| Northern Rocky Mountains Wolf | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Canidae |
| Genus: | Canis |
| Species: | C. lupus |
| Subspecies: | C. l. irremotus |
| Trinomial name | |
| Canis lupus irremotus Goldman, 1937 |
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The Northern Rocky Mountains Wolf (Canis lupus irremotus[1][2][3]), also known as the Northern Rocky Mountain Wolf,[4] is a subspecies of the gray wolf, Canis lupus, that is primarily found in the northern portion of the Rocky Mountains and the states and provinces surrounding the region.[5] The subspecies was initially listed as Endangered on March 9, 1978, but had the classification removed in the year 2000 due to the effects of the Northern Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery Plan.[6][7] On August 6, 2010, the Northern Rocky Mountains Wolf was ordered to be returned under Endangered Species Act protections by U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy in a decision overturning a previous ruling by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.[8]
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This subspecies generally weighs 70–135 pounds (32–61 kg), making it one of the largest subspecies of the gray wolf in existence.[9] It is a lighter colored animal than its southern brethren, the Southern Rocky Mountains Wolf, with a coat that includes far more white and less black. In general, the subspecies favors lighter colors, with black mixing in among them.[1][5]
The Northern Rocky Mountains Wolf preys primarily on the Rocky Mountain Elk, the Rocky Mountain mule deer, and the North American Beaver, though it is an opportunistic animal and will prey upon other species if the chance arises. But, for the most part, small prey animals do not make up a large part of its diet.[5]
When an individual or a pack is able to take down numerous amounts of prey, the amount a Northern Rocky Mountains Wolf eats daily will generally make up about 10-21% of its body mass, though there have been recorded instances of an individual eating up to 37% of its body mass. However, when prey is not as plentiful, Northern Rocky Mountains wolves are able to survive for considerably long periods of time while eating only small amounts. Cannibalism, in times of severe food shortage, occurs, as a pack will kill and eat an injured or weak member of the group.[5]
Early recorded history of the Northern Rocky Mountain Wolf found it roaming primarily in the forests that would later become known as Yellowstone National Park. They resided nearby Native Americans of the Tukudika tribe, who considered the wolf to be a sacred animal.[9]
As the American population began spreading west in the late 19th century, ranchers, farmers, and cattle drivers began to settle in the area. In due time, the Northern Rocky Mountains Wolf began preying on the livestock brought by the settlers. A practice of eradication was enacted in 1915,[10] through the use of guns, traps, and poison. This policy was made even more all encompassing by the creation of the National Park Service in 1916, which regulated control over the land in Yellowstone and authorized through the National Park Service Organic Act the "destruction of such animals and such plant life that may be detrimental".[4] By 1924, the last known wolves in the bounds of Yellowstone were killed, though small numbers of the Northern Rocky Mountains Wolf survived in outlying areas.[9]
The Northern Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery Plan was first approved in 1980, though it was then revised later on in 1987. The plan required a certain population of Northern Rocky Mountains wolves to reside in the area inside and around Yellowstone, which included at least ten breeding pairs, and for the population to remain stable for at least three consecutive years.[11][12] However, the Northern Rocky Mountains Wolf was not, at the time of the initial drafting, recognized as a legitimate subspecies, so the wolves involved in the plan were instead the Great Plains Wolf and the Mackenzie Valley Wolf.[13] The overall reason for this was because the stated two subspecies of wolf roamed in the same general area as the Northern Rocky Mountains Wolf and because the plan covered the reintroduction of wolves into the area in general. For this reason, the more plentiful subspecies' were chosen to be trans-located, so as to not upset the balance in the areas they would be taken from.[14]
In response to concerns about wolves being allowed to run free in the area, killing livestock without any allowed repercussions, the final draft of the plan, completed on November 22, 1994, outlined that ranchers were allowed to kill wolves if they were "caught in the act of killing livestock on private property."[6]
In three lawsuits combined as Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation v. Babbitt, opponents of re-introduction argued that the re-introduced wolves threatened wolves that might already inhabit the area, while supporters argued against the experimental desigination and for fully protected status. District Court Judge William F. Downes ruled that the re-introduction violated section 10(j) of the Endangered Species Act, however, this ruling was overturned by the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.[6][7][15]
In 2007, a memorandum was drafted by the solicitor for the United States Department of the Interior, which looked at the wording of the Endangered Species Act. Specifically, the paper considered the meaning of the phrase "significant portion of its range". The memorandum detailed that the previous range of a species under the ESA was unimportant and that the current range of such a species was what was important, not what it "historically occupied". A number of environmental groups were outraged over the memorandum, as the density of species under their current range would end up with many taken off the Endangered Species List, even if the population was far lower than what would be considered stable.[16]
Jeremy Bruskotter, who is an environmental scientist, authored two papers in early 2009 stating that, if the memorandum is taken seriously, it could result in "an increased risk of extinction for some species." On the other hand, Robin Waples, a scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Northwest Fisheries Science Center, stated that "the memorandum by itself does not reduce protections".[16]
Since the memorandum was drafted, five rulings that relied heavily upon it were passed regarding endangered species, one of which was about the population of the Northern Rocky Mountains Wolf. The ruling decided that protection for the species was to be "sharply limited". However, in 2009, wildlife groups challenged the ruling.[16][17]
On January 21, 2009, President Barack Obama made a presidential ruling for all federal agencies to "halt all pending regulations until his administration can review them." This, in turn, has halted the delisting of many species under the ESA, though the Northern Rocky Mountains wolf had already been removed prior to this regulation.[17]
U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy ruled in an appealed decision on August 6, 2010, that the Northern Rocky Mountains Wolf must either be "listed as an endangered species or removed from the list, but the protections for the same population can't be different for each state." This ruling came about from the challenged decision in 2009 by wildlife groups and would end many of the special regulations that individual states had held over the species. The Fish and Wildlife Service made a statement that endangered protections would remain for the entire species until Wyoming is able to bring the population of wolves within its borders into required standards. The populations for Idaho and Montana have already exceeded the requirements and, thus, previously had had no protections for the wolves in the states.[8][18]