Wolves Bad Rep Leads To Their Being Unnecessarily Hunted Conservationist Says
By Nataly Clysdale
Wolves have been hunted since the beginning of time throughout the world, our province has not been an exception.
It’s a culture of eradicating an apex predator by man that has one conservationist questioning the culture and the practice.
Sky Phoenix, the owner of a Saskatchewan wolf sanctuary, A Wolf Adventure; Outreach & Retreat near the town of McDowell has an opinion to share on the matter.
It’s an opinion that is not popular with more than a few people in the province.
It’s an opinion that wolves are necessary for the natural balance Phoenix says.
“A wolf is a dominate predator and the consequences of it’s population dropping are severe. Once the wolf population dwindles you see coyotes taking over which snowballs into an explosion of other animals in the food chain suffering,” she said.
Killing wolves enables coyotes to move in doing severe damage not just to the ecosystem, but farm animals as well.
“The very thing farmers complain about is the coyote populations rising, they are unaware of a very close link that wolves play to coyotes. Coyotes are scavengers who feed upon carcasses they come upon and will hunt small animals like rabbits, birds even apples out of trees they find,” she said, adding “They are also opportunistic and can seek out young to old livestock such as sheep or cattle. Coyotes establish quite large families and can target some larger livestock animals.”
Wolves, help to keep the coyote population in check.
“If there is a large, unnatural coyote population in an area the odds are the wolf population is very low as they keep the coyote population in check. Wolves are a highly competitive species and will take out every coyote they see,” Phoenix said.
“Unfortunately, wolves are considered a game animal to hunt in Canada.”
A major problem in the province is that there is no accurate count on the actual number of walls here, she said.
“It is concerning that Saskatchewan has never done an updated recent number count of wolves in our province. All we currently have are estimates, as there has been no actual number count,” Phoenix said.
Currently, according to the National WolfWatcher coalition it is estimated that Canada has between 50-60,000 wolves.
Wolves legal status differences depending on territory and province.
Phoenix said the number of wolves in Saskatchewan has been in decline for a number of years.
“You might see the odd wolf or pair in our province but over the years they have been chased by farmers, hunters and ranchers further north. In a lot of areas where wolves have been chased away the coyote who is next in line to reign have been taking over leading to a lot of human and candid conflict. I wish humans would leave wild animals alone as nothing wild on this planet requires human interference.”
She gave the example of Yellowstone Park in United States where the ecosystem was unbalanced, because wolves were exterminated.
“The entire area suffered and was unbalanced. When wolves were reintroduced, everything had a chance to right itself and go back into balance,” she shares.”
Running a wolf sanctuary allows Phoenix to educate the publicThe important of wild animals, such as wolves and highlight the vital place wildlife holds in Saskatchewan.
She points out although their similarities between wolves and dogs, there are also many differences as well.
“People play tug of war with puppies as a game. When you play tug of war with wolf puppies they don’t play they learn. What looks like play to a wolf puppy is actually learning how to be a competitive predator in the ecosystem.”
Although they are similar wolves and dogs cannot understand each other.
“Wolves and dogs do not understand each other because the language of a dog can be compared to that of a two-year-old while a wolf’s language is that of a six or seven year old is the easiest way to explain it,” Phoenix said.
“You cannot treat a wolf like a dog. How you treat a wolf when they are a puppy is how they are going to treat you when they are older. They will mirror your behaviour given they are first time or one event learners, wolves do not forgive or forget like dogs instinctively do. While working with wolves over the years I have come to build relationships with them that are built on trust and respect for what they are.” she says.
When it comes to raising wolves without question it is in the wolf’s and humans best interest to work with care, mutual respect, and an adamant preventative mind state to not encourage or kick in certain instincts.
“If I put a wolf puppy on it’s back to assert dominance it will do the same to me as an adult and that will be problematic. Clearly, after many years of raising and caring for wolves I have done so without an incident. When I started doing this I was quite young and often would joke about how they instead raised me as they are such great teachers,”
Wolf and dog crosses for pets - not a good idea
At the sanctuary, Phoenix has received and will probably continue to receive multiple phone calls about wolf and dog crosses.
Many need to be surrendered as they ended up maturing and growing into the opposite of an ideal pet.
A wolf or wolf cross is a highly complex animal equipped with it’s own special needs.
It can be potentially problematic when any kind of canine let alone a wolf or cross are brought up in an environment where needs are not being adequately met.
“A wolf cross that is sought after as a pet and raised with high expectations will disappoint the owners.”
“Eventually, if that person hasn’t done enough research they are going to realize sooner rather than later that such a complex canine can be highly destructive, not as trainable and is not going to react and be predictable the way a dog is,” explains Phoenix.
“People take pride in chasing the wild and it is not enough to tame, control and be a part of the wild. Instead, they want a piece of it for themselves and wolves do not make good pets,” she said.
Phoenix herself won’t take a wolf as a pet.
“I have never tried to turn any of my wolves into a pet, we have a friendship and a working relationship as I respect their wild instincts and allow them to just be a wolf,”
Wolves and humans
When the question of wolves approaching humans was asked, Phoenix responded wolves, like all wild animals, are best to avoid human contact.
“It is in the best interest of wild animals to stay afraid of humans and not interact with them at all. I would like to impress upon people that wild animals should be allowed to stay wild and retain fear of humans as it keeps the animals and humans safe.”
People are generally safe around wolves in the wild, Phoenix stated.
“But let me also state you are not in jeopardy of being hunted by wolves through taking a hike in as forested area.”
“Care is smart when out in any natural environment of course but if conflicts arise it’s usually human caused and there is a human reason behind the conflict,” she said.
Phoenix said she hears anecdotal stories about wolves, approaching humans.
“I get these stories all the time, this wolf came up to me and they yelled at it and it took off. I mean I don’t want any wild animals approaching humans as it is concerning, especially wolves as it is not natural for them to do so but I’m hearing it more frequently happening.”
Bias and exaggeration about wolves
Stories about wolves attacking humans as prey animals are untrue and not in wolves’ nature to do so.
“Wolves are not blood thirsty like some movies portray which also add to misinformation about wolves. Someone who is scared or their kid going out to play because they are worried about wolves isn’t rational. I wouldn’t let my little kid out to play by themselves anyway in a farm or acreage yard for a lot of safety concerned reasons, wolves not being one of them,” she continued.
Phoenix said coyotes closely approaching humans is more concerning than a wolf doing the same thing.
“I see these videos online of places such as British Columbia where people walk within five feet of a coyote and they are lounging around humans on these golf courses-that is exactly where danger is prevalent. I would be more concerned about a coyote approaching myself or a child.”
Phoenix said the stories involving wolves and humans are greatly exaggerated are not true and should be ignored.
”It’s time that we start ignoring these exaggerated stories about wolves and instead learn to appreciate them for their beauty, resilience, and the necessary important role they play in the environment,”
Phoenix asks everyone to please change their perspective on wolves.
“They want nothing to do with humans and they just want to live in peace and be a wolf,” she comments.
For those wanting a more in depth education on wolves that has the potential to be perspecrive and life changing, please contact Sky Phoenix, director and owners of the Saskatchewan wolf sanctuary at (306) 371-9749.