In the battle between wolves and caribou, who is king? A federal judge weighed in on that question Thursday, temporarily refusing to allow the state of Alaska to kill seven wolves on a national wildlife refuge. The state has asked for permission to use helicopters to shoot the wolves in the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, in order to protect the caribou. According to the state, the number of caribou are dwindling and the wolves are invading their calving grounds.
Interestingly, one of the reasons for the concern over the caribou is because they are a needed food source for a small group of people living on Unimak, an island in the Aleutian chain. In other words, one might say they want to save the caribou so that they can be eaten, though the people on Unimak do not wish to wipe out the entire herd.
The Fish and Wildlife Service does not share the timeline of the state and wants additional time to consider the plan. The judge instructed the parties that “…it will be best for everyone if we can get this matter out of the way.”
As the Los Angeles Times reports, in 2002, there were more than 1,200 of caribou in the refuge. Biologists now estimate there are about 400 caribou on the island.
Related Resources:
- Alaskas request to kill wolves in wildlife refuge rejected by federal judge; issue to be revisited (LA Times)
- Agency must decide on proposed endangered species listing for Mexican gray wolf by end of July, judge rules (LA Times)
- Environmental Law (FindLaw)
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