Among Wolves: Gordon Haber's Insights into Alaska's Most Misunderstood Animal
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Alaska Board of Game
aerial shooting permits, 210–211
“bad science,” 213
buffer zone establishing/removing, 191–192, 259–260
Haber's testimony to, 204, 209
peer review proposal, 209–210
rejection from, 5
wolf control policies, 121
wolf management techniques, 255–257
Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G)
Alaska Peninsula killings, 219–220
“bad science,” 213
buffer zone action, 191
ethical challenges of, 221
illegal snaring, response to, 11, 118, 149
numbers emphasis, 196
peer review proposal, 209–210
personnel as off-duty trappers, 206
publicity choices, 179
rejection from, 5
snowmachine use, 222, 223f
species population counts, 65, 216
trapping by, 200–203
wolf management techniques, 35–36, 121, 222, 223f, 255–257
Alaska during/after the Pleistocene, 26–27, 52
Alaska magazine, Haber's interview/articles, 9, 65
Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA), 185, 187, 192
Alaska Outdoor Council, 196n27, 215
Alaska Peninsula killings, 219–220, 222
Alaska Public Television, wolf control debate, 235
Alaska Resources Library and Information Service, 13, 234
Alaska Wolf Management Planning Team, 3, 105
Alaska's wolf-killing programs
overview, 209–211
Alaska Peninsula killings, 219–220, 222
bad science, 213–214
ballot initiatives to limit killing, 204
basis for challenging, 220
command-and-control, 216, 218–219
ethics/values costs, 220–222
hidden agenda, 210, 211–212, 261
hunter hardship, 214
imbalance from, 214–216
systems management, 216, 218–219
See also specific family groups
alpha pair, 14, 36, 37, 38f, 40f
altruism, kin-selected, 27, 53, 61
ambushing techniques, 123, 124–125, 142, 241
Anchorage Daily News, reporters for, 201
bag limits, 210, 212
baiting, illegal, 11, 118, 149
Baker, Gary, 8, 28–29, 49
ballot initiatives to limit wolf killing, 121, 204
bear predation, wolves and, 159, 161
bears
confrontation with, plates 14–16 (after p. 118)
defending a kill, 158f
Haber, encounters with, 168–170
predator control of, 214–215
pups lost to, 41–42
wolves' interaction with, 159, 161, 164–166, 167f, 168, 171
Bennett, Joel, 173, 204–205, 209, 255
bereavement
of Toklat alpha male, 42–43, 44f, 110, 111f, 112
in Yukon–Charley Rivers family group, 206
beta males
in courtship triangles, 37
LT, 33, 37, 38f, 39, 53, 75, 145
role of, 36
“biological emergencies,” 121, 198, 209
biological impact of trapping/shooting, 197–198, 227, 229–233
biologists
research by, 3
shortcomings of, 185, 186, 213, 221–222
birds as prey, 68–69, 74, 163
Board of Game. See Alaska Board of Game
Brease, Barbara, 206–207, 248
breeding, cooperative, 35, 50, 106, 220, 239–241
buffer zone. See protective buffer zone
Café del Mundo, Haber's audience at, 234
carbon dating of early humans, 180
caribou
under attack, 120f
at Fortymile, 3
harvesting, 219
hunting
by humans, 121
by wolves, 120f, 123–125, 135–136, 137f, 138, 139–141f
overharvesting of, 6
population declines, 96
protection for, 192
for pups, 68–69
severe weather availability, 53, 87
wolf kill rates, 123
chase-to-alpha ambush for sheep, 124–125, 241
Chignik teacher incident, 219n33
Chitsia family group, 120f
choosing battles, 225
Citation for Valor Award, 5, 7f
climbers, rescue of, 207
climbing skills (wolves), 128
command-and-control in wildlife management, 216, 218–219
Copper Creek family group, 119
copulatory locks, 39
core adults, 231–232
cornering (entrapment), 124, 125, 142, 241
Cottonwood family group (Yellowstone), 262
courtship. See mating
coyotes, 5
culture/traditions of wolves
overview, 25–26
evolution of, 27
importance of, 64
intergenerational, 26, 35, 51, 75–76, 133, 230
refining, 68
richness of, 26
See also hunting (by wolves)
daily lives
overview, 85–86
playtime, 86–88, plate 6 (after p. 118)
river crossing, 97, 100, 101f
summer heat, 88, 92, 93f, 94–95
winter travel, 95–97
darting drugs, 186
data, shortcomings of.
