Learning How to Coexist with Wolves by Meeting the Needs of the Local People
People share the northern Wisconsin forests with
wolves. These folksview the wolf from several perspectives: some
fear him, others love him, and still there are those who outright
hate him. Regardless of opinion, the wolf is the most talked about
wild animal in Wisconsin. So how do we all live in these woods with
such a well-known creature?
Dr. Jane Goodall believed in order to save Chimpanzees local people’s
needs must be addressed; she said: ”People living in the forests
surrounding critical chimpanzee habitat are among the poorest on the
planet. Consequently, it is short-sighted to develop solutions for
chimps without addressing the needs of local people. Effective programs
must provide win-win solutions for both chimps and people. Thankfully,
conserving forests benefits both local people as well as chimps and
other fauna (Source: Lessons Learned from Dr. Jane Goodall, by Nancy Merrick).
Dr. Jane Goodall
We can apply these same words to our situation by meeting the needs
of our own locals. Firstly, these needs can be economic. If local
communities rely heavily on hunting to meet their financial needs, then
we need to offer alternatives. Wolf-ecotourism could be that
alternative. Such an endeavor would offer job opportunities to many. But
how does that affect wild wolves? People traipsing all over wolf
habitat in the hope of viewing the elusive wild wolf will likely only
disturb them. Perhaps then, we should arrange for guided tours that are
allowed to go only in certain areas.
Secondly, another way to meet the needs of the local people would be
in providing wolf education and awareness. Living with Wolves and
National Geographic developed a Grey wolf Educator’s Guide for schools.
This guide is about: “The purpose of this guide is to provide educators
of students from kindergarten to high school with activities that will
enrich students’ understanding about the gray wolf of North America. The
activities are intended to dispel common myths and prejudices that are
held about these animals and to encourage youth to get involved in
conservation efforts” (Source:
Grey Wolf Educator Guide, by Living with Wolves and National
Geographic). These guides would benefit local people and wolves. People
would have a new perspective about how beneficial wolves are for
ecosystems.
Living with Wolves
Lastly, helping local people live alongside a large carnivore such as
the wolf requires a way to mitigate conflicts. Wisconsin Department of
Natural resources has a Wildlife Damage Specialist, Brad Koele. ( Click here to watch WODCW’s video interview with Koele ) The
WDNR Wildlife Damage program could be expanded to add citizen liaisons
as volunteers. Volunteers would attend local county board meetings. The
volunteers would take any wolf related concerns back to the WDNR
Wildlife Damage specialist. A volunteer wolf liaison program would give
local people a voice in wolf management.
Solving the needs of the local people is a necessary step to
resolving conflicts that stand in the way of coexisting with wolves.
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