existence in thelong term.

The project covers a wide variety ofaspects, including human attitudes towardslarge carnivores (wolves, brown bears andlynx), damage and conflict levels, publicinformation, updating information about thedistribution of carnivores within the regionwith the subsequent GIS analysis in order toidentify potential ecological corridors in theregion. This will also be the first attempt touse radio-telemetry on large carnivores theBaltics. Within this project, Latvia will be theonly Baltic country trying to radio-collarwolves.The second species to be captured inLatvia is lynx. Estonia, in its turn, aims atcapturing brown bears and lynx.

Throughout the summer and autumn 2003,we worked on the preparations for thecaptures to be made in the winter season.Theequipment was ordered, the necessarycontacts made (with veterinarians, hunters,officials of the State Forest Service) and therequired permits obtained (for radio-frequencies, capture of animals, etc.). Once

9Wolves, lynx and bears: a new project in the Baltics

everything was in place, all we had to dowas sit and wait for the snow to come, whichis a crucial factor in wolf captures. Wehad planned to try the Polish method used inthe Bialowieza Forest by Dr. Henryk Okarmaand Dr. Wlodzimierz Jedrzejewski, i.e.,tracking down wolves by their tracks on thesnow and encircling them with a line of flags(an ancient method known as ‘fladry’).This isa very time- and resource-consumingmethod, and the success depends on the teamas well as good co-operation with hunters. Itis felt, however, that this is one of the leasttraumatic ways of capturing wolves and wefelt we would like to try this method firstbefore attempting to capture the wolves usingleg-hold traps (which are ordinary traps thathave been modified).

It is very early at this stage to say how theproject will progress, especially when takinginto account that this is a completely newproject for Latvia. Also, leading up toChristmas, there has been very little snow inthe study area in Kemeri National Park. In theage of global warming it is difficult to predictsnow conditions in winter. However, the teamhopes that snow conditions in January willallow them to start the practical work, whichwill hopefully provide obtain lots of new andinteresting data on wolf home ranges andtheir movements within the mosaic offorested and agricultural lands.

We would like to thank the ResearchCouncil of Norway and the UK WolfConservation Trust for their support andlook forward to further co-operation.

Wolves, lynx andbears: a new projectin the Baltics by Zanete Andersone

Photo: Dominic Earl

Dire Wolf (Canis Dirus)10

Profile of theDIRE DIRE WOLFWOLF (CANIS DIRUS)

EVOLUTIONSome time between 100 million and 65

million years ago, depending upon the source,small, rat-like mammals began to evolve.Because of the decline of the dinosaurs, theseanimals had the opportunity to thrive andgradually became more specialized. All theworld's mammals that exist today have acommon ancestor called creodont.Descendants of the creodont, Carnivora,began to emerge approximately 40 millionyears later. They were distinguished by thedevelopment of "carnassials" which are teethused for tearing flesh. This group of primitivecarnivores were called miacids. The miacidswere tree climbers with retractable claws.From the miacids evolved all dogs, bears,seals, cats, hyenas, weasels and civets. Thenabout 48 million years ago, the suborders ofFeliforma (felid, cats) and Caniforma (canid,dogs) arose.

Canids are the most ancient group ofcarnivores. The family, Canidae (see above),had three co-existing lineages, represented bythe subfamilies of Hesperocyoninae (ancientcanids), Borophaginae (hyena-like canids), andCanidae (modern canids).

The subfamily Hesperocyoninae were anancient group of canids that originated andremained in North America.They looked likea cross between a modern fox and a weasel.They become extinct about 15 million yearsago.The Hesperocyonid line also diverged andfrom the Nothocyon line of that cameTomarctus which gave rise to theBorophaginae. (See chart.)

The Borophaginae existed about 34 millionyears ago. They also lived only in NorthAmerica. They were much larger than theHesperocyonids and looked like a crossbetween a modern hyena and a dog. Like themodern hyena, they had very large, powerfuljaws. They became extinct about 2.5 millionyears ago.

The last group, Caninae, is the subfamilythat evolved into today's modern canids.Although all three groups co-existed, theCaninae did not flourish until Borophaginaeand Hesperocyoninae began to wane. Thisgroup also evolved only in North America

until about seven million years ago when theycrossed the land bridge into Asia.These canidscontinued to cross back and forth over theland bridge, migrating to and from Asia.Wildspecies of the Canidae (dog) family includefoxes, coyotes, jackals, dholes and wolves.They currently live on all the continentsexcept Antarctica.

It is hypothesized that the grey wolf(canis lupus) developed in Eurasia andmigrated to North America about a halfmillion years ago. The grey wolf would thenco-exist with the coyote (canis latrans) andthe dire wolf (canis dirus).

