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Cheyne Allison Kreutzer Warren For a long time wolves were the beasts of nightmares; horrific stories stemmed from them, such as Little Red Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs, where the characters were eaten by a wolf. Even Harry Potter has a demonic and vile perception of wolves, illustrated by the unharnessed and vicious nature of the werewolves. Wolves were creatures of slaughter and murder; they destroyed livestock, devoured the wild game human beings hunted, and their eerie songs could be heard from miles away, floating across the night. Wolves were hunted mercilessly until, in 1978, they were added to the Endangered Species list in 48 states (Wolf Restoration). In June of 1994, wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (Wolf Restoration). This reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone stoked a confrontation, especially between environmentalists and ranchers. Ranchers argued the wolves would kill their livestock and ruin their livelihood, while environmentalists argued that the large predators were important for re-establishing a healthy ecosystem. This debate was initially centered around the Yellowstone states: Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. However, the penchant of wolves to range hundreds of miles led some of them into rural northeastern Utah. The wandering wolves sparked a protest from the local community, the vast majority of which wanted to destroy the predators and keep them out of the state (Wolf Restoration). Wolves have always captured my imagination. I have spent much of my life studying wolves and their role in wild-land ecosystems. I learned that dominant predators such as wolves are important for controlling herbivore populations. In the absence of wolves in Utah over the past century, herbivore populations, the white tailed deer in particular, have grown wildly out of

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control when previously they were very rare (DeVito, and Bull). Because of this, the natural rangelands and forests, especially aspens, have been stripped by the herbivores, which in turn reduces the foods available to cattle and other livestock on the range. The destructive ungulates strip bark from the trees and eat tender saplings, killing the mature trees and preventing them from reproducing. Because the deer browse on native vegetation, their overabundance and overgrazing opens the door to invasive species. Since neither the deer nor the domestic livestock will eat many of the invasive plants, the non-native vegetation slowly takes over the forest (DeVito, and Bull). The overpopulation of deer also contributes to the decrease of natural bird populations, as outlined by the Senior Director of Science and Conservation for the Connecticut Audubon Society, Milan Bull. He reported the 73% to 99% decline of native bird populations because of the over grazing of the shrubs they nested in (DeVito, and Bull). The herbivores also carry disease that can contaminate streams or other water sources. For example, the organism E. coli, which is known to cause severe illness and death in human beings, is often spread by cattle, but it is carried by and contractible to all mammals, according to my Capitol Reed National Park internship mentor and park biologist, Sandra Borthwick. While all mammals have this bacteria in their guts, she explained, a harmful strain can lead to bloody diarrhea, strokes and even death (CBC News, 2012). The bacteria can be defecated into streams by deer and cattle, thus contaminating the water ("General information: Escherichia" 2013). Ingestion of the tainted water leads to ill people. This is especially an issue in national parks, which must routinely test their water to make sure its safe for park visitors. If the water is deemed unsafe, the area is closed to visitors. I believe allowing a wolf population to become established in Utah would thin the herbivore population and lead to an overall healthier ecosystem: re-establishment of native

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vegetation, recovery of species dependent on habitat that has been reduced by overgrazing, and healthier water systems. Ranchers object that wolves will slaughter their livestock, and this is a perfectly justified fear. However, a taste aversion strategy could reduce the numbers of livestock killings considerably even though the tactic wouldnt yield 100% effective. Taste aversion is a psychological phenomenon in which an unpleasant experience, such as violent illness that is associated with a specific food, creates an aversion to that food and anything that reminds you of it; smell, taste, or texture. This method was experimentally tested on coyotes killing sheep, and the result was impressive. In the experiment, coyotes were baited with a lamb patty laced with an agent that made them physically ill. The researchers found sheep killings by the subject coyote populations resulted in a 30% to 50% decline. Some of the coyotes even developed an aversion so strong that they vomited when they simply saw a sheep (Zimbardo, 2010). While it would be difficult to bait every wild wolf with every possible domestic prey animal injected with a toxin, the results of such a plan would cut the killing of livestock dramatically. If wolves were to be introduced here as in Yellowstone, the process would require a settling period during which the carnivores would be fenced in for a year or more before being allowed to roam free. If taste aversion were introduced in this controlled environment, the wolves would raise their wild-born pups to avoid domestic livestock. Many ranchers are furious at the idea of wolf introduction because it imperils their livestock and livelihood. However, in 2010, the Utah State Legislature passed a livestock damage compensation law to reimburse ranchers for any livestock killed by wolves or grizzlies in a zone where the wolves have been delisted. This zone stretches from the Idaho border to as

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far south as the intersection of I-80 and I-84 near Henefer, covering north eastern Utah ("Wolf Conflicts"). In addition, local tourism would take root in areas where wolves could be observed in the wild. People are fascinated with these predators, as demonstrated by the hundreds of people (including foreign groups) who travel to Yellowstone each year for wolf-watching. Allowing wolves to inhabit Utah could boost the economy of the local towns and the state. Because of their bad reputation and penchant for munching valuable livestock, wolves have been targets of extermination throughout most of American history, but the introduction and toleration of wolves in Utah would have many advantages. As shown above, wolves are keystone predators that control the destructive and disease-carrying deer population. Many ranchers are concerned about their livestock, but with a taste aversion tactic, the casualties of their livelihood would be dramatically decreased, although not entirely eliminated. The ranchers would also be reimbursed by the state for any livestock killed by a wolf. The presence of wolves would also boost tourism economies in or near wild wolf territories. Wolves are not evil, and they are not out to destroy ranchers; rather, they are beneficial wild animals, and deserve a spot in Utahs wildlife populations.

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Bibliography
CBC News. (2012, October 02). In depth; understanding e. coli: symptoms, spread, prevention. CBC news. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/understanding-e-colisymptoms-spread-prevention-1.786624 Center for Disease Control and Protection (2013). General information: Escherichia coli (e. coli). Web. < http://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/general/index.html>

DeVito, Emile, and Milan Bull (2014) "Public Event: Environmental destruction and loss of biodiversity by deer overpopulation." Web. <http://www.deeralliance.com>.

(2013) Fairfield County Deer Management Alliance. Web. <http://www.deeralliance.com/node/47>.

National Park Service. Yellowstone National Park. (2013) Wolf Restoration. Web. <http://www.nps.gov/yell/naturescience/wolfrest.htm>.

Zimbardo, Philip ; Johnson, Robert ; Weber, Ann ; Gruber, Craige (2010). Learning. In S. Hartman et al (Ed.), AP* Edition Psychology: wish Discovering Psychology. Boston, Allyn & Bacon. Wildlife; Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (n.d.). Wolf conflicts: What a livestock owner should know. Web. <http://wildlife.utah.gov/component/content/article/43-learn/utahanimals/312-wolf-conflicts-what-a-utah-livestock-owner-should-know-.html>.