Animal Facts

The gray wolf has the power to invoke both wonder and fear in human hearts.Gray wolves are the largest canine in the world and are the ancestor to all domestic dogs, from the Chihuahua to the Great Dane. The name 'gray' wolf is due to their thick fur being predominately gray, but wolf colors can range from pure white to ebony black with every variation in between.

The wolf pack is a family unit of around 4-7 animals that live and hunt together, ranging across a territory that can span 100 square miles or more, usually covering forested areas. They have a rigid social structure, lead by the alpha pair, the dominant male and female. Wolf families are held together by strong bonds and care for and protect each other, similar to human families. The pack hunts together, cooperating to bring down prey as large as elk and moose, bu twill also eat smaller game like rabbits and mice. They'll even scavenge on carrion if they have the opportunity. When a good kill is made, wolves will gorge themselves, eating up to 20lbs of meat for a single meal!

The alpha pair is the only wolves in the pack that mate and have pups, but the whole pack helps to raise them. Breeding season is in the winter, the pups are born a couple months later, in a den their mother dug to protect them for their first weeks of life. She stays with them exclusively for a couple weeks then the entire pack begins to help caring for them. Pups are fed regurgitated food from the adults until they're old enough to eat meat themselves. The pups start hunting with the pack when they're just under a year old.

Wolf sounds vary more than just their famous howling. They bark, growl and whine as well as using body language to communicate. They do howl, although not at the moon, but to call the pack together or to warn other packs not to enter their territory.

There has always been conflict between these creatures and people, especially in areas where humans have begun to encroach on their territory. In the past, wolves were hunted with prejudice; they were nearly driven extinct in the lower 48 states of the US and remained that way for decades. In recent years, wolves have been successfully reintroduced and their populations are growing.

Yet now, when the future of the gray wolves should be the brightest, there are those whose fear and greed threatens these beautiful animals again. Now, right now, sportsman's groups backed by some politicians are pushing for the gray wolf to be removed from the endangered species list and allow the wolves to be hunted again. And why? Because they feel the wolf had recovered enough and are now "hurting big game populations that are coveted by hunters". Wolves and their prey have lived side-by-side for thousands of years maintaining a balance in numbers. Self-centered human greed wants to upset that balance, so they can hunt the animals that wolves depend upon for food.

We must all do what we can to prevent this tragedy that will not only affect the future of the wolves, but all endangered and threatened animals.If one species can lose their protections, then how can we believe any species is truly safe?