Wolves are a polarizing topic, with many people who love them and many people who hate them. They are very important to the ecosystem they live in, especially when acting as apex predators. In these cases, their removal can result in a trophic cascade, altering the ecosystem as a whole, through prey overpopulation, land degradation and even alteration of the route of a river. Yellowstone National Park is a prime example of such a phenomenon. When the wolves were removed, there was a clear change in the ecosystem and, to the surprise of those who pushed for their removal, it was not positive. Yellowstone is a success story, however, because the reintroduction of wolves has allowed the land and its inhabitants to return to their natural splendor. Wolf conservation as a whole must overcome many boundaries before other places can become success stories like Yellowstone. Captive, enriched wolves can provide education to researchers and laypeople, but wild wolves can also provide useful information for research not found in captive wolves. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Not everyone wants to support wolf conservation, preferring to keep the wolf population at low and endangered levels. A popular reason why many oppose wolf conservation is the belief that wolves threaten livelihoods by preying on livestock. Shepherds, ranchers, farmers, and anyone who raises stray animals may view wolves as a nuisance, or even a danger, to their livelihoods. This is, however, a misperception. Wolves do not prey on livestock as often as this perception suggests, and the killing of humans is undoubtedly a much more common phenomenon. The USDA reported on the causes of cattle mortality in 2015 and used data dating back to 1995 for some of its findings. In 2015, approximately 98% of deaths were due to non-predatory causes for adults and approximately 89% for calves. Regarding death from predation, coyotes were the primary predator in landslide events, and dogs and vultures were also mentioned above the much lower suspected occurrences of wolf predation (USDA). Additionally, groups of wild dogs have been found to hunt similarly to wolves and are effective hunters of livestock in areas where abundant wild ungulates are not available. Therefore, in at least some areas, wild dogs might be the real culprits and making the problem worse, but their wild counterparts are most often blamed. While opponents are still not satisfied with these results, allowing a stable pack rather than dispersal of individuals, allowing high populations of ungulates as prey, and protective prevention measures in pastures can minimize predation by wolves. Habitat loss and this nasty stigma, among other things, have meant that most surviving wolves are those in captivity. Whether in wildlife refuges, wolf protection centers or zoos, they are fascinating to see for many. Captive wolves can be used to educate visitors about the species and its importance. However, Riggio et al. noticed a problem in the educational value of captive wolves in zoos. These captive wolves are rarely able to express theirnatural predatory behaviors, as they receive food prepared in advance. This inability to express natural predatory actions can cause chronic stress in captive wolves, leading them to develop unnatural coping behaviors, sometimes called stereotypies. The zoo's enrichment programs aim to encourage captive wolves to participate in these natural behaviors. When zoo animals are able to behave naturally, it improves visitors' recognition of the animal welfare and educational benefit of zoos. This is why they set up experiments studying 4 wolves in a zoo in Italy, called Bioparco de Rome. They observed their behavior in response to several enrichment devices. Sometimes they hid food from wolves by burying it, hanging it on a tree, or hiding it in woodpiles in the exhibit. Next, they used a new item for the wolves to investigate for food, wrapping the food in webbing or a food ball for Aussiedog. Enrichment allowed the studied wolves to have fewer observed negative behaviors (behaviors indicative of dominance, submission, and aggression) as well as more observed positive behaviors (like playing, licking/rubbing another wolf, et cetera) . For 2 of the wolves, stereotyped behaviors were also lower when food enrichment was provided. Enrichment and education in zoos is a big improvement to the status of wolves and people's perceptions of them, but reintroduction efforts are another element of wolf conservation. Reintroduction can be extremely useful to wolf research because previously captive animals can be marked or collared and then released, rather than undergoing the stressful and arduous task of capturing these wild wolves for device fitting. tracking. Mech et al's team proposes that Isle Royale push for wolf reintroduction (and this has happened, albeit after their work was published), because it is an excellent opportunity for researchers to study wolves and their interactions with prey on the island. island, namely the moose. They suggest other potential research topics that could utilize Isle Royale's reintroduced wolves, such as capturing wolves in areas where their primary prey is white-tailed deer, so researchers can study how long wolves last took to learn how to hunt moose. Additionally, with monitoring of wolves released there, genetics studies might also be possible. Some previous researchers have spent their time looking for scats to determine the diet of a wolf pack, but with the reintroduced wolves collared or otherwise marked to facilitate tracking, research into their movements, diet, etc. . will be much easier to find and study. .Keep in mind: This is just a sample.Get a custom paper from our expert writers now.Get a custom essay.Enriched captive wolves can provide education to researchers and laypeople alike, but wolves Wild animals can provide useful research and information that cannot be found in captive wolves. Overall, wolves are beautiful and important animals that deserve a high quality of life, whether in the wild or in captivity. Not only would their reintroduction improve the health and status of the species itself, but it could also improve the ecosystem, as in the case of Yellowstone. Education is needed to eliminate the misconception.2016.01.003..