CHARACTERISTICSIn 1854, Francis Linck found a fragment offossilized bone on the banks of the OhioRiver near Evansville, Indiana. Following hisdeath a year later, the fossil was forwarded toJoseph Leidy in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Leidy determined that it was a new species ofwolf and named it Canis primaevus. He laterdiscovered that name was already used, so herenamed it Canis dirus in 1858.

The dire wolf ranged from Mexico to theupper Mississippi Valley and from the eastcoast to the west coast of North America.During the last Ice Age, the dire wolf proveda formidable competitor for the grey wolf. Ithad a more massive skull than the grey, with athicker and longer jaw. It also had a generallymore robust build, averaging 110 pounds,although it could potentially have reached 200pounds. It averaged five feet (1.5 meters) long.

Studies of fossil remains of the dire wolffrom the Rancho La Brea Tarpits in the LosAngeles, California, United States area, showthat the dire wolf was a close relation to thegrey or timber wolf. Those fossils show themain difference between the dire and the grey

TaxonomyKingdom: ● AnimaliaPhylum: ● ChordatesClass: ● MammaliaOrder: ● CarnivoraFamily: ● CanidaeGenus: ● CanisSpecies: ● Canis dirus (Extinct)

Skull (cast replica) - Pleistocene, between 10,000-40,000 years old / Rancho La Brea Tar pits, Los Angeles, California.

by Sue M. SefscikPhotos: Cameron Campbell http://www.naturalworlds.org

Dire Wolf (Canis Dirus) 11

western United States. Dire wolf fossils havealso been found in Texas. The grey wolf andcoyote of the Ice Age were probably verysimilar in look and behavior to their modernancestors. Each of the three co-existed witheach other; thus, none of the three species isthe direct ancestor of the others.

HYPOTHESIS OF EXTINCTIONWhen the last Ice Age ended, approximately10,000 years ago, the grey wolf began tomigrate southward which coincided with thedire wolf's decline. The end of the Ice Ageprecipitated the decline of the Pleistocene(Ice Age) megafauna (mammoth, mastodon,giant bison, etc.), which were the main preyof the dire wolf. The grey wolf proved itselfmore adaptable to the rapidly changinglandscape. With smaller limbs relative to itsbody size, the grey wolf was able to travelfarther and faster than the dire.Thus, it couldprey on the recently evolved smaller andswifter ungulates such as moose, caribou,musk ox and bison.

To survive in the harsh environment ofNorth America's far north, the grey wolf hadevolved into extremely cooperative familygroups. These cooperative hunting skillsallowed the grey wolf to move south into direwolf territory and thrive while the dire wolfdeclined and eventually became extinct.

Referenceshttp://www.lioncrusher.com/animal.asp?animal=35&page=4http://www.museum.state,il,us/exhibits/larson/canis.htmlhttp://www.tarpits.org/exhibits/fossils/15-wolf.htmlhttp://www.wolfology.com/id29.htm

RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER CANIDSBoth grey and dire wolves preyed on largeherbivores and thus could not readily coexist.The grey wolf was relegated to the icy tundra,far north of the dire wolf's range.The coyote,however, was able to coexist with the direwolf in the southern half of the continent.The coyote hunted small game and did notdirectly compete with the dire for food.

Although there may have been someinterbreeding between dire wolves and greywolves, this was not the norm.

The coyote, grey wolf and dire wolf have allbeen found in paleontological sites in the mid-

wolf is the size of their teeth. The dire wolfwas also a bit shorter than the grey wolf.Thedire had slightly larger teeth than the greywhich suggests that the dire could crushbones more efficiently. Much as modernwolves are kicked or stepped on whilechasing and capturing large prey such asmoose, the fossils of dire wolves show similartypes of injuries.

The dire wolf had a larger, broader headand shorter, more study legs than the modernwolf. The teeth were also much larger andmore massive.The area within the skull whichcontained the brain was also smaller than thegrey wolf. The lower part of the legs of thedire were proportionally shorter than thoseof the grey wolf.This would indicate that thedire was probably not as fast or efficient arunner as its modern cousin.

Paleontologists think that the dire wolf mayhave used its relatively large, massive teeth tocrush bone. The teeth found in the Tarpitshave large amounts of wear on their crowns.Some suggest that dire wolves may havesurvived in a way similar to modern hyenas,being scavengers as well as hunters.

Some biologists believe that the dire wolfwas not a social animal.They believe it reliedmore on its physical attributes than it did oncooperative hunting. Because it was notrequired to hunt cooperatively like thepresent day wolf, those biologists feel it mayhave shown aggression towards its own kind.Being a large, strong scavenger also limitedany necessity to be cooperative amongits own.

However, studies of the La Brea Tarpitsmight indicate otherwise. Over 3,600 direwolves have been recovered which is morethan any other species of mammal.This largenumber strongly suggests that the dire wolf,much like the saber toothed cat (Smilodonfatalis), may have hunted in packs. To thiswriter, it seems that as a member of the verysocial canis taxon, the dire wolf would not bethe exception to the cooperative hunting trait.

