Among Wolves: Gordon Haber's Insights into Alaska's Most Misunderstood Animal

by Haber, Gordon

  The Board of Game, comprised entirely of hunters and trappers, has gone so far as to approve methods that haven't been legal since before statehood. In addition to shooting wolves from the air, a practice outlawed in the 1960s, state-paid wolf hunters can also gas wolf pups in their dens. This practice was approved after the uproar over the shooting deaths of pups on the Alaska Peninsula.36 Rather than a bullet to the head, says Steiner, pups are gassed to death before ever leaving their natal dens.

  Pups face a more established threat, too. Hunting seasons now run as late as June and start as early as August, even though late summer wolf hides, noted Haber, are virtually worthless. Instead, as Haber revealed, these liberalized seasons are clearly the state's hidden predator control—the most extensive Alaska's wolves have ever faced. These long seasons also mean hunters can kill pregnant females in April, adult wolves whose newborn pups are still in the den in June, and adults whose pups are still entirely dependent on them in late summer—all of which effectively kills the pups, a loss that goes unreported in state statistics.

  Since the current regime of predator control began in 2003, hundreds of private pilots gunning from the air have killed more than fifteen hundred wolves. Trapping and hunting have also killed more than one thousand wolves in these same areas. Across the state of Alaska, approximately seventeen hundred wolves are reported killed every year. This estimate is likely low for three reasons. First, it only includes kills reported through the hide sealing process, in which an authorized ADF&G representative places a seal on an animal hide; most villages traditionally don't seal wolf pelts, so these kills are not reported. Second, there are a substantial number of wolves killed illegally, and therefore unreported, across the state. Third, the number of pups that die because the adults are killed is entirely unreported.

  Beyond Alaska

  Throughout their range, wolves continue to be the target of persecution. In Canada, the Alberta tar sands development has destroyed thousands of acres of boreal wildlife habitat, causing caribou populations to decline from habitat loss. To prop up caribou numbers for hunters, the Canadian government's response is to kill wolves by the thousands, through aerial shooting and poisoning.

  In the western United States, after wolves were taken off the endangered species list in 2009, many of Haber's concerns about state wolf management have been realized. Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming quickly initiated liberal wolf hunting. More than five hundred wolves—more than 25 percent of the reintroduced population—have been killed since delisting. Within the first few weeks of Montana's first modern wolf hunt, the alpha pair and other adult members of the Cottonwood family group were shot. The loss of these wolves ended a long-term research study of one of Yellowstone National Park's most important and most often viewed wolf groups.

  While some still reflexively consider the only good wolf a dead wolf, many people are delighted and fascinated by wolves reclaiming old territory. Wolves from a growing family group in northeastern Oregon were radio-collared, and four of these young wolves dispersed. Their dispersal journeys were followed online by thousands of people. One of the wolves was quickly killed when she crossed into Idaho; two more have stayed in Oregon; but the fourth, OR7, found his way through a crazy quilt of public lands into California: the first wild wolf in that state in more than ninety years. As he wanders in and out of Oregon and California, most likely searching for a mate, he has become world-famous.

  What would Haber say about all this? The delisting, he said, was a terrible mistake, since uncontrolled hunting and trapping fragments wolf groups and destroys the very essence of wolf society. He would remind us that it's not just wolf numbers that count in determining the threatened status of a species. It's also their genetic diversity and functional characteristics, their ability to become tuned to their specific ecosystem over time, the traditions and the culture that they can develop—if we allow it.

  Signs of Change

  While Haber's conclusions may still fall on deaf ears in Alaska and in much of the western United States, elsewhere they may be taking hold. A growing number of scientific publications and books corroborate Haber's essential conclusions about the importance of a healthy predator population to an ecosystem. These include The Wolf's Tooth: Keystone Predators, Trophic Cascades, and Biodiversity by Cristina Eisenberg and Where the Wild Things Were: Life, Death and Ecological Wreckage in a Land of Vanishing Predators by William Stolzenburg. Particularly important is Wolves of the Yukon, in which biologist Bob Hayes concludes—after eighteen years of research—that wolf control simply does not work.

