Wolf
While wolf populations are rebounding, finding suitable habitat is becoming increasingly difficult. Now protected by law from hunting, trapping and poisoning, the greatest threat to the wolf is habitat fragmentation. Roads are a primary source of habitat fragmentation and road density is among the most reliable predictors of wolf habitat (Thiel 1985, Mech et al. 1988, Mladenoff et al. 1995, Mladenoff et al. 1997, cited Evink et al. 1999).
Wolves, being rather reclusive creatures, have a limited tolerance to roads and associated human activities. If that tolerance is exceeded, wolves will cease to inhabit an area despite otherwise abundant cover and prey. A heavily traveled road bisecting two areas of wolf habitat could actually deter wolves from crossing, effectively reducing the potential for dispersal, new pack formation, and genetic mixing. For those wolves that dare to cross, many are injured or killed in vehicle collisions. A five-year study of 2,800 square miles in northwestern Wisconsin found at least ten wolves killed by vehicles in the study area.
Written by John Housein
Recommendations
- Avoid further road building through quality wolf habitat.
- Reduce speed limits and display road signs to alert motorists through areas of high potential wolf crossings.
- Install wildlife underpasses (such as the one pictured here) under roads where roadkill statistics are high.
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