Canine tooth - Pleistocene, between 10-130 thousand years old / Withlacoochee River, Florida.

Metapodials (foot bones) - Pleistocene, between 10,000-1 million years old / Suwanne River, Suwanee Co., Florida.

Ethiopian Wolf update12

text

ETHIOPIAN ETHIOPIAN

Ethiopian Wolf update 13

WOLFWOLFby Stuart Williams

Co-ordinator – Ethopian Wolf Conservation ProgrammePhotos: Martin Harvey

The following is a report from StuartWilliams which was sent to us justafter publication of the last edition ofWolf Print which featured theEthopian Wolf

The already fragile population of wolves inEthopia is facing even further declinefollowing an outbreak of disease. To date,between 65-75% of the Web valley populationhas been lost to rabies. The Ethiopian WolfRecovery Programme team has recovered 35dead animals and has received assertivereports of a further two dead animals thatwere eaten by dogs. In addition, it is estimatedthat between 15-25 animals are missing fromthe area, presumed dead.

It has been difficult to monitor the situationin the Web valley accurately because it isapparent that there is some mixing ofsurvivors among the packs. Given thatidentifying the animals in the whole area isdifficult (cf. when they are confined to theirpack), it cannot be estimated how the re-shuffling is occurring. However, the team ishoping that they will be able to do this, posthoc, using the genetic identifications of theanimals - before the outbreak, the majority ofthe Web valley population was knownindividually from genetic work carried out byDeborah Randall.

Contrary to initial expectations, fivefemales are pregnant. It was previouslybelieved that because the rabies outbreakcoincided with the mating in the Web valley,adult females in oestrus should have comeinto contact with a high number of animals -thus, increasing the likelihood that they wouldcatch the disease. (Editors note: at the timeof going to press the pups should alreadyhave been born. We will bring you furthernews of this in the next issue.)

Prior to this latest outbreak, a team hadbeen out in the field catching and vaccinatingthe wolves in an attempt to contain thedisease.The focus has been on the Morobawaarea of the Bale Mountains: the disease hasbeen spreading through the Web packs inthis direction.

The team has consisted of the followingpeople: Darryn Knobel - who has carried outmost of the interventions to date; Dr KifleArgaw – a veterinary officer from theEthiopian Wildlife Conservation Organisation;Karen Laurenson - who replaced Darryn forten days, focusing mainly on the recaptures totest for seroconversion and titre levels of

antibodies - she also administered a secondvaccination dose to all animals that shecaught; Edriss Ebu - who has been responsiblefor many of the captures; Alo Hussein -assisting Edriss and taking over when Edrissgot sick; and assistants. There is also a largeteam in the field to monitor the wolvesfollowing their capture.

By 9th December 2003, 34 wolves from 10packs had been caught and vaccinated.Therehas been no mortality; only one wolf showedany sort of injury - with the skin being brokenby the leg-hold trap (the recaptured wolvesshowed some bruising where they hadbeen caught). The 34 wolves representapproximately 50% of the estimated 70 - 75wolves that are found in the Morobawa area,which has been the focus of the interventionto date. There was a high proportion ofwolves caught and vaccinated in the packsclosest to the disease 'front'. During lateDecember 2003, a further 16 wolves werecaught, including 11 recaptures. The serumfrom the recaptures was collected and thishas been sent to a laboratory in the UK totest from antibody titres.

The focus of the intervention is nowshifting to the Sanetti plateau, which holdsanother core subpopulation of wolves.

The team has unprecedented data on adisease outbreak of this sort among anywildlife population. In general these pivotaround the description of the outbreak,including transmission routes through thedomestic dogs and then through the packs.There is information on the number,distribution and (genetic) identities of animalsbefore the outbreak, and a certain amount ofinformation on the interim period during theoutbreak. Information will also be obtained onthe number, distribution and (genetic) identityof all animals. Thus, it will be possible to seewho died, when and where; who survived andhow they re-assembled into packs, and wherethe packs form.The re-shuffling and spatial re-arrangement of the packs can be assessedrelative to various environmental measures,including rodent abundance, etc. In addition tothis, there is the information on theintervention: the capture data such asanaesthetic used, etc; the effect of vaccinatingwolves (mortality among vaccinated vs.unvaccinated wolves, seroconversion and titrelevels with different dosages).