  In the same month in 2012 that the Toklat West female and her family member were killed at the edges of Denali National Park, two dead wolves were found in a dumpster in Tofino, British Columbia. At a town informational meeting, a wolf biologist told the crowd that killing wolves was counterproductive. He said splintering the group by killing significant members could result in even more wolf-human conflicts as remaining younger wolves with insufficient hunting skills may be drawn to human communities in search of food. He could have been quoting Gordon Haber. It seems, like many of history's most famous dissenters, Haber's minority perspective may yet unfreeze old thinking patterns.

  _________________

  34 The NPS name for Toklat is East Fork; their name for Toklat West is Grant Creek.

  35 For more detail on Alaska's present-day predator control programs, see Van Ballenberghe, “Intensive Management—or Mismanagement?”

  36 See chapter 12.

  REFERENCES

  Dr. Gordon Haber's papers are available through his blog (www.alaskawolves.org) and at the Alaska Resources Library and Information Service (ARLIS) in Anchorage, Alaska, where all his research materials, including photographs and field notebooks, are archived.

  Haber, G. C. 1973. “Eight Years of Wolf Research at McKinley Park, Part I: The Social Life of Wolves.” Alaska (April):7–9, 52–57.

  1973. “Eight Years of Wolf Research at McKinley Park, Part II: Wolves, the Animals They Eat, and Man.” Alaska (May):43–45, 50–56.

  1974. “Wolves and the Endangered Species Concept: A Different View.” Symposium on Endangered and Threatened Species of North America, Washington, DC.

  1977. “Socio-Ecological Dynamics of Wolves and Prey in a Subarctic Ecosystem.” PhD diss., University of British Columbia. Special report, 1978, Joint Federal-State Land Use Planning Commission for Alaska, Anchorage.

  1980. “The Balancing Act of Moose and Wolves.” Natural History 89 (10)38–51.

  1987. “Exploitation of Wolf-Moose Systems: Lessons from Interior Alaska.” Anchorage: The Alaska Wildlife Alliance.

  1988. “Wildlife Management in Northern British Columbia: Ketchika-Muskwa Wolf Control and Related Issues.” Tenino, WA: Wolf Haven International.

  1992. “Wildlife Management in Alaska: Southcentral-Interior Wolf Control and Related Issues.” Tenino, WA: Wolf Haven International.

  1993. “Wolves and Wolf-Prey-Human Interactions, Interior and Southcentral Alaska.” Research Report 1. Anchorage: The Alaska Wildlife Alliance; Darien, CT: Friends of Animals; Tenino, WA: Wolf Haven International.

  1996. “Biological, Conservation, and Ethical Implications of Exploiting and Controlling Wolves.” Conservation Biology 10:1068–81. www.alaskawolves.org.

  1997. “Caribou and Wolves in the Fortymile Region of Alaska. A Review of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game Management Plan. Part I: Is There a Fortymile Caribou Problem?” Anchorage: The Alaska Wildlife Alliance; Darien, CT: Friends of Animals; Kent, WA: Conservation Society For Wolves and Whales.

  1999. “A Selective View of Wolf Ecology.” Conservation Biology 13:460–61. www.alaskawolves.org.

  1999. “Wolf Control in the Fortymile Region of Alaska: A Frightful Blueprint For Beginning the Next Millennium?” ActionLine (Spring):18–21.

  1999. “Biological Problems with Fortymile Wolf Control.” www.alaskawolves.org.

  1999. “The Toklat Wolves: An Enduring Family Lineage in Peril
.” ActionLine (Summer):31–35.

  2000. “Moose Hunting and Wolf Control in GMU 19D East, Interior Alaska. Review.” Report available from Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Juneau. www.alaskawolves.org.

  2000. “Wolf Family Lineages and Wolf-Prey Systems in the Denali Region of Alaska.” Society for Conservation Biology Annual Conference, Missoula, Montana, June.

  2000. “Is the Leader of the Pack Astray?” ActionLine (Fall):22–24.

  2001. “Moose Abundance and Moose Hunting in the McGrath Region, Interior Alaska.” Review. www.alaskawolves.org.

  2002. “Toklat, Margaret, and Sanctuary: The Wolves of Eastern Denali. Biological Year 2001–02 Responses to Disruption.” Research report, July. Denali National Park Resource Library. www.alaskawolves.org.

  2002. “Reexamination of 2001 Wolf Radio-Collaring Deaths in Denali National Park.” Technical review. www.alaskawolves.org.

  2002. “Delineating a Protective Buffer Zone for Eastern Denali Wolves.” www.alaskawolves.org.

