Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center DECEMBER 2015
COLORADO WOLF AND WILDLIFE CENTER
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2015
Alaska Confirms Massive Decline in Rare Wolves, Still Plans to Hunt Them The Center for Biological Diversity Remember Romeo, the wonderful Alexander Archipelago wolf, who played on the Mendenhall Glacier in Juno, Alaska with his dog and human friends? Romeo was a superstar wolf but sadly his fame became his downfall. He was brutally murdered by poachers, his life snuffed out by people who have no respect for animal life. And now this incredibly endangered sub-species of wolf could slip into extinction if something isn’t done.
The Center for Biological Diversity has been working hard since 1996 to save these wolves.
Our Turkey Toss was a big success... thank for all who joined us!
• ACTION TIMELINE • February 7, 1996 – The Center and allies filed suit against the Fish and Wildlife Service for denying a petition to list the Alexander Archipelago wolf as an endangered species.
August 10, 2011 – The Center for Biological Diversity joined with Greenpeace to again petition the Fish and Wildlife Service for Endangered Species Act protection for the wolf.
October 1996 – In response to our February suit, a July 10, 2012 – The Center and Greenpeace notifederal court overturned the Fish and Wildlife Ser- fied the Service of our intent to file suit against the vice’s decision to deny protections. agency for delaying Endangered Species Act protection for the Alexander Archipelago wolf. Late 1997 – The Service completed its court-mandated review and determined that listing the wolf November 12, 2013 – The Center and Greenpeace was not warranted. The finding acknowledged the notified the Service that it is two years overdue in wolf ’s declining populations but predicted that deciding whether to initiate an Endangered Species numbers would stabilize at an “acceptable” level. Act status review for southeast Alaska’s Alexander Archipelago wolves. A status review may lead to December 22, 2009 – The Center, as part of a dilisting these wolves as threatened or endangered. verse coalition of Alaska Native, tourism industry, and environmental organizations, filed suit to end June 17, 2015 – An official memorandum issued by a 2003 Bush-era policy that exempted the Tongass the Alaska Department of Fish and Game estimated National Forest from the national Roadless Area the wolves’ population to number only 89 in fall Conservation Rule. 2014, down from 221 the prior year — although the number could be as low as 50. January 2010 – The Forest Service approved an illconceived logging operation within the Tongass Na- www.biologicaldiversity.org/species/mammals/Altional Forest, the Archipelago wolf ’s home. exander_Archipelago_wolf/action_timeline.html Contact Alaska Governor Bill Walker · http://gov.alaska.gov/Walker/contact/office-locations.html
COLORADO WOLF AND WILDLIFE CENTER
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2015
Kissed by a Wolf Today (My Niece, Darlene, calls it Sampling, not kissing! I was kissed by a Wolf today. I know, I have the t shirt. The slurping tongue against my cheek. The breath fresh. Kissed by a wolf today.
Some were assertive, some reserved, but Not Today. The word had spread. A lady photographer is visiting today. And she is one of us.
They say kissing welcomes you to the den. Me? I just want to be here... in the moment. Not their plan, they want to smell me, lick me & place big paws on my shoulders.
When a resident wolf dies, a wind chime is hung near the former enclosure. When the wind is silent, the chimes sometimes ring. Listen....an Old Wolf is talking to you..
I met Keoka and Sakara; Navi and Tala; Zaltana and Kwahadi. Each pair mated for life. Each pair living in their own 1 acre wilderness. Surviving, together.
The light was perfect today. The animals were perfect today. Did I have a good time???? I was kissed by a Wolf today!
COLORADO WOLF AND WILDLIFE CENTER
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2015
This kind was from gu a our p est that di d rofess ion photo graph al y ses Sand sion: ra Pa rker
CRITTER CORNER
COLORADO WOLF AND WILDLIFE CENTER
someone thinks they are a wolf...
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2015
COLORADO WOLF AND WILDLIFE CENTER
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2015
Bonfire & BBQ January 23rd · 4-6pm
$30 Adults · $15 Kids (12 and under) Reservations Required · 719.687.9742
adopt ME from
SLV Animal Welfare Society slvaws.org · 719.587.woof (9663) Non-Profit NO-KILL Shelter Monetary Donations Always Needed
Little Thor
2 Year Old Male/Neutered Black/Tan Terrier, Rat/Mix This little guy is looking for a home who can help him over come his fears and concerns about strangers. He seems to get a long with other dogs. Please come in to visit him.
Spirit Wolf Energetics, LLC Holistic Care for Pets & Their People
Healing Touch for Animals · Reiki · Craniosacral Therapy Gem Essences · Color Therapy · Aromatherapy
Ophelia
I am a compassionate and dedicated practitioner with 16 years of experience providing holistic care for all of the animals in your life in the comfort of their own home. Through the use of gentle and safe holistic therapies, your animals are more relaxed and better able to navigate through life’s challenges.
1 Year Old Female/Spayed Black Domestic Med Hair/Mix
Some of the ways your animals may benefit include:
Hello. My name is Ophelia. I am a great cat looking for a forever home. I came in with my kittens, who have all been adopted and now I know it is my turn. I get along with other cats, love to play, & am the best lap warmer you have ever met. If you are looking for a companion, I am your girl.
• Disease prevention and wellness • Improved healing from illness, injury, and surgery • Recovery from physical and emotional trauma • Smoother transition into a new home environment • Relief of stress from separation anxiety and fears • Improved confidence and focus for training or competitions • End-of-life nurturing and support
adopt US from TCRAS
Feel free to call or email if you have questions about how your animals’ particular needs can be addressed. I look forward to helping your animals live a more balanced and healthy life! Beth Shemo – HTAP, RMP · 719.650.5071 · spiritwolfenergetics@gmail.com
COLORADO WOLF AND WILDLIFE CENTER
Cameron Cameron would like a calm, assertive owner. No children. He is affectionate and gets along with female dogs. He is a neutered male about 1 year old. Please help him find his forever home.
the no-kill shelter in Divide, CO 719.686.7707 · tcrascolorado.com
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2015
COLORADO WOLF AND WILDLIFE CENTER
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2015
Conservation Corner
Conservation of the Sumatran Elephant Submitted by Beth Shemo
In 2012, the to a healthy forest “Elephants love reunions. They recognize status of the Suecosystem. They matran elephant one another after years and years of separation share their habiand greet each other with wild, boisterous joy. was changed from tat with other enThere’s bellowing and trumpeting, ear flapping “Endangered” to dangered animals and rubbing. Trunks entwine.” “Critically Endansuch as the Sumagered”. Half of tran rhino, tiger, Jennifer Richard Jacobson, Small as an Elephant its population had orangutan, and been lost in one countless other generation due to species that all habitat destrucbenefit from an tion from deforelephant populaestation, poachtion thriving in a ing for their ivory healthy habitat. tusks, and humanDue to their large elephant conflicts. size, these eleThe World Wildphants have very life Fund (WWF) few predators in estimates the Sutheir natural enmatran elephant vironment. Hupopulation to be man hunters and between 2,400 Sumatran tigers and 2,800. are their primary Photo courtesy of WWF-Indonesia The Sumatran predators. elephant, the smallest of three sub-species of Elephants are social creatures with good the Asian elephant, is only found on the Indo- memories and high intelligence. Female elenesian island of Sumatra. Although smaller phants are more social than males. They form than African elephants, they still weigh up to herds of related females that are led by the 8200 pounds and stand over 10 feet tall. oldest female, the “matriarch.” Males usually Each adult elephant needs to eat about 330 live alone but sometimes form small groups pounds of food and drink about 5-15 gallons with other males. The size of the herd, usually of water per day to survive. These herbivo- about 3-25 members, depends on the availrous animals use their long trunks to gather ability of food, and the size of their habitat. various types of vegetation to meet their Adult females typically give birth to a calf evnutritional needs including grasses, leaves, ery 2-4 years after a 22-month gestation peshoots, barks, fruits, nuts, and seeds. They riod. The calves stay with the herd until they deposit seeds as they migrate, contributing reach adolescence at about 4-5 years of age. COLORADO WOLF AND WILDLIFE CENTER
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At this point males will normally venture out on their own, while the females remain with the herd. The Sumatran elephant herd follows strict migration routes that are determined by the monsoon season. The matriarch of the herd is responsible for remembering this route when the herd migrates between the wet and dry seasons. However migration is often hampered by farms built along migratory routes, rapid development, and deforestation. This leads to human-elephant conflicts as the elephants search farms and plantations for food, and destroy crops along their migratory routes. According to WWF, Sumatra has experienced one of the highest rates of deforestation within the Asian elephant’s range. Over two thirds of its natural lowland forest has been leveled, and nearly 70% of its natural habitat has been destroyed in just one generation due to deforestation for the paper and pulp industries and palm oil plantations. Elephant numbers have declined by a staggering 80% in less than 25 years. The remaining herds are confined to small forest patches and are not likely to survive in the long-term. On a positive note, efforts have been made to decrease poaching, secure healthy forests, and reduce human-elephant conflicts. Wildlife patrol units are working to educate local people, confiscate traps and snares, and apprehend poachers. In 2004 the Tesso Nilo National Park was declared a protected area. This forest is one of the last forest blocks large enough to support a viable population of critically endangered Sumatran elephants
and tigers. WWF and other organizations have been successfully using non-lethal “Elephant Flying Squads” made up of rangers, noise and light-making devices, trucks, and trained elephants to safely drive wild elephants back into the forests. This brings short-term relief to intense human-elephant conflict and helps support elephant conservation among struggling communities. Please be aware of what you are consuming and the impact it has on our world. I encourage you to be a voice for the health of this beautiful planet and all the amazing creatures we share it with. More effort is needed to ensure that our children are able to see the beauty and wonder of the Sumatran elephants. These marvelous gentle giants deserve to walk this earth with us for generations to come.
Sources: World Wildlife Fund, Mother Nature Network, & a-z-animals.com COLORADO WOLF AND WILDLIFE CENTER
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2015
Winter Gardens
by Katie Geist
World Soil Day
December 5th was World Soil Day. I’m guessing that most of you didn’t know about it. The General Assembly of the United Nations declared 2015 as the International Year of Soils. Most of us spend very little time thinking about the importance of soil, especially at the global level. Gardeners understand that soil plays a critical role in how well their vegetables, shrubs, trees and flowering plants grow. We spend time and money amending our soil, adding compost, fertilizing and mulching to improve our results. Soils in the Colorado Rockies around the Wolf Center are mostly decomposed granite, not the best for growing nonnative plants, including most vegetables. Here are some interesting soil facts from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ website - www.fao.org. Healthy soils are the basis for healthy food production.
• Soils are the foundation for vegetation which is cultivated or managed for feed, fiber, fuel and medicinal products. • Soils support our planet’s biodiversity and they host a quarter of the total. • Soils help to combat and adapt to climate change by playing a key role in the carbon cycle. • Soils store and filter water, improving our resilience to floods and droughts. • Soil is a non-renewable resource; its preservation is essential for food security and our sustainable future.
COLORADO WOLF AND WILDLIