Wolves: An Unwanted Predator Essay example -- Wildlife Animals Gray Wo

Wolves: An Unwanted Predator Vigorous as a predator, affectionate toward its pack, the gray wolf elicits both fear and admiration among humans. This fear, along with ignorance, inspired a movement to eradicate the gray wolf from the lower forty-eight states in the early 1900’s. By the early 1930’s, gray wolf populations had been completely eliminated from the Rocky Mountains (Bangs, et al 147). In 1973, congress passed the Endangered Species Act that protected any wolves that naturally migrated from Canada (Bangs, et al 147). Public opinion began to shift and the value of the wolf on the ecosystem was realized. While the public support for a reintroduction increased, there remained many people who opposed the gray wolf. People living in the proposed restoration areas feared that the gray wolf would threaten both their livelihood and their personal safety. The reintroduction of the gray wolf to the Rocky Mountain Ecosystem should not be carried out because it bends the rules of the endang ered species act, interferes with the wolves’ natural migration back to the ecosystem and introduces a new threat to livestock in the area. The reintroduction of the gray wolf to the Rocky Mountain Ecosystem distorts and disregards the laws of the Endangered Species Act. The Endangered Species Act (ESA) was passed in 1973 to protect endangered species and their necessary habitat (McMurray 52). The purpose of listing a species as threatened or endangered under the ESA is to prevent that species from becoming extinct. The ESA implements recovery plans that stipulate specific regulations and restrictions regarding the threatened species and its habitat (McMurray 52). Under this act, any wolf that migrated to the United States ... ...e up for its past mistakes; rather, Mother Nature will restore the natural balance of her world. Work Cited Bangs, Ed., et al. â€Å"Gray Wolf Restoration in the Northwestern United States.† Endangered Species Update. July-August 2001. v18 i4. pp 147-152. Donnelly, Karen J., â€Å"Canine In the Wild.† World and I. Jan. 1999. v14 i1: pp180+. Li, Jennifer. â€Å"The Wolves May Have Won the Battle, But Not the War: How the West Was Won Under the Northern Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery Plan†. Environmental Law. Summer 2000. v30 i3. p677-701. McMurray, Ashley. â€Å"Federal Delistings: A Case Study of the Gray Wolf†. Endangered Species Update. May-June 2002. v19 i3. pp 51-53. Richardson, Valerie. â€Å"Decrying Wolves†. National Review. March 20, 1995: pp 28, 29. United States Congress. Endangered Species Act. Washington D.C. 1973.