The Gray Wolf (Timber Wolf) in Wisconsin
The sound of a howling gray wolf is becoming a more common event in Wisconsin. A growing population of wolves now live in Wisconsin, one of about a dozen states in the country where gray wolves exist in the wild. Gray Wolves, also referred to as Timber Wolves, are the largest wild members of the dog family.
Photo of gray wolf in Iowa County, a few miles north of Yellowstone Lake.
Photo by Kate Cassidy.
Wolves are social animals, living in a family group, or pack. A wolf pack's territory may cover 20-120 square miles, about one tenth the size of an average Wisconsin county. This species has been state delisted since 2004 and has been listed as a "Protected Wild Animal" by the Wisconsin DNR U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. They were federally delisted on March 12, 2007, but on September 29, 2008 were placed back on the federal endangered species list.
ATTENTION: Gray wolves are again federally endangered species in Wisconsin. As the result of a ruling by a district judge in Washington, D.C. on September 29, 2008, gray wolves in Wisconsin are again on the federal list of endangered species. This means that landowners no longer have the right to shoot wolves in the act of attacking pets or livestock on their property. Certain authorization or procedures listed under "Guidelines for conducting depredation controls on wolves" or "Wolves in Farm Country" are no longer available. Landowners are no longer able to obtain permits to shoot problem wolves from the DNR and government trappers cannot currently trap and euthanize problem wolves. Reimbursement for wolf loses will still be available, and USDA-Wildlife Services will still be available to investigate depredations (1-800-228-1368 in N WI & 1-800-433-0663 in S & C. WI), and Wildlife Services can give advice and assist in non lethal means to discourage wolves.
Last Revised: October 7, 2008
|
RSS