Wolves, like most other animals, are an important part of our ecosystem. And without them, we totally screw up the environment. Sure, it’s really the deer that ate all the trees and the forests couldn’t renew, and without forests, the riverbanks eroded. And without forests, all the creatures big and small that lived there, no longer live there because they need the trees for a home. The beavers, and birds, and hawks, and rodents. All of them were lost. All for the killing off of all the wolves. When they added 4 wolves to the region, they killed off a few deer. They didn’t kill off all! Just a few to feed off of, but what happened was it changed the deers’ behavior and they quit coming to the areas around the rivers where the wolves caught them. And the trees began to regenerate because the deer weren’t eating them down. And the riverbanks began to stabilize and it changed the course of the rivers. The vegetation brought back the rodents, that brought back the hawks and eagles. And the beavers returned to build damns that provided refuge for the fish.
So it’s not just that wolves are a predator and we need to kill all predators, but that they are part of a valuable ecosystem that helps other wildlife–flora and fauna–to survive.
It reminds me of Texas and how scientists thought putting a certain tree along riverbanks would keep the soil from eroding, and guess what? Those trees actually are huge water sucks and they pulled all the water from the creeks and vast amounts of water from rivers when we have a lot of drought. So sometimes scientists get it right. But sometimes, they don’t. And sometimes scientists aren’t even involved in the exercise and animals or plants are killed wholesale for a variety of reasons and really cause us some trouble down the road. But who cares about that because we won’t live long enough to feel the repercussions. Right?
So whether we like wolves or snakes or sharks or spiders–all of these creatures have a place in our ecosystem. Can you imagine what earth would be like if we managed to kill off everything but us?
You know what would happen then!
I took some pictures of several of the animals at the Wildlife Science Center in Minnesota and wanted to show you the difference between some similar species. Can you tell which is which?
Red Wolf? Coyote? Or Northern Gray Wolf? Or Coyote Wolf Mix? Or Mexican Gray Wolf?
Red Wolf? Coyote? Or Northern Gray Wolf? Or Coyote Wolf Mix? Or Mexican Gray Wolf?
Red Wolf? Coyote? Or Northern Gray Wolf? Or Coyote Wolf Mix? Or Mexican Gray Wolf?
3. Or this one?
Red Wolf? Coyote? Or Northern Gray Wolf? Or Coyote Wolf Mix? Mexican Gray Wolf?
Red Wolf? Coyote? Or Northern Gray Wolf? Or Coyote Wolf Mix? Or Mexican Gray Wolf?
5. How about this one?
Red Wolf? Coyote? Or Northern Gray Wolf? Or Coyote Wolf Mix? Mexican Gray Wolf?
And a bonus:
4 wolves, International Wolf Center
Here’s another couple of pictures of them.
I apologize for the photos at the science
center not being any clearer. Do-gooders thought that releasing 3 female
Mexican gray wolves into the wild was the best thing for them. But the
problem is that these wolves are socialized and people bring them food
to eat. So they’re not hunters in the wild and don’t know how to hunt in
the wild. They were completely at risk. So when they were able to
return them to the center, they put tons more fencing on, to keep it
from happening again.
A Highland Wolf Christmas
Heart of the Wolf #15 | 07/10/2014
It’s going to take a lot of mistletoe…
Guthrie MacNeill, financial advisor for his clan and werewolf pack, is at his wit’s end when the pack leader’s mate hires a gorgeous party planner to bring holiday cheer to the castle. Guthrie’s wildly attracted to Calla, except he can’t reconcile the fact that his job is to save the clan’s money, and hers seems to be to spend it.
Sourcebooks Holiday Hop + iPad Mini Giveaway: A Highland Wolf Christmas by Terry Spear
We had tremendous storms last
night and so today, it’s clearing and my workmen are coming back to do
some more projects. The storm a couple of weeks ago took out some of the
roofs off some buildings in Waco. Saturday’s storm, not sure. Last
night was really bad again and it had me up and unplugging computers and
stuff. Electricity went out 5 times. Another storm system coming in on
Monday next week. But we’ve so needed the rain, I can’t complain and the
temps are dropping, and I’m thrilled!
Happy Wolf Awareness Week!
Have a super great Monday!!!
Terry
“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”
www.terryspear.com
Connect with Terry Spear:
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www.terryspear.com
Connect with Terry Spear:
Website:
www.terryspear.com
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/421434.Terry_Spear
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/TerrySpearParanormalRomantics
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/TerrySpear
Wilde & Woolly Bears
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