NAVIGATION PROTECT Home Wolf Facts Puppies Wolf Myths Protect Species Timeline Visit Wolves Wolf Killers Gallery Multimedia Poetry Headlines Action Alerts WolfDogs Dakota MacKenzie Links Web Rings PROTECT The White Man must treat the beasts of this land as his brother. What is man without the beasts? If all the beasts were gone, man would die from a great loneliness of spirit. For whatever happens to the beasts, also happens to the man. Chief Seattle of the Puget Sound Suwamish Tribe (1855) THREATS The greatest treat to the wolf is man's ignorance. People have false beliefs about the wolf. They continue to believe old folk tales and think the wolf is evil. The misconception that was created years and years ago needs to stop. People need to stop judging and start educating themselves with the truth. Wolves are NOT out to kill people or live stock. Wolves have few natural enemies and if given the chance, the wolf can fully recover. The wolf has been part of the natural balance for thousands of years, in less than 100 years man through ignorance and misinformation has almost made wolves disappear forever. Sadly there are people who show NO concern for the wolf as an existing animal for our future. People gun down wolves from airplanes and snow mobiles calling it a "sport". They are killed for no reason other than ignorance of human beings who think wolves are these evil creatures. Usually the animal is left to decay where it was killed, but sometimes the fur, paws or heads are taken for money. Wolves are also trapped with leg holds, poisoned and used as adornments for the idle rich. There are many good things about wolves. They help us keep a healthy ecosystem. Wolves are at the top of the wild animal food chain and they help with the nature balance between predators and prey. Predators are important to the balance of nature. If wolves mostly eat the sick animals and not the healthy ones, so the sick ones wouldn't pass on the sickness to the healthy ones. Wolves help control the population of deer and other large animals. Wolves reduce the number of coyotes by taking some of their food and maybe by killing others. Coyotes are more likely to bother people's pets because they are more use to people. Wolves are also helpful to other animals. When they kill big prey, they leave some meat for coyotes, ravens, and other small animals. Once a wolf pack abandons their den, other animals can use it. When a wolf sheds his fur, birds use it to help build their nests and make them warm. What YOU can do to help the Wolves! To help protect the wolf, we will need to help protect the wilderness that is left. Help our wolves survive... make a difference. Get informed with correct knowledge by reading books, surfing the internet, taking classes, volunteer your time at a wolf organization, help raise money, write letters to elected representatives and agencies... find a way and just get involved. Also check out the Action Alerts page for updated wolf campaigns. Find out about pending decisions that will affect the wolves in your region and how you can comment on them. Contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and sign up for the gray wolf mailing list. EASTERN DPS: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Gray Wolf Review, 1 Federal Drive, Fort Snelling, MN 55111-4056 Gray Wolf Hotline: 612-713-4056 Email: graywolfmail@fws.gov WESTERN DPS: Phone: 406-449-5225, ext. 204 Other ways to help... Tell government officials what you think! Contact your state wildlife agency and your local, state and federal politicians and let them know you support the wolf. Urge them to protect wolf habitat and to support wolf recovery. If your state does not have a wolf management plan, encourage officials to develop one that will protect the wolves, not persecute them. Go to http://www.house.gov to find contact information for your Congress person. Go to http://www.senate.gov to find contact information for your Senators. Stay informed and stay educated on the ongoing wolf issues. Participate in events, such as Wolf Awareness Week. Every year some governors around the country proclaim the third week in October as Wolf Awareness Week. It's a time to recognize the importance of wolves as part of our natural systems. Carnivore Conference. This is a 3 day conference with top scientist, natural resource agency personnel, educators and advocates to discuss carnivore conservation and biology. The following organizations have lots of different information on wolves and educational programs and materials on the gray wolf. These sites are trying to rid people of their fear towards wolves and replace that fear with knowledge and respect for the wolf. You can also donate money or time to some of these organizations. Wolf Curriculum provides lesson plans for young students. Kids Planet - World Wide Wolves is based on a report released by Defenders of Wildlife outlining the condition of the world's wolf populations. Wild Sentry blends science and the humanities to present an unbiased, educational and entertaining program that challenges stereotypes and corrects misconceptions about wolves while examining cultural perceptions of wildness. Wolf Sanctuary is a private, nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to the preservation of the wolf and other endangered canids through education, research and captive breeding. For Wolves Sinapu is dedicated to the restoration and protection of native carnivores and their wild habitat in the Southern Rockies, and connected high plains and deserts. Turner Endangered Species Fund The Southern Rockies Wolf Restoration Project is a coalition of regional and national conservation organizations with one mission: ensuring the restoration of wolves to their ecological role in the Southern Rocky Mountains. Free Online Wolf Course at Wildlife University Become a wolf expert with a free online course offered by the National Wildlife Federation. Take this 60 minute course for fun or college credit. The International Wolf Center has wolf education for all ages. Scholastic, Inc. teaches kids about the habitats where wolves have been reintroduced into the wild. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has tons of information on the gray wolf. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service about Mexican wolf recovery The non profit Yellowstone Association has education programs within the park Yellowstone National Park's Wolf Website has extensive information about the wolves now living within Yellowstone and the Grand Teton National Parks. Save Alaska's Wolves Let Governor Murkowski know you are outraged that he signed the bill to re-instate public "land and shoot" and airborne wolf shooting as a part of a renewed effort to conduct more widespread wolf control over huge areas of central Alaska. Savewolves.org Go sign the petition urging Interior Secretary Gale Norton to support strong federal protections for wolves before the federal protections are stripped! Adopt a wolf from Defenders of Wildlife to help save the lives of wolves and restore them to the wild where they belong. Defenders of Wildlife , Speak up for the Wolf Maine Wolf Coalition. Help them continue educating the public about saving the wolf. International Wolf Center. Help them continue their educational program to teach the public about saving the wolves. Defenders Don't let the cut backs in wolf protection happen! The Wolf Education and Research Center Become a member to help them continue their efforts in educating the public and doing their scientific research. Photo copyright © Monty Sloan / Wolf Park Some of the information above is from The Richard E. Flauto Wildlife Foundation and/or Wolf Mountain Sanctuary.