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 they act as apex predators. In these cases, their removal can cause a trophic cascade, altering the ecosystem as a whole, from overpopulation of prey animals, to land degradation and even altering the path of rivers. Yellowstone National Park is a great example of this phenomenon. When the wolves were removed, there was a clear change in the ecosystem, and surprisingly, to those pushing for removal, it was not a positive change. Yellowstone is a success story, however, as the reintroduction of wolves has restored the land and its inhabitants to their natural glory. Wolf conservation as a whole must overcome many limitations before other places can become success stories like Yellowstone. Captive wolves, with enrichment, can provide education to both researchers and lay people, but wild wolves can also provide useful information for research that cannot be found in captive wolves. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Not all people want 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 their livelihoods by preying on livestock. Shepherds, ranchers, farmers and all those who keep animals in the wild may consider wolves a nuisance and even a danger to their livelihood. This is, however, a wrong perception. Wolves do not prey on livestock as commonly as this perception would suggest, and human slaughter is undoubtedly a much more frequent occurrence. The USDA reported on causes of cattle death in 2015 and used data going back to 1995 for some of its findings. In 2015, approximately 98% of deaths were due to non-predator-related causes for adults and approximately 89% for calves. Regarding deaths from predation, coyotes were the primary predators in one landslide, and dogs and vultures were also mentioned above the much less suspected cases of wolf predation (USDA). Additionally, groups of wild dogs have been found to hunt similarly to wolves and are efficient livestock hunters in areas where abundant wild ungulates are not available. Therefore, at least in some areas, wild dogs may be the real culprits and exacerbating the problem, but more often their wild counterparts are blamed. If opponents are still not satisfied with these results, then allowing a stable herd rather than dispersing individuals, allowing high populations of ungulates as prey options, and protective prevention measures in rangelands can minimize predation by wolves. Habitat loss and this evil stigma, among other things, have meant that most of the surviving wolves have been those in captivity. Whether wildlife refuges, wolf centers or zoos, they are fascinating to see for many. Captive wolves can be used to educate visitors about the species and their importance. However, Riggio and colleagues noted a problem in the educational value of captive wolves in zoos. These captive wolves are rarely able to express their natural predatory behaviors, as they receive pre-prepared food. This inability to express natural predatory actions can cause chronic stress in thewolves in captivity, thus leading them to develop unnatural reaction behaviors, sometimes called stereotypies. The zoo's enrichment programs are intended to encourage captive wolves to participate in these natural behaviors. When animals in zoos are able to behave naturally, this improves visitors' recognition of animal welfare and the educational benefit of zoos. Therefore, they started experiments by studying 4 wolves in a zoo in Italy, called Bioparco di Roma. They observed their behavior in response to different enrichment devices. In some cases they hid the wolves' food by burying it, suspending it from a tree, or hiding it inside piles of wood in the exhibit. Next, they used a new object that the wolves investigated to get food, wrapping the food in burlap or inside an Aussiedog feeding ball. The enrichment resulted in the wolves studied having less observed negative behaviors (behaviors indicating dominance, submission, and aggression) and more observed positive behaviors (such as playing, licking/rubbing another wolf, etc.). For 2 of the wolves, stereotyped behaviors were also lower when food enrichment was provided. Enrichment and education in zoos represent a great improvement for the status of wolves and people's perception of them, but reintroduction efforts are another part of wolf conservation. Reintroduction can help immensely in wolf research, as animals previously held in captivity can be tagged or collared and then released, rather than facing the arduous and stressful task of capturing these wild wolves to put tracking devices on them. The Mech et al team proposes that Isle Royale push for wolf reintroduction (and this has happened, albeit after their work was published), as it is a great opportunity for researchers to study wolves and their interactions with prey of the island, namely the moose. They propose other potential research subjects that could use the reintroduced Isle Royale wolves, such as taking wolves from areas where their primary prey is white-tailed deer, so that researchers can study how long it takes wolves to learn to hunt elk. Furthermore, with control over the wolves released there, genetic studies may also be possible. Some previous researchers have spent their time looking for scat to determine a wolf pack's diet, but with reintroduced wolves collared or otherwise marked for easy tracking, research into their movements, diets and more will be much easier. to find and study. .Remember: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Enriched captive wolves can provide education to both researchers and laypeople, but wild wolves can provide useful research and information that cannot be found in captive wolves. Overall, wolves are magnificent and important animals that deserve a high quality of life, both in the wild and in captivity. Reintroducing them would not only help the health and status of the species itself, but could also change the ecosystem for the better, as in the case of Yellowstone. Education is needed to remove the misconception that reintroducing wild wolves would kill large numbers of livestock. Although this is a much less common occurrence than you might think, there are simple tips to avoid predation. Modify husbandry styles, allow a stable herd in the area, and allow abundant populations of ungulates as natural prey.2016.01.003..