We Were Wrong About Wolves, Here’s Why

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David Friend

Twenty-five years ago, we changed the path of Yellowstone National Park for the better. One action changed the soil, the growth of plants and grasses, and the diversity and populations of wildlife throughout the park. It even changed the way the rivers flow. And all we did was bring back wolves. 

On January 12, 1995, a motorcade of two park service patrol cars and a truck hauling a horse trailer made their way toward Yellowstone National Park. They stopped at the stone Roosevelt Arch so everyone could take photos under the inscription – “Yellowstone National Park. Created by act of Congress on March 1, 1872. For the benefit and enjoyment of the people.”

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Defenders of Wildlife

Inside the trailer were eight gray wolves from Canada. Getting them there was one of our most extraordinary achievements – to right the wrongs that occurred 70 years earlier. 

In a little over a decade – from 1914 to 1926 – we eliminated 136 wolves that lived within the park. This was before we understood the connectedness of wildlife – before we knew the value of intact ecosystems. Before we knew about climate change and biodiversity and loss. Wiping out an apex predator in the park turned out to be a major mistake.

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Sandy Sisti

Seventy years without wolves changed Yellowstone – songbirds left, elk and coyotes became overpopulated and beavers disappeared. Elks overgrazed the land and trees, such as willow and aspen. Without those trees, songbirds began to decline. Beavers could no longer build their dams, and streams began to erode and degrade the conditions willow trees needed to grow. Without beaver’s dams and the shade from trees and plants, water temperatures were too high for cold water fish.

In 1973, the Endangered Species Act was passed, and the gray wolf was one of the first species listed as endangered, mandating protection and recovery planning. The long path to recovery in the United States for the wolf had begun. But it was a slow one. It took decades for Americans to come around on wolf reintroduction.  

Defenders of Wildlife played a critical role in the reintroduction of gray wolves to the Northern Rockies. Defenders advocated for return of wolves in the midst of proposals, scoping periods, environmental impact statements, public comment periods and draft rulemakings. Many years of advocacy was needed to change people’s misperceptions to ensure the future of the wolf in the U.S.