The Pros And Cons Of Wolf Reintroduction

The focus groups will be structured to gather information that can be used to develop a successful educational campaign on wolf reintroduction that people will want to support. Topics for the groups should include methods of wolf kills, livestock and domestic animal losses by wolves, societal pressures to oppose reintroduction, and historically negative views perpetuated about wolves over the years. Data should also be collected on land use and its effects on wolf populations. Effects on the natural ecosystem due to a lack of top-level predator species like wolves is important to include in this research project. It is important to show the connection of wolves and the health of lesser predators and the animals they feed on. People should be asked what the ESA means to them, and if they agree on how it has been implemented in recent years. Cases that dealt with wolf reintroduction will be discussed during the focus groups to provide background on the topic and to solicit responses from the groups. This includes what information participants believe they need to change their opinions on wolf reintroduction. Information gathered on this subject will be crucial in developing the

Data should include information on reports of depravation by wolves which were verified and other means such as: legal and illegal hunting. Knowing if the number of loses from wolf kills are greater than other means reported by ranchers or farmers will also be important. Additionally, determining which population control is preferred by the different stakeholders will also be important. This may help determine if a specific method will create more support for reintroduction. This step could take 30-45 days to gather all collected data and be received from the company tallying responses. The desired goal is that 50-65% of questionnaires sent are returned