  2003. “New Buffer Zone Provides Only Token Protection for Denali Wolves.” ActionLine (Spring):6–9.

  2004. “Wolf Behavior around People in Denali National Park.” ActionLine (Spring):29–35.www.alaskawolves.org.

  2005. “Behavior and Conservation of Wolves in Alaska: Research in the Denali and Fortymile Regions.” www.alaskawolves.org.

  2006. “Wolf Social and Migratory Responses to Prey Changes.” Paper presented at National Park Service Park Science Symposium, Denali National Park, Alaska, September. Manuscript submitted for 2007 proceedings.

  2006. “The Case Against Wolf and Bear Control in Alaska.” RC-35 and RC-201. In Proceedings of the Alaska Board of Game, March and May Meetings. Alaska Board of Game, Alaska Department of Fish and Game Board Support Section, Juneau, Alaska. www.alaskawolves.org.

  2006. “The Wolves of Denali National Park, Alaska: Social Organization and Implications of Exploitation.” Adapted from a 2007 exhibit provided to the National Museum of Natural Sciences, Madrid, Spain. www.alaskawolves.org.

  2007. “Wolf Foraging and Related Social Variations in Denali National Park.” Alaska Park Science 6 (2)73–77. www.alaskawolves.org.

  2007. “Dynamics of Wolf Social Groups and Wolf-Prey Systems in Denali National Park and Preserve.” Research report, August. Denali National Park Resource Library. www.alaskawolves.org.

  Haber, G. C., C. J. Walters, and I. M. Cowan. 1976. “Stability Properties of a Wolf-Ungulate System in Alaska and Management Implications.” Institute of Resource Ecology Research Report R-5-R. University of British Columbia, Vancouver.

  Other References

  Alcock, J. 2001. The Triumph of Sociobiology. New York: Oxford University Press.

  Ballard, W. B., J. S. Whitman, and D. J. Reed. 1991. “Population Dynamics of Moose in South-Central Alaska.” Wildlife Monographs 114 (January):3–49.

  Bekoff, M. 2006. Animal Passions and Beastly Virtues: Reflections on Redecorating Nature. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.

  Bensch, S., H. Andren, B. Hansson, H. C. Pedersen, H. Sand, et al. 2006. “Selection for Heterozygosity Gives Hope to a Wild Population of Inbred Wolves.” PLoS One 1 (1):e72. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000072.

  Clutton-Brock, T. 2002. “Breeding Together: Kin Selection and Mutualism in Cooperative Vertebrates.” Science 296 (April):69–72.

  Crisler, L. 1958. Arctic Wild. New York: Harper and Brothers.

  Darimont, C. T., S. M. Carlson, M. T. Kinnison, P. C. Paquet, T. E. Reimchen, and C. C. Wilmers. 2009. “Human Predators Outpace Other Agents of Trait Change.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 106(3):952–54.

  de Waal, F. B. M., and P. L. Tyack, eds. 2003. Animal Social Complexity: Intelligence, Culture, and Individualized Societies. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

  Gasaway, W. C., R. D. Boertje, D. V. Grangaard, D. G. Kelleyhouse, R. O. Stephenson, and D. G. Larsen. 1992. “The Role of Predation in Limiting Moose at Low Densities in Alaska and Yukon and Implications for Conservation.” Wildlife Monographs 120 (January):3–59.

  Gasaway, W. C., R. O. Stephenson, J. L. Davis, P. K. Shepherd, and O. E. Burris. 1983. “Interrelationships of Wolves, Prey, and Man in Interior Alaska.” Wildlife Monographs 84 (July):1–50.

  Gilmore, R. 1981. Catastrophe Theory for Scientists and Engineers. New York: Wiley.

  Gunderson, L H., and C. S. Holling. 2002. Panarchy: Understanding Transformations Inhuman and Natural Systems. Washington, DC: Island Press.

  Holling, C. S., and G. K. Meffe. 1996. “Command and Control and the Pathology of Natural Resource Management.” Conservation Biology 10 (2):328–37.

  Hrdy, S. B. 2001. “Mothers and Others.” Natural History 110 (4)30–63.

  Kennedy, D., and C. Norman, eds. 2005. “What Don't We Know?” Special section, Science 309 (July):75–102.

  LeResche, R. E. 1974. “Moose Migrations in North America.” Naturaliste Canadien 101:393–415.

