Predators in modern America?

Question

Should someone be allowed to shoot a wolf pack if they are on private property killing a horse or cow? Why or why not?

(Anyone who doesn't believe this happens can e-mail me and I'll send over 1000 photos proving it does - so let's not argue that point)

Answer 1

of course they should... predators are wonderful.. but if they are brave/desperate enough to go after livestock.. it won't be long before they are going after people.

Answer 2

The affects will be far more than you bargain for,Your private property is only a small piece of the eco system as a whole .

It would be  extremely arrogant if an individual  feels that he has the right ,to change the Equilibrium  of the whole country side ,that surrounds his  or several communities .

But then again this is America ,what scientists say, few people believe,or regard as important,

And the bible suggests that we should replace nature with Mans world, civilizing the wilderness ,which belongs to man any way

THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN BIG PREDATORS AND TREES

It has only recently become clear how the killing of wolves

leads to the diminishing of the forests .

Lets take Yellow Stone park,

photos from 1954 ,show far more aspen then,

then there are today .whole sections of forest have gone

And all the willows on the waters edge ,

which the beaver needed to make dams,

also disappeared and so did the beaver,

The river banks were eroding ,and top soil was being lost all along the banks ,

Before the willows held the edges together

Of course anything else that was part of these tree`s worlds was also gone ,the animals ,birds and insects that live within the branches or live of the seeds or leaves.

How could entire forests disappear in the middle of a protected area????

(they Estimated that in 50 years all the Aspen would be gone)

research revealed that no new aspen had regenerated since the 1930 ties

This coincides with the last wolf being shot there.

between 1883 and 1917 more than 100,000 wolves were killed in Montana and Wyoming alone

by the 1970 ties they were listed as endangered in the USA

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The wolves ,mountain lions coyotes etc.

keep the deer on the run ,

who will other wise browse any new growth coming up,

The shoots of aspen and willows being some of there favorites.

They originally re introduced 31 gray wolves with much political opposition, and by now have 14 packs ,total 150 wolves

all named and fitted with radio collars

The wolves impact starts with their kill,which becomes a small epicenter of activity

Ravens ,magpies coyotes ,bold eagle ,grizzle and black bears are coming to scavenge followed by the insect world

In this way one kill serves hundreds

By killing elk, the willows are returning ,

After the return of the wolves great patches of new Aspen growth is seen,there are more ducks on the water ,and recently the first beaver was again seen building a dam.

Wolves through elk, through new growth ,actually determine the character of the forests and river

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This leaves us with a dilemma,

Always when getting close to the wilderness ,

man kills the dangerous animals first,

for his safety or the safety of his livestock

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we used to ask

How can we live side by side with dangerous animals ??

Because they will leave their alloted boundaries ,

and some will go for domestic animals

What is more important our forest`s or our Horses .?( And wolves tend to go for the old and infirm.)

Only with very strict monitoring ,

and removing any delinquent predator, the moment it exceeds his diet.

Can we hope to rescue both ,

unless somebody comes up with a better idea?

(How ever if one builds a vegetable garden ,and leave it unprotected ,the whole world will come to dinner ,Do we than kill everybody that does or do we protect the garden

The same applies to our live stock .

Sure it is far easier and CHEAPER to have your cows roam around ,but if there are wolves ,maybe we should keep them fenced in behind high jackal wire,(which is expensive)

Zero grazing where we coral the cows and bring them the food ,makes far more milk or fatter cows ,but man has to do more work)

Removing the predator all together ,will eventually

lead to the death of the whole eco system.

Now we ask can we live without them

Because the same principle applies to all carnivores, both on land in the air and in the water .

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Killing Orcas and Sharks will also have drastic effects,on the

ocean flora with excesses of grazers, kelp forests disappear and so do the fish,or when whole eco systems of fish are gone because all the big fish are fished out, predators and grazers alike ,coral beds suffocate under blankets of algae,

and what once was teaming with life becomes a ghost reef

Farmers in South Africa now have Vulture restaurants ,where they dump any dead live stock,

As before they used to shoot the Vultures ,now they treasure them.

Killing snakes has resulted in plagues of Norwegian rats that undermine fields with a net work of tunnels causing the tractor to sink in.They are now releasing mole snakes ,to rectify this problem.

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Yet again examples of the inter relationships between all life

and how messing with it affects us directly ,or will eventually.

This question or similar is frequently asked.

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In Carioni Valley in Venezuela,where they made huge dams, a lot of islands resulted,which where the tops of the hills.

these places ended up

with 3 to 10 times more iguanas .maroons,howler monkeys ,leaf cutting ants ,parrots , etc

anything that ate the leaves,,seeds or fruits .

but NO predators.,

They were rescued by the many rescue operations going on ,being larger and easier to find and catch.

The social structure and normal behavior of the grouped animals that are left ,is drastically affected ,

They are silent ,unless they are fighting over food.

they do not groom each other any more

and many plants as well as the animals have diseases.

One would have thought that islands surrounded by water ,

Would be covered in growth,

(when before the trees only had water occasionally.)

Instead

all growth is dying and the island are becoming bare

with animals in deep trouble starvation is there fate

The place is crawling with scientists ,

because here is a window into the future .

showing us the reasons for deterioration

The solutions are something else.

that is what we have to figure out

And we are causing these same ecological imbalances,all around the planet ,

Answer 3

It depends.

What measures has the property owner taken to prevent the wolves from gaining access to the horses, or cows?  (I understand that there's only so much one can do).

Does the government reimburse you for the losses?  In many cases, the government may reimburse you if it can corroborate the claim. In some cases, the problem wolf can even be relocated.

So this isn't simply a matter of property rights.  Top predators typically need a large range in which to function, and every effort should be made to accommodate that.  On the other hand, in areas where reintroductions are occurring, the property owner deserves restitution for their losses.  My answer then, is that people need to be informed and work with local agencies to formulate a better understanding of the big picture before reaching for their gun.

Answer 4

It is not necessary to kill an entire wolf pack.And that would depend on if you would be using humane ways to kill them.I know the pain and suffering animals go though in traps,which is illegal in most states now.Any animal and that includes man,will go after food,if they are hungry.For wolves to be killing livestock something else is killing their food source.Why don't you check that out? May be the way to fix the whole problem.Also not to mention ranchers use free range land that doesn't belong to them but really are public lands bordering theirs now who has more rights?The animals were here first and all of them are important.I agree we don't need 50 million wolves but neither can we kill them out with no respect for the different breeds either.Maybe if those same ranchers would breed some rabbits and let them lose in the Forrest the wolves might not visit the rancher.If not that then something else but there is a way that will work for everyone if only you can get past your anger at the wolf.Wolves mate for life,they only kill to eat,there is nothing destructive about them if left alone.

Answer 5

Kill them all and leave them where they fall for the birds to eat

Answer 6

Yes, you have the right to kill predators causing significant harm to your property. However, the animals are just trying to live in a world dominated by general human stupidity and ignorance. Use non-lethal counter-measures like rubber bullets before killing the unknowing wolves.

Answer 7

YES ABSOLUTELY.

Answer 8

living in Northern Ontario we have more of a problem with bears killing livestock than wolves

so I say no to killing wolves use bangers to scare them off for the wolves to kill a horse then the animal may be old or sick same for cows in so,e areas they may be a protected animal