A considerable amount of funding has beenraised for the intervention – and the team isexpressly grateful for those people who havecome forward with funding at this time of

need.The funding has been necessary for thefollowing items:1. the equipment needs (veterinary, radio-

collars, spare parts for telemetryreceivers and aerials, batteries, chargers,binoculars, GPS's, eartags, some campingequipment),

2. team salaries and per diems (vet team,camp assistants, monitoring team for pre-capture assessment and post-capturefollow-up),

3. flights and visas (Darryn, Karen, twovolunteers),

4. in-country travel (fuel, vehicle costs),5. per diems for government officials visiting

the area and capture (EWCO andOromiya),

6. all drugs (anaesthetic, etc),7. extra communication costs,8. misc consumables,9. shipping samples, and10. processing samples at various labs.

The team has done an exceptional job todate and the Project Leaders are confidentthat the level of professionalism will continueas the situation for wolves in Ethiopiacontinues to be monitored.

Note from the Editor:We will bring youfurther updates as news becomesavailable from Stuart and his team. In themeantime, if you would like to donate anyfunds to the project, please contact Stuart(details below) or contact the UK WolfConservation Trust.

Stuart Williams, PhDCo-ordinator, Ethiopian WolfConservation ProgrammeP.O. Box 23400Addis AbabaEthiopias.williams@telecom.net.et

updateupdate

Wolves hunted again in Bulgaria14

BULGARIAINCREASESITS BOUNTYON WOLVESOnce again, Government policy in

Bulgaria is working against wild wolfconservation. The Hunting Council

recently decided to increase the bounty onwolves to 100 Bulgarian leva (equivalent to50 EUROS), which is half of the average salary.Previously, the bounty was set at 25 leva,which is the average salary. Clearly thissignificant increase provides a massiveincentive for hunters.

At the start of every hunting season amedia campaign is launched against thewolves, and this year is no different.Information with no scientific basis has beenappearing in the media, and wolves areregularly blamed for the decrease in wildungulate populations. To fuel the anti-wolfsentiment claims made about the size ofthe wolves killed by hunters are oftenexaggerated, with reports of animals weighingmore than 70 kg.The media reports that thehunters are very brave for killing these‘beasts’. In reality, however, the wolves weighonly 45 kg on average. Attempts by theBALKANI Wildlife Society team to reach thenational media and present a counter-viewpoint have been blocked by hunters,some of whom hold high positions ofauthority within the government and media.There has been some success with regionalmedia, but not enough to influencegovernment policy.

To try and counter the negative publicity,the Wolf Study and Conservation program ofthe BALKANI Wildlife Society intensified itsown campaign to raise public awareness andundertake education activities.The group hasalso hand-raised a wolf puppy from a few daysold in order to socialise him with humans.His first appearances in public have been veryencouraging. He has been very friendly

towards visitors, and this has provoked manyquestions from audiences.

BALKANI is planning to establish a LargeCarnivore Information Center in the PirinMountains. Its function will be to acceptschool groups as well as adults and will offerrealistic information about the wolf, the bearand the lynx. Experience of longer-termeducation and public awareness projects,already undertaken as part of the Wolf Studyand Conservation Program, havedemonstrated that these activities areindispensable.

Funding is still required to refurbish andequip the building which is being purchased,

but the project team is doggedly persistent.They are determined that providing educationand public awareness programmes is one ofthe most important and key factors inachieving long term and sustainable wolfconservation in Bulgaria.

For further details about the project,please contact:

Elena TsingarskaBALKANI Wildlife SocietyDragan Tzankov Blvd. 8, 1164 SofiaPhone:+359 2 9631470elena_ts@mail.bg

by Elena Tsingarska

Photo: Dominic Earl

"Living with the wolf" – Segovia, Spain, November 2003 15

"Living withthe wolf" –"Living withthe wolf" –As the trend of many European wolfpopulations slowly turns towards recovery, awide range of conflicts (with farmers, huntersand folks that are just afraid) have begun toreappear again. These conflicts challengeexisting conservation legislation as they nowhave to adapt from a situation where the goalwas to save wolf populations from the edge ofextinction to a more long term goal ofreintegrating wolves into our modern, andvery crowded, landscapes.

Wolves have been expanding in northernSpain in recent decades – such that thepresent population is believed to be around1,500 animals – with an additional isolatedpopulation in southern Spain (Sierra Morena)of around 100 animals. Under the EU’sHabitat Directive these two wolf populationshave different conservation statuses.The smallsouthern population is strictly protected(Annex II and IV) while the larger northernpopulation is open to more activemanagement (Annex V) – usually in the formof limited lethal control in response todepredation on sheep.When Spain signed theHabitat Directive they used the Duero Riveras a convenient border between the twopopulations. However, the recent rapidexpansion of the northern population hastaken it across the Duero to the centralmountains that surround Madrid. In thisregion, conflicts have been relatively high,largely because the local people have lostsome of their adaptation to wolves. However,because these wolves are south of the Duerothey are managed with the same strictprotection as the isolated population in SierraMorena (300 km further south), despite thefact that they are a part of a large continuouswolf population. In order to discuss thissituation the regional government of Castilla yLeon organized an international meeting on"Living with the wolf" in cooperation with theEuropean Commission.

