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Posted by Andie (209.33.107.29) on 13:18:03 12/10/12
In Reply to: Hi Andie.. posted by DaveP
You're so much closer to it than I am. I understand that wolves are far-roaming creatures and if they are legally hunted, there are bound to be deaths of Yellowstone wolves. It can't be helped and although I sort of don't like the idea of trophy hunting, I also understand the need for population control, so I'm not prepared to weigh in on whether wolves should be hunted. Having said that, I'm wondering if you think that wolves who spend a great deal of time IN Yellowstone (those we think of as Yellowstone wolves) are more at risk to hunting because they have learned experientially in Yellowstone, that man is not a danger. Obviously they are not tame, but on the other hand, perhaps aren't as wary of people as a wolf would normally be in an unprotected situation. If that's the case, then perhaps a buffer zone really is needed. For those hunters, and I'm sure there are some, who are hunting out of hatred, how easy it would be to sit outside the park boundaries and just wait for an (more or less) unwary wolf. I am, for example, puzzled by the number of wolves identified as collared Yellowstone alphas and betas which have been taken, and I'm not sure that their value as a trophy is necessarily the reason for that. So then it seems that a buffer zone might be a possible solution which reasonable people might work towards.
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