Letters / Anchorage Daily News / March 12, 2005
I don't begrudge Scott Simmons making a living as a registered guide ("Many misconceptions about wolves lead to restrictions on hunting them," Feb. 18). But I do differ with him in his insinuations that wolf predation is the primary cause of moose and caribou mortality rates. I certainly don't place all the blame in the reduction of moose and caribou populations on the backs of our wolves.
Come to think of it, I never did have it adequately explained to me that if the wolves are solely responsible for the demise of the ungulates in some of our game management units, why didn't the wolf packs hunt them into extinction thousands of years ago? The next time you fly across Denali Park, look down and ask yourself if there is something to learn from the fact that since the park's inception the moose, caribou and wolf populations have been stable, healthy and thriving.
What is it about Denali's self-sustaining population base of predator and prey that's missing in the game management units? Do you think that our exponentially growing population and soaring harvest ticket applications just may have something to do with it? Could that pressure distort the balance between predators and prey and inhibit the Alaska Department of Fish and Game's ability to effectively manage the populations?
It's not just Outside animal rights groups that question our state's wolf management program ---- it's longtime Alaskans as well.
Dan Przywojski / Anchorage |
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