See wolf population numbers
Deatherage, Karen, 33, 62–64
deception/decoy techniques, 123, 125, 142, 241
delisting, 227, 229–233, 262
Denali National Park and Preserve
boundary area. See protective buffer zone
as study area, 19
visitors
advice to, 173, 174, 180
hazards to, 184
number of, 172f
wolf viewing success, 192, 256, 260
dens
overview, 46, 51–53, 55, 250
cleaning, 42, 52, 54f
complexity of, 49–50
maps of, 55–56f
species succession, 163
Teklanika, 62–64 plate 3 (after p. 118), 62–64
Department of Fish and Game. See Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G)
dependency of the young, 26, 50, 51, 67, 75–76, 230
difficult escape terrain (cornering), 124, 125, 142, 241
discipline, learning, 69
disease transmission from dogs, 27, 183
distant setup and pursuit hunting, 124, 241
divisions of labor, 36
dogs
disease transmission from, 27, 53n12
mushing in Denali Park, 183
as prey for wolves, 184
dominance hierarchy, 36, 59, 60f
Dry Creek snowmachine trapline trail, 194, 196
Dunn, Troy
on aerial research, 86
with aircraft, 226f
on Haber, 2, 46–47, 67
as Haber's pilot, 8, 30–31, 225
Thanksgiving dinner with Haber, 13–14
on wolves
with bears, 171
reaction to aircraft, 106, 119
with snowshoe hares, 157
Son, recollections of, 83
Eagle family group, 43
early humans
from Asia, 26–27
carbon dating of, 180
homesites used by, 52, 53n12, 55
wolf dens used by, 49, 57f, 163
wolves as parallel to, 9, 25, 35, 37, 238
East Fork family group. See Toklat family group
ecosystems
balance in, 216
complexity of, 6
dynamics of, 3, 218
wolves' roles in, 209
wolves within, 2–3
educational programs, 105
Eisenberg, Cristina, The Wolf's Tooth, 262
Elbert, Paul, 51
elevation, wolves at, 16f
emergency visitor use closure, 183
emotional expression, howling as, 110, 111f, 112
endangered species, evaluating, 227, 229–233
endurance (wolves), 128
entrapment (cornering), 124, 125, 142, 241
ethical considerations, 220–221
evolution
hunting- and fishing-induced, 232
strategies (wolves)
cooperative breeding/hunting as, 35, 220
extended families as, 65, 67
multiple lactating females and, 59
extended families
overview, 9, 35, 36
evolutionary advantages of, 65, 67
learning opportunities within, 76
social organization of, 244–246
family bonds
overview, 33, 35–37
pair bonding, 34f, 37, 38f, 39, 239–241
Toklat family tragedies, 39, 41–43
trapping mortalities and, 42, 110, 112
family groups
overview, 9, 11, 209, 257
critical roles within, 2
dispersal during scarcity, 95–96
evolutionary advantages of, 35
fragmentation/disarray after deaths, 25, 36–37, 39, 41–43
as functional unit, 231
genetic continuity/dilution/lineages, 244–246
seasonal changes in, 96, 124
social organization of, 244–246
territories, 255–257 plate 25 (after p. 118)
See also extended families
fearlessness, 174–177, 178–185
feeding. See provisioning
Feral, Priscilla, 11, 105, 147, 224, 235
field notes, 8
flight paths, anticipating, 134–136
food conditioning, 177, 183
Fortymile
caribou at, 3
predator control in, 149, 209
wolf control in, 121, 213–214
Fossey, Dian, 6
foxes, wolf dens used by, 163
Friends of Animals
fine paid by, 11, 118
funding from, 11, 105
mission of, 147
public debates and, 235
tourism boycott by, 121, 200n29
Frost, Jack, 204–205
functional characteristics, 227, 229–232, 233
funding
from Friends of Animals, 11, 105, 224
from National Science Foundation, 17
sources of, 12, 65
Gandhi, Mahatma, 12
gassing wolf pups in dens, 260–261
genetic continuity/dilution, 244–246
genetic diversity/genomes, 229–230
genetic loads, purging of, 242
gestation period, 53
glaciations, wolves and, 26
Glaser, Frank, 3
Goodall, Jane, 6, 17
Granite family group, 36, 211
Grant Creek family group. See Toklat West family group
gray jays, 161
Great Lakes region, delisting in, 230, 233
growth advantages, multiple lactating females and, 59
Haber, Gordon
bio sketch
childhood experiences, 85
as consummate scientist, 6
Denali work history, 1, 18, 28–29, 33, 49
education, 33, 49
lifestyle, 6
physical fitness of, 5
death of, 1, 8–9, 12, 234, 248
Alaska residences, 85
outrage of, 206–207
bear encounters, 168–170
buffer zone proposal, plate 26 (after p. 118)
See also protective buffer zone
lawsuit against, 11, 118, 149
National Park Service, conflicts with, 173
photos
aerial tracking, 258f
with dead wolf, 207f
in Denali National Park, 4f, 10f, 263f
with snared wolf, plate 19 (after p. 118)
public appearances by, 105, 235
research
archival collection, 13, 234
summary of, 2–3, 249–253
update since Haber's death, 255–257, 259–262, 263
wolves' observations of, 24, 108, 119, plate 5 (after p. 118)
habituation. See fearlessness
hamburger drop, 189
Hankins, Joe, 29, 49
harassment of Haber's pilots, 225
hare population. See snowshoe hares
harmony in family groups, 36
Harris, Chalon, 8
Hayes, Bob, Wolves of the Yukon, 262
Headquarters family group
human-caused turnover, 176
newcomer acceptance, 96
in Savage River family territory, 105, 142–143, 238
viewing of, 193
hearing as hunting asset, 128
helicopter shooting, 35
Hickel, Walter
school children's petition to, 105
wolf control policies, 121
Wolf Summit (1993), 11, 224
hidden agenda, 210, 211–212, 261
Highpower Creek (early human campsites), 52
homesites, 51–53, 55, 56–57f
hooves as ungulate defense, 122–123, 125, 128
hostility toward Haber, 12, 225
howling
overview, 105–106
as bereavement, 44f, 106
concurrently with Haber's plane crash, 106, 248
cooperation and, 106–108
emotional expression as, 110, 111f, 112
energizing through, 111f, 112
hunting and, 115f
in intergroup strife, 96
locating others with, 108, 109f, 110
Toklat alpha male, 104f
humans
disturbance by, 71
hunting. See hunting of wolves
wolf kills by, 252–253
wolf lineage terminations, 186–187
See also Denali National Park and Preserve: visitors; early humans
Hunter, Celia, 49
hunter hardships as rationale, 214
hunting (by wolves)
overview, 122, 123, 251–252
adaptation for, 128, 133, 142, 230
caribou, 120f, 135–136, 138
communicating kill site locations, 68
consumption quantity, 144–145
cooperation in, 35, 106, 220, 239–241
homesites choices and, 52
howling and, 106–107, 112, 115f
learning, 51, 73–76
loss of prey after a kill, 145, 148f
moose, 122, 133–135, plates 7–10 (after p. 118)
preparing for, 113–117f
pups/yearlings, 14–15
scavenging (winter kills), 122, 123, 143–144
selectivity of, 182–183
sheep, plate 11 (after p. 118)
snowshoe hares, 62, 150, 151f, 152–153, 154–155f, 156–157, plate 12 (after p. 118)
sociality in, 128, 133
during summer, 92, 94–95
teaching, 67
techniques for, 122, 123–125, 128, 142, 146f
terrain challenges, 138, 142
during winter, 87, 95
See also meals; specific prey
hunting- and fishing-induced evolution, 232
hunting of wolves
overview, 121–122, 252–253
aerial. See aerial hunting
along park boundaries, 194, 196
bag limits, 210, 212
evidence of, 85
family fragmentation and, 36–37
helicopter shotgunning, 35
during Kantishna subsistence hunt, 185
licenses for, 212
lingering impact of, 230–231
optimal restrictions
on, 192–194
outside Alaska, 261–262
seasons for, 210, 261
with snowmachines, 222, 223f
species degradation by, 230
under-reporting of kills, 211–212
See also protective buffer zone
Ice Age glaciations, wolves and, 26
inbreeding, 242
information transfer, intergenerational. See culture/traditions of wolves
intelligence, 128, 133
intensive management statutes, 215, 218
interdependencies within family groups, 35
intergenerational traditions, 26, 51, 75–76, 133, 230
intergroup strife, 96, 124, 231
Interior, Dept. of, 227, 229–230
intimacy of family groups, 35
Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)
as fire control aide in, 5
research in, 3, 17, 18
Jarvis, Jonathan B., 188
Johnson, Johnny
on Haber, 2
on the hamburger drop, 189
on lawsuit against Haber, 11, 118
Thanksgiving dinner with Haber, 13
on visits with Haber, 45, 49
Kantishna subsistence hunt, 185
Kennedy, John F., 5
Kennedy, Robert, 5
kills, stealing, 158f, 165
knowledge, intergenerational. See culture/traditions of wolves
Knowles, Tony, 121
lactation by non-mothers, 59
lawsuit by trapper, 11, 118, 149
legislation, drafting of, 209–210, 234
lineages, 24, 244–246
Lower 48, wolf reintroduction in, 227
Lower Savage River family group, 134–135
Lower Toklat (early human campsites), 52
LT (Savage River beta male), 33, 37, 38f, 39, 53, 75, 145
“managing for abundance,” 215, 218
mating
of alpha pair, 14, 36, 38f, 40f
copulatory locks during, 39
courtship behavior, 37, plate 2 (after p. 118)
family fragmentation and, 36–37
females in, 36, 40f
signs of, 30
maximizing system capacities, 219
“maximum sustained yield,” 215, 218
McGrath area, hunter success rates, 214
McKinley Slough family group, plate 25 (after p. 118)
meals
frequency of, 87, 123
speed of, 144–145
volume per wolf, 131f
Mech, David, 224
Meier, Tom, 6, 173, 259
mew gulls, 161
migration, population counts and, 213–214
mineral-lick ambushing, 124, 241
monogamy, 37
moose
bear predation, 164–165
census shortcomings, 213
as difficult prey, 51, 67
exploitation of, 35
harvesting, 219
hunting
by humans, 121
by wolves, 122–125, 126–127f, 128, 129–132f, 133–135, plates 7–10 (after p. 118)
as ignored prey, 92, 94
overharvesting of, 6
physical fitness of, 143
for pups, 68–69
severe winter, recovery from, 144
weather challenges and, 53, 143