The meeting was attended byrepresentatives of most EU and candidatecountries that currently have wolfpopulations, a range of internationalscientists, local representatives from Spanishhunting and farming organizations, andrepresentatives from the various autonomousregions of Spain that have wolves and from

the federal government. Data on wolfmanagement practices and conflicts waspresented from a range of diverse regions. Ingeneral there was a high degree of consensusabout issues from the speakers, despite theirdiverse backgrounds. Each speakeremphasized that human tolerance in the faceof conflicts was far more important than theactual ecological conditions.The conclusion ofthe meeting was that the EU were not willing,or able, to change the status (annexdesignation) of wolves south of the Duero.However, a set of nine points was presentedby the European Commission representativewith respect to the interpretation of theHabitat Directive’s text. These pointshighlighted the need for clear action plansdeveloped with public involvement, the needfor good population monitoring, and anemphasis on the need to fund preventativemeasures to minimise conflicts betweenwolves and livestock. However, mostimportantly for the Spanish situation werestatements to the effect that wolves shouldbe managed on a population basis and thatthe Habitat Directive includes enoughflexibility to allow carefully regulated lethalcontrol or hunting where this fits into anoverall management plan. In other words, thisshould provide some openings in Spain tomanage the northern population in more orless similar ways on both sides of the Duero,although the Sierra Morena population willremain completely protected. Given theextent to which the northern population hasexpanded in the last 10-20 years while beingexposed to low levels of lethal control, itshould continue to do so in the future. Largeareas of suitable habitat remain unoccupied –so the future looks good as long as the localpopulation tolerate their presence.

The most important signals from thismeeting are that the EU has shown flexibilityto local conditions and have recognized thatmaintaining "favourable conservation status"of wolf populations can often be bestachieved by not strictly protecting everyindividual. While many may regard anyapparent weakening of wolf protection as ablow for conservation, there are many thatbelieve that this type of locally adaptedflexibility is going to be vital to allow wolves,

and other large carnivores, to coexist withpeople in the long term throughout largeareas of the European countryside.This is animportant test case for many of the EUcandidate countries as they prepare to enterthe EU. Many of these countries have largecarnivore populations and very differenttraditions to the founder EU countries.Thereis widespread acceptance among Europeanexperts that maintaining the possibility forcarefully regulated hunting of carnivores ismore or less a prerequisite for thesecountries to maintain these large populationsand the degree of co-existence that theycurrently enjoy. For Spain the challenge will beto develop action plans for the 8 autonomousregions that currently have wolves (onlyAsturias has one in place) within acoordinated federal strategy, and to establishthe required monitoring system that willensure their management is compatible withwolf conservation.All in all it was a fascinatinginsight into the practicalities and complexityof wolf conservation in a country thatcontains the largest wolf population inwestern Europe.

by John LinnellPhoto: Grupo Lobo

Segovia, Spain, November 2003

"Living withthe wolf" –

16 World Wolf Congress 2003 – Banff,Alberta Canada

Banff was the perfect setting for awolf congress, bringing together 500people from diverse interest groupsat a World Heritage Site abundant

with wildlife, and in a country which is hometo a large wolf population, and where wolf-human conflicts prevail.

The conference was host to scientists,government agencies, aboriginal people,conservation groups, corporations, ranchers,herders, hunters, trappers, artists, writers, andthe general public collectively. Many of thewolf biologists who attended from around theworld are familiar names to Wolf Printreaders and this group represented the bestpeople working in wolf conservation today.There were biologists who were some of theearliest pioneers of wolf biology andconservation research, as well as many whoare the "fresh blood" and our biologists of thefuture.

Like any other conference, one of thefrustrations is that it is impossible to attendevery presentation, especially when some areheld simultaneously. But that is the nature ofsuch gatherings. Here are some of thehighlights from the ones I did manage toattend.

When they were arranging the conference,the organisers set the four primary objectivesthat would underpin the conference theme of"Bridging Science and Community":● to provide a forum for disseminating

current scientific information on wolfecology, behaviour and management;

● to assess the role of science in wolfmanagement and policy formation andidentify needs for future research;

● to provide a forum for a diversity of peoplewith varying values, attitudes, andexpertise to interact and share viewpointson coexisting with wolves; and

● to share viewpoints on wolves from avariety of alternative traditions includingartistic and storytellingThese objectives were achieved, and the

conference opened with a plenary sessionwhich set the scene:

- How many wolves are enough? - Should wolf populations be

controlled to enhance preypopulations?

These two key questions cannot beanswered without taking into account theethical, moral and philosophical issuesinvolved, and it was heartening to see howmuch of this was woven into the fabric ofconference.

