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🗓️ On this day, one year ago, government contractors of the Caribou Recovery Program`s wolf cull made the following comment:
"Located a heavialy tracked out area with a pack of at least four wolves, in the vicinity of the large ranch and it`s dead pile. Rancher reports tracks of four wolves on the pile last night. Tracked locally and it appears that the wolves were holed up in a mature timber stand near the bait site."
WRL-2024-41566, pg. 49
A dead pile, is exactly what it sounds like, a pile of dead livestock on ranchers` land. For a variety of reasons (such as injury and disease), livestock deaths are an unfortunate reality for ranchers. However, the practice of disposal of dead livestock can have implications beyond the ranch itself. It is a simple fact that dead animals are a major attractant for large carnivores and scavengers, like wolves, leading to exacerbated conflict potential and safety risks for both carnivores and ranchers. There are better ways to manage animal husbandry. A case study in Alberta (Morehouse et al., 2021) demonstrated that a deadstock removal program was highly effective, leading to a significant decrease in large carnivore incidents associated with deadstock.
Within the context of the Caribou Recovery Program, it is deeply concerning that the province is relying on dead piles from ranchers as bait to locate and kill wolves in some cases. In the field notes above, it appears that ranchers seem to be communicating with aerial snipers when wolves arrive on bait piles. This practice not only misrepresents wolves` natural predation behaviour but also conditions them to scavenge, undermining their ecological role and perpetuating a distorted view of their impact on prey populations.
Rather than relying on bait piles to track and kill wolves, the province should prioritize investing in animal husbandry programs that promote coexistence between ranchers and large carnivores, fostering sustainable solutions for wildlife and agriculture. The province should also prioritize protecting old growth in the Caribou Recovery Program.
#Coexistence #Wolf #SaveBCWolves #ProtectWolves #Bait
🌝 Happy Wolf Moon! Did you know that the first full moon in January is called the Wolf Moon?
🐺 Wolves howl for a variety of reasons such as communicating with family members over long distances, assembling the pack and alerting to danger, but it is a common misconception that wolves howl at the moon.
Follow for more info about wolves and to learn how you can protect wolves in British Columbia, Canada.
#Wolf #WolfMoon #AnimalFacts #AnimalMyths #SaveBCWolves
🦦 There`s a new neighbor in Sooke, British Columbia causing quite a stir—a sea otter! These incredible animals, once hunted to extinction in B.C., Canada during the fur trade, are making a remarkable comeback. Thanks to reintroductions from Alaska, sea otters are returning to our coastal waters where they are an important keystone species. While their population has grown, sightings this far east in the Strait of Juan de Fuca are still rare. Especially rare, in this case, as sea otters are infrequently seen hauled out on land.
Sharing our waters with them once again is exciting, but being a good neighbour means keeping a few things in mind:
✅ Respect Their Space: Sea otters are protected under Canada’s Fisheries Act, making it illegal to disturb them. Stay at least 100 metres away to ensure their safety and minimize stress.
✅ Enjoy From Afar: A good zoom lens or binoculars can give you an amazing view without getting too close.
✅ Think Conservation: Reducing human disturbance and habituation is key to their long-term survival.
✅ Keep dogs on leash: Although adorable, sea otters can be aggressive and carry diseases transmittable to pets and people alike.
💙 Let’s celebrate their return responsibly and ensure these adorable marine mammals thrive for generations to come!
#SeaOtter #WildlifeConservation #Coexistance #MarineConservation #SookeBC
🐺 It has been 30 years since wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park, and their impact has been nothing short of transformative. As ecosystem engineers, wolves play a vital role in maintaining biodiversity by regulating prey populations, which supports healthier forests and riparian zones. Their presence has restored balance to Yellowstone’s ecosystem, highlighting the critical importance of these apex predators.
Meanwhile, in British Columbia, we face a troubling reality. Over $11 million in taxpayer funds have been spent on a controversial wolf cull that has removed nearly 2,200 wolves from the landscape.
Yellowstone’s success story offers a valuable lesson. We must avoid a future where wolves need to be reintroduced at great expense. Instead, we call on the province to end the wolf cull and embrace sustainable, science-based solutions that prioritize conservation and the well-being of all B.C. wildlife.
To learn more about wolves` keystone role in the ecosystem, follow the link in our bio to read the blog "Wolves and the Food Web"
📸 @iantmcallister
#SaveBCWolves #Wolf #Wolves #YellowStoneNationalPark #WildlifeConservation
Unlikely allies? No matter how far this wolf leapt and pounced while fishing for salmon, it never managed to fully escape the watchful raven`s gaze. Wolves and ravens are often spotted traveling together, or eating side-by-side. Although wolves hunt birds for food and many different bird species have been found in their scat, ravens seem to be the exception.
Ravens use their close association with wolves to forage. These clever birds don`t just stumble upon food randomly—they may actively team up with wolves to secure meals. Researchers (Stahler et al., 2002) have found that ravens are frequently seen traveling, resting, and even hunting alongside wolves, while showing little to no interest in coyotes, elk, or areas without wolves. When wolves make a kill, ravens quickly discover the carcass and stay to feed alongside them. In contrast, when researchers placed fresh carcasses in the same region, ravens rarely approached or fed, despite the easy availability of meat.
This behavior shows that ravens don’t just follow wolves by chance. They may have evolved to associate with these predators to improve their chances of finding food in some areas, whether or not a kill has already occurred. By sticking with wolves, ravens overcome their natural fear of new food sources and ensure a steady supply of meals in an unpredictable landscape. This remarkable partnership highlights how animals adapt and thrive through unique strategies in the wild.
📸 by @iantmcallister
#UnlikelyAnimalFriends #AnimalFacts #SeaWolves #WildlifePhotogrpahy #Ravens #RavensAndWolves
⚠️ BREAKING (GOOD) NEWS FROM U.S. WATERS ⚠️
🐟 In a historic decision, the Washington Board of Natural Resources in the USA voted unanimously (4-0) to ban commercial open-net pen salmon farming in state waters. During a public hearing ahead of the vote, more than 80% of public commenters urged the board to ban the pens, emphasizing the need to support salmon and the orcas that rely on them, while safeguarding the hundreds of millions of dollars invested in species recovery efforts.
This ban builds on efforts that began in 2017 when Washington State`s Commissioner of Public Lands, Hilary Franz, imposed an initial ban following a catastrophic farm failure in 2017 which released hundreds of thousands of invasive Atlantic salmon into the Salish Sea. This new ban echos efforts made by other Pacific Coast jurisdictions to prioritize the health of marine ecosystems. In the USA, Oregon has no commercial salmon farms in operation and open-net salmon farming is prohibited in both Alaska and California. Last June, Canada committed to ban open-net pen salmon farms in British Columbia by 2029.
The Washington decision represents a renewed commitment to conserving and recovering wild Pacific salmon populations, as well as supporting the critically endangered Southern Resident killer whales in this crucial time after the loss of yet another calf, J61. This regional effort signals an important step toward protecting vulnerable species and restoring the overall health of the Pacific Ocean ecosystem.
📸 @brendonbissonnette
#FOFF #ProtectWildSalmon #SaveWildSalmon #PacificSalmon #FishFarmsOut #SRKW #SalishSea
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