  Mech, L. D., L. G. Adams, T. J. Meier, J. W. Burch, and B. W. Dale. 1998. The Wolves of Denali. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

  Mech, L. D., and L. Boitani, eds. 2003. Wolves: Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

  Meier, T., J. Burch, and L. Adams. 2006. “Tracking the Movements of Denali's Wolves.” Alaska Park Science 5 (1)30–35.

  Murie, A. 1944. Fauna of the National Parks of the United States: The Wolves of Mount McKinley. Fauna Series 5. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.

  National Research Council. 1997. Wolves, Bears, and Their Prey in Alaska. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

  Nowak, M. A. 2006. “Five Rules for the Evolution of Cooperation.” Science 314 (December):1560–63.

  Reed, S., and J. Dodd. 1994. “The Killing Fields: As Alaska Takes Aim at Its Wolves, Wildlife Biologist Gordon Haber Cries Foul.” People Magazine (March 21):121–22.

  Sims, G. 1991. “The Wolves of Denali.” Photographs by G. C. Haber and R. Corral. Alaska (June):22–24.

  Stenseth, N. C. and E. S. Dunlop. 2009. “Unnatural Selection.” Nature 457 (February):803–4.

  Van Ballenberghe, V. 2011. “Intensive Management—or Mismanagement? Exploring Alaska's Predator Control Programs.” The Wildlife Professional (Winter).

  Walters, C. J. 1986. Adaptive Management of Renewable Resources. New York: Macmillan.

  Walters, C. J., M. Stocker, and G. C. Haber. 1981. “Simulation and Optimization Models for a Wolf-Ungulate System.” In Dynamics of Large Mammal Populations, edited by C. W. Fowler and T. D. Smith, 317–37. New York: Wiley. Reprint, Caldwell, NJ: Blackburn Press, 2004.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS—MARYBETH HOLLEMAN

  When I first heard Dr. Gordon Haber talk about wolves twenty-five years ago, I was struck by his knowledge, passion, and courage. Here was a man who knew what he wanted to do with his life, and did it, who knew truths about wolves based on direct experience and wasn't afraid to speak them. So my first debt of gratitude is to the wolves and to Gordon.

  Just like the wolves, we humans accomplish things only in community—and this book is no exception. Gordon's sister and brother-in-law, Mary and Jack Licht, generously allowed me access to Gordon's materials and provided insights into his life before Alaska. Priscilla Feral shared information from Gordon's years of working with Friends of Animals and gave welcoming encouragement; her organization's funding made the last years of Gordon's work possible. Rick Steiner, my husband, supported this project every step of the way, from his initial herculean sort of Gordon's papers, to helping with the book's structure, to reading every page several times and boosting my spirits when the task seemed impossible. The photographs appear only because of the patient and expert help of my son, James Holleman, Nancy Wallace, and Hal Gage. Many of Gordon's friends and colleagues were generous with time and information, including Tom Meier, Vic Van Ballenberghe, Johnny Johnson, Barbara Brease, Troy Dunn, Gary Baker, Tom Walker, Joel Bennett, and Karen Deatherage. With enthusiasm and a discerning eye, my editor, Jame
s Engelhardt, helped make this a better book—as did reviewer Mark Rauzon. My residency at the inspirational Mesa Refuge came at a critical time in the writing, and Denali National Park's Artist in Residency Program helped provide ground-truthing.

  With this book I hope to share with a broader audience Gordon Haber's unique, insightful, valuable conclusions; affect the way we understand wolves and help change the course of wolf management; and inspire the next generation of scientists, for the world desperately needs more scientists like Gordon who work independently, do real field research, advocate the application of their conclusions, and retain their sense of wonder.

  INDEX

  abundance as endangered species criterion, 229

  adaptation for hunting, 128, 133, 142, 230

  (ADF&G) Alaska Department of Fish and Game. See Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G)

  adult rest areas, 58

  advocacy. See protective buffer zone

  aerial hunting

  approval of, 260

  cessation of, 204

  in Fortymile, 214

  Haber's publications on, 85

  helicopter shotgunning, 35

  Jack Frost case, 204–205

  permits for, 210–211

  population increases after, 215

  as predator control, 121, 217f

  of Savage River family group, 85, 105, 142, 193, 238, plate 17 (after p. 118)

  vs. snares, 200n29

  aggression, lack of, 181–182

  aircraft, wolves' reaction to, 106, 119