Luigi Boitani gave the keynote addresswhich focused on the first question of: How

many wolves are enough? After discussing valueconcepts and the economic carrying capacityversus the ecological carrying capacity, Luigiwent on to propose the following:1. Abandon the old prejudice that wolves are

denizens of the wilderness and that theyneed wilderness to survive.

2. Accept the concept that wolves andhumans can live an integrated co-existencein the same area rather than having to besegregated in separate districts.

3. Changing the long-standing conservationparadigm i.e. measuring success in terms ofwolf numbers towards new goals wheresuccess means expanding wolf rangersrather than numbers.

4. Make extra effort to keep objectivity ofscientific data separate from emotionalbond.

5. Methods of wolf management should beindependent of society’s wealth.

6. Wolves should be saved and managed aspart of the whole context, not becausethey are singled out as a species.

7. Learn to be tolerant for a certain level ofdisturbance in our environment.David Mech chaired the next session which

focused on the complex issue of whetherwolf populations should be controlled toenhance prey populations. The rise anddecline of prey populations is subject to manydifferent variables which were reflected in thepresentations put forward by the differentinterest groups. There were those who feltthat wolves directly affected prey populations

to such an extent that wolf management andcontrol was definitely called for. Otherspainted a different scenario in which preypopulations were regulated by other factorssuch as food, the mean temperature, andcompetition for food. A lot of discussionduring this session centred on the values andethics of wolf management and control. PaulPacquet ended the session by proposing thatwe should be "advocating for wolves as partof the landscape processes not in terms oftheir numbers".

Education was another key themethroughout the conference and a number ofpractical wolf conservation projects werepresented. Kristin Gangas from Norwaydiscussed her findings on a two yearprogramme which had taken place in a ruralcommunity in southern Norway where theincrease in wolf population had led to anincrease in wolf-human conflicts. Initially, thewolf education programme was met withhostility, with parents threatening to removetheir children from school, claiming it wasanother "manipulative project". However, theteam persevered with the programme whichwas aimed at increasing knowledge throughparticipating in outdoor activities. It wasbelieved that fear was one of the main issuesamong children, and that one of the ways ofdispelling this was to encourage self-experienced knowledge and a betterunderstanding of how nature works. Some ofthe activities included tracking, looking at

World Wolf Congress 2003 – Banff, Alberta Canada

Bridging Science and Community25 - 28 September 2003

Paul Pacquet

Carol Callaghan - one of the Congress organisers

by Denise TaylorPeople Photos: Monty Sloan

World Wolf Congress 2003 – Banff,Alberta Canada 17

discuss the issues involved was a welcomeidea. There are organisations, such asDefenders of Wildlife, who are working withranchers to reduce livestock depredation, andproviding compensation where wolf killsoccur. One rancher backed up SuzanneStone’s presentation on the work carried outby Defenders by openly stating that some ofthe measures are indeed successful, and thereare signs of a change in attitude to one that ismore tolerant of wolves. As well ascompensation, there is a lot ofexperimentation taking place on non-lethalcontrol methods such as Fladry (brightlycoloured flags on lengths of rope), RadioActivated Guards (RAG), and livestockguarding dogs, all of which have somedeterrent effect on wolves preying onlivestock.

Sacred Connections was presented by LeviHolt, also known as Black Beaver of the Nez

carcasses, exploring bear dens,radio-tracking and slideshows.The programme was positivelyaccepted by the children who inturn generated enough interestfrom parents to take partthemselves. Following theprogramme, local people becameinvolved in wolf populationestimation, fear was no longer anissue, people in general wererequesting more information, andschools and parents requestedfurther activities to take place.

A number of films were shownduring the conference. One of the moststriking was a film of livestock guarding dogsprotecting sheep from wolves in France whichwas presented by Benoit Lequette. The filmwas taken using night-vision cameras, andshowed two wolves attacking a flock of sheep.The six dogs protecting the flock workedtirelessly all night repelling the wolves. Twosheep were killed during the night. The firstwas fiercely guarded by the dogs even after ithad died, and although the wolves werepersistent in their efforts to gain control ofthe carcass, their attempts were unsuccessful.The second sheep was driven over a rockyprecipice to its death, but even then thewolves were unsuccessful in their attempts toobtain the carcass.

I only managed to catch two of the otherfilms shown, but each gave a fascinating insightinto the world of the wolf and its fellowcreatures. In presenting The Good, the Bad andthe Ugly of Filmmaking, Lu Carbyngave an amusing and entertainingaccount of film-making and hisresearch on wolf-bisoninteractions in Wood BuffaloNational Park in Canada. BobLandis is well known for his filmsof wolves in Yellowstone, and hisfilm The Wolves of Yellowstone was asheer pleasure to watch. Bob wasunable to attend the conference,and so the job of narrating it fellto Doug Smith. There were someastonishing sequences in the filmincluding one of an eagleswooping down and stealing meatdirectly from a loping wolf ’smouth. Again this was anotheramusing and entertainingpresentation from someone whohas worked on the Yellowstonewolf recovery project from theoutset and who has been involvedin the many trials and tribulationsof the whole programme.

