How does the area effect a wolf pack?

Answer 1

You asked a very interesting question. If the area doesn't have enough wildlife to feed the wolves (they generally go after the older animals such as deer, elk, moose) or will even kill rodents, then the wolves will move the pack to another area. I just saw an interesting program on wolves regarding Yellowstone National Park. A very astute conservationist hired by the park realized that the river was changing at a dramatic pace and also aspen trees and other vegetation were disappearing at an alarming rate. After much studying they realized at one time they blamed the wolves for the low count of deer, elk and moose. What did they do .. they either killed or trapped and relocated wolves out of the park. Without the wolves there to hunt down the game the different species of deer, etc., grew at a rapid rate and it was the very animals they were protecting that unbalanced nature! The deer, elk and moose were basically eating all the aspen and also the willow beds by the rivers, so they had to introduce wolves back into the National Park. There is one problem with this ... there are a few ranchers on the outskirts of Yellowstone and they are complaining that the wolves are eating their stock. So far nothing has changed and the wolves are still free to roam Yellowstone. Sometimes humans just can't leave mother nature alone long enough to do her job!