1. 
Are wolves dangerous to people?
Wild wolves avoid people. The myths about wolves
attacking and eating people are distortions of the truth about the elusive nature of wolves.
In places where wolves are protected, they may become less fearful of humans. They
should, therefore, be treated like any wild animal - with respect.
2.
Why are people afraid of wolves?
It’s easy to put all the blame on children’s stories
and fairy tales. But that is over-simplifying it. Wolves, with their big teeth and close-set
golden eyes, can look scary, especially when illustrators exaggerate those features. Also,
wolves live in packs. People associate “packs” with “gangs.” The howl of the wolf is
haunting, too.
3.
What is a predator?
Any animal that hunts and kills another animal for food.
Prey
is the term used for the animal that is hunted.
4.
What is a top predator?
Any animal that has no natural enemies within its food
web and is not hunted by other animals. The wolf is a top predator.
5.
Why do wolves kill other animals?
They have to. They are carnivores. They prey
primarily on large hoofed mammals called ungulates. These include deer, elk, bison, moose,
caribou and musk oxen. Secondary food sources are hares and beaver. Red wolves eat
nutria, feral pigs and small mammals such as squirrels. Occasionally, they will kill birds.
6.
How much do wolves eat?
A wolf can survive on 2 ½ pounds of food a day. They need
about 5 pounds a day to reproduce.
7.
How many species of wolves are there?
Two. The gray wolf and the red wolf. The
Ethiopian wolf, an extremely rare wolf, may soon be officially classified as a separate
species.
8.
Is it hard for wolves to kill a large animal?
Yes, very. They get kicked and trampled.
Even small deer are dangerous with their sharp hoofs. Wild wolves are injured often by
prey animals.
9.
Do wolves always kill the old, weak and sick animals?
Usually, they do. They also
kill young animals if they can separate them from their mothers. This is because getting food
is risky at best. Wolves try to select the animal that is least likely to get away and least
likely to cause them injury. Even so, they are not successful much of the time. The odds
are in favor of the prey animal.
10.
Are wolves born knowing how to hunt?
Certainly there is the basic instinct to hunt.
Wolves raised in captivity for release into the wild (red wolves and Mexican wolves) have
learned to hunt. But wolves born in the wild are almost certainly taught by their parents to
hunt. Many biologists believe the young learn by observation and by trial and error.
11.
How long can a wolf go without eating?
Days, weeks even. Sometimes they have
no choice if food is scarce or unavailable.
12.
How much can a wolf eat at one time?
A wolf can consume as much as 22.5 pounds of
food at a time. Life is often feast and famine.
13.
Why do some people hate wolves?
Fear, for one thing. Competition for
resources is another. For instance, if the wolf’s natural prey is eliminated and replaced by
livestock, wolves will kill sheep and cattle in order to eat. Also, some people don't like
animals that kill other animals. Most of this particular brand of hatred seems to have been
directed at wolves, however. Mountain lions and bears, for example, kill other animals, too.
Many small predators do, also. But people don’t generally hate bears, for instance. Why
not? Good question. Suggestion: Compare the illustrations in children’s stories. How is the
wolf generally depicted? What about the bear?
14.
Are wolves dangerous to domestic dogs?
Yes, usually wolves will attack dogs if
they can. Wild wolves generally don’t like dogs or any other canids, for that matter. It’s a
territorial thing. Wolves will often try to keep coyotes and foxes away from a kill. Wolves
in captivity often do not like dogs, either. Yes, there are wolf/dog hybrids. But wolves
under natural conditions in the wild generally will not breed with dogs.
15.
A horse and a donkey can breed and produce a mule. But mules are not fertile.
Can wolf/dog hybrids produce puppies?
Yes, they can. So can wolf/coyote hybrids.
16.
Hunters claim that too many wolves will wipe out the big game animals such as
deer and elk in an area. Will they?
Predators do not wipe out their food source.
That would be self-destructive. Fewer prey animals generally mean fewer wolves. Less
food often means smaller litters of puppies and bigger territories for the wolf packs. Many
factors besides the number of predators influence the prey populations. Weather is one, for
instance. The elimination of wolves from their original ranges has, in some areas, resulted in
the unchecked growth of prey populations. With no top predator in Yellowstone National
Park, for instance, the elk population rose to unprecedented numbers. Much of the
vegetation, such as willows and aspen, was nearly wiped out. Small predators became
scarce as the coyote population grew. Much about the population dynamics of animals and
the critical role of predators at the top of the food web has been learned since the wolf
returned in 1995 to Yellowstone.
17.
Do wolves ever kill other wolves?
Yes. They will defend their territories, often
fiercely when food is scarce. They may harass and/or kill other wolves that trespass. This
is not because wolves are mean, but because they have to defend their food supply,
especially if is limited.
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