Trappers, ranchers andoutfitters presented their views atthe conference. And althoughopinions differed on preydensities and the causes ofperiodic increases and reductionsin prey populations, and whatmeasures of wolf control andmanagement should be adopted, itwas generally agreed that bringingdifferent stakeholders together to

Perce tribe. He spoke of thetraditional Native American/FirstNations perspective relating tohumans and other species, andour interconnectedness, which isoften disregarded in favour of thevalues of a dominant society thatis driven by industry. BlackBeaver highlighted the parallelsbetween wolves and the NezPerce, and how both havehistorically been hated and feared.He told the audience that he wasat the conference to speak for thewolf and not on behalf of the wolf,

such is their long and close association. TheNez Perce have received their songs from thewolf, and they are proud of the fact that thereare now 400 wolves in Nez Perce territory.Black Beaver ended his presentation with ahaunting flute song which was a movingtribute in celebration of the wolf and theCongress. This was a refreshing change fromtalk of statistics and models and was a potentreminder to delegates that there is a spiritualdimension to wolf conservation.

The conference wasn’t all about wolves.Some delegates managed to squeeze in somerecreation. Banff has a host of restaurants,pubs and clubs and Holly Jaycox from WolfPark managed to twist the arms of a group ofus to go to a country-music club. It wasgood to see the US Fish and Wildlifecontingent and colleagues from Wolf Parkletting their hair down with an energetic two-step that for some involved some very

acrobatic dance moves.For me the conference was

motivating, inspiring and mostof all hugely enjoyable. I wasparticularly pleased to see asignificant part of the proceedingsbeing given over to the ethics andphilosophy of wolf conservation.The splendor of the Rockies wasan unbeatable and well-chosenvenue. Inside the National Parkitself, wildlife conservation is aserious business with millions ofdollars spent on various wildlifeprotection measures such asunderpasses and bridges acrosstreacherous stretches of highwayfor a variety of animals to use.These seem to have beensuccessful in reducing the deathtoll of animals wishing to get fromside of the highway to the other.Sadly, however, one of theremaining wolves in Banff waskilled by a car a few weeks afterthe conference – see Wolves ofthe World – but at least theauthorities are taking very seriousmeasures to try and protectwildlife in the Park.

Finally, I would like to thank theorganisers for such a memorableconference. The hard work putin obviously paid off, and let’shope that wild wolves throughoutthe world will benefit fromthis gathering.

Black Beaver

Photo: Dominic Earl

Book ReviewPaul C. Paquet, coeditor of Wolves of theWorld: Perspectives of Behavior, Ecology,and Conservation.

"Wolves is the most comprehensive andup-to-date book ever compiled on theseamazing, misunderstood, and malignedcarnivores. Wolves are the poster childrenfor animals worldwide, and the material inthis book will be useful to a wide variety ofresearchers. But what is truly unique aboutthis long-awaited volume is that it can beread by scientists and nonscientists alike.Thefate of wolves does not rest withresearchers alone."

Marc Bekoff,. University of Colorado,Boulder; editor of Coyotes: Biology,Behavior, and Management and coauthor(with Jane Goodall) of The Ten Trusts:What We Must Do to Care for the AnimalsWe Love

Yellowstone Wolves in theWildby James C. HalfpennyPaperback: 104 pages; Dimensions (ininches): 0.39 x 8.56 x 10.54Publisher: Riverbend; (June 2003)ISBN: 1931832269http://www.riverbendpublishing.com/index_files/page0024.htm

Reviewed by Ralph Maughan

Halfpenny writes in detail interesting storiesabout the real Yellowstone wolves and usesthe actual events to illustrate wolf behaviorand wildlife ecology.

The more you already know aboutYellowstone's wolves, the more you willlike Halfpenny's text and the largenumber of good, clear, and interestingphotos of real Yellowstone wolves in thewild. There isn't a photo of a captive wolfin the book. The Druids get a lot ofattention; but the other packs are notignored. There are rare photos of the NezPerce Pack, Swan Lake Pack, Leopold andeven of the alpha male of the unofficialNorris trio. My favorite is the winter photoof a gray Nez Perce wolf standing byWhite Dome Geyser.

I particularly liked Halfpenny's descriptionof how a wolf "sees with its nose." Ifyou already know the numbers of thenorthern range wolves, you will lovethis book, and you'll like the book if youhave only general knowledge about wolvesor Yellowstone.

The book has extensive appendiciesgiving information about wolf territories andthe fate of the orginal reintroduced wolves.

There is also a hardbound limitededition. The front and back covers arestamped with the paw prints of the Druidalpha pair.

Copies of Yellowstone Wolves in theWild are available from the UK WolfConservation Trust. Please contact the Truston 0118 971 3330 or visit the website atwww.ukwolf.org.

the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, andConservation Biology and the Departmentof Ecology and Behavioral Biology at theUniversity of Minnesota. He is author of TheWolf: The Ecology and Behavior of anEndangered Species, The Way of the Wolf,and The Arctic Wolf, and coauthor of TheWolves of Denali.

Luigi Boitani is professor of vertebratezoology and animal ecology at the Universityof Rome. He is author of Dalla parte dellupo, coauthor of Simon and Schuster'sGuide to Mammals, and coeditor ofResearch Techniques in Animal Ecology.

For more information, please contactStephanie Hlywak at 773-702-0376 orsxh@press.uchicago.edu

Advance praise for Wolves:Behavior, Ecology, andConservation"An indispensable compendium on allbiological aspects of these endlesslyabsorbing carnivores. With great authoritythe authors have opened our minds to therichness of wolf behavior and adaptability.Once wolves were assaulted everywhere. Amore tolerant public attitude-for which theceaseless advocacy by several contributorsto this volume was partly responsible-hashelped the resurgence in number and rangeof the species in Europe and North America.Directly and indirectly Wolves offers apowerful statement about the moralobligation of everyone to help these symbolsof wilderness endure."

George B. Schaller, Wildlife ConservationSociety; author of The Serengeti Lion,The Last Panda, and Wildlife of theTibetan Steppe

"Twenty-two world-class wolf expertsassembled this book-a monument to their350 person-years of experience and atribute to the enthralling species that theyboth research and revere. The twentieth-century wolf seemed to be doomed, but thismilestone text encapsulates the dedicationof a generation that has offered the speciesa future. Mech and Boitani's marvelous bookcharts the course that has set the wolf onthe road to recovery, and clearly identifiesthe challenges that lie ahead."

David W. Macdonald, Chair, IUCN/SSCCanid Specialist Group and Director,WildlifeConservation Research Unit, University ofOxford; editor of The New Encyclopedia ofMammals

"Wolves provides a contemporary andunparalleled global overview of wolf ecology,behavior, and conservation. It is the mostcomprehensive and scholarly treatment ofwolves ever assembled, impressive incontent and contributors. The editors andchapter authors are the most renowned,productive, and accomplished scientistscurrently active in wolf research. In otherwords, this is the most important book onwolves ever."

WOLVESBehavior, Ecology, and ConservationEdited by L. David Mech andLuigi BoitaniChicago University Press.ISBN: 0-226-63763-8Illustrations: 32 color plates, 13halftones, 63 line drawings

Reviewed by John Linnell

It was nine years in the making – but thewait was worthwhile. Twenty-two of theworld’s wolf experts bring together theirtotal of 350 person-years of experience topresent a state-of-the-art summary of ourknowledge about wolves. Knowledge hasgrown enormously since David Mech wrotehis first wolf book (The wolf: the ecologyand behavior of an endangered species) in1970. In the intervening 33 years researchfrom all corners of the globe has helpeddemystify this animal, and this book tries tobring it all together. Chapters spaneverything from behaviour, physiology, andpredator-prey relationships throughgenetics to the lists of parasites (severalpages worth) that call a wolf’s body home.However, most interesting for theconservationist are the last two chapters."Wolves and humans" covers the complexwolf-human relationship in various cultures,before leading us through the variousconflicts that occur with human activitieslike depredation on livestock, attacks onpeople, competition with hunters, and theway wolves end up being used as symbols inpolitical conflicts between different groupsof people. The final chapter on "Wolfconservation and recovery" by Luigi Boitaniis the most thought provoking. He bindstogether the biology with the conflicts toaddress the issues of how to achievecoexistence between wolves and humans.By the time they get this far in the book,readers will hopefully have completelychanged their view of wolves as awilderness species, and realized that wolvescan just about live anywhere if humans letthem. Consequently, wolf conservation willrequire a wide range of locally adaptedstrategies. In some areas, strict protectionmay be most appropriate, while in othertolerance may be promoted by allowingsome forms of control or even harvest.Thecentral message is that wolves are tolerantand flexible – but can we be the same, bothin our interactions with wolves andourselves? This is not a coffee table book,although the two sets of colour plates docontain some of the great wolf pictures thathave already inspired many. It is rather asolid, but highly readable, scientific textcovering all aspects of wolf lore. If you areseriously interested in wolves, either as aprofessional or lay-person, this book is a"must have".

L. David Mech is senior research scientistwith the Biological Resources Division, U.S.Geological Survey and adjunct professor in

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