Wolf Awareness Week is a time to learn about wolves and efforts to restore them to the wild here in the United States. It’s also a chance for Defenders to hear from our supporters and learn what questions they have about our work. Here are a few questions we heard this week about wolves:

What happens when a mother or father wolf is killed, especially with the pups?

The Gibbon wolf pack rallies in Yellowstone National Park. Photo courtesy of U.S. National Park Service.

Pack dynamics can be very complex. Typically a pack is led by one male and one female that are the only breeding pair. Other sub-dominant wolves help raise pups and hunt with the pack but take their direction from the alpha pair. When that hierarchy is disrupted, a sub-dominant wolf may step in to fill the role of an alpha male or female. However, the killing of one or more dominant wolves may also disperse the pack entirely, sending the remaining wolves off to find a new pack and leaving young pups without any protection. If pups are abandoned before the first year of life, they often do not acquire all the necessary hunting and survival skills to live on their own in the wild or to be able to find a new pack. Further, a recent study  by University of Montana researchers suggests that killing wolves during a hunt can have an additive effect on the overall population, resulting in even higher mortality rates.

Do wolves make good pets?

NO! Wild wolves are magnificent creatures that exhibit a wide range of very social behavior. They are also ancestral cousins of all domestic dogs. Some breeds like huskies and malamutes look almost identical to wolves, and there are even wolf-dog hybrids that have been successfully domesticated. However, a wild wolf should never be confused for a pet, and keeping them wild is essential to the long-term health of the species. Wolves should never be fed or approached by humans. Wolves are powerful animals like bears and cougars, and though they do not normally pose a threat to humans, they should be treated with the same respect as all other large wildlife.

A wild wolf should never be confused for a pet. Keeping them wild is essential to the long-term health of the species.

Why are states allowed to kill wolves as part of their management plans?

While wolves are under federal protection of the Endangered Species Act, it is illegal to kill a wolf except in active defense of your own life, family or property from attack. However, designated wildlife managers can also remove wolves that have killed livestock once reported incidents have been investigated and verified by federal wildlife agents.

Once federal protections for wolves are removed, it is up to the states to come up with their own management plan that must be approved by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. In 2009, Idaho and Montana both had approved state management plans that included a public hunt for wolves.

States can manage a non-protected species just like other wildlife species. Most states already practice lethal control for bears, cougars and other critters in order to control the size of those populations. Ultimately, these decisions are based on what citizens and wildlife managers agree is an acceptable level of control. That’s why it’s so important for wolf supporters to voice their opinion when states make important decisions about how to manage wildlife.

What can I do to help wolves?

  • Give the Gift that Gives Back

    Adopt a wolf! Protecting wolves has been a core part of Defenders’ mission since the very beginning. We rely on the support of our members to be able to continue our work fighting for wolves. You can make a donation today by becoming a member of Defenders of Wildlife, or visit our Wildlife Adoption Center to help save one of the many other animals we are fighting to protect.

  • Speak up! Important decisions are made all the time across the country that affect how different species are managed, whether they will be protected, and how much money is set aside for wildlife conservation. You can influence each and every one of those decisions by getting involved. Meet with your local elected representatives, attend meetings of your local wildlife department, write letters to your local newspaper, and start sharing your opinion about the value of wildlife in America.
  • Spread the word! Tell your friends to support wolves by sharing news, videos and other information on Facebook and Twitter. Some of our members even host house parties and other gatherings to meet their fellow wolf supporters and organize ways to support wildlife in their communities. See all the ways you can get involved by visiting our community activism page.

Got more questions?

Check out the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s extensive FAQ on gray wolves.

Take our Wolf Awareness Week quiz!

So now that we answered some tough questions, let’s see what you’ve learned over the past week. (No cheating by clicking back!) Here are 10 questions to test your knowledge about wolves. After you’ve answered them, click Show Results and scroll down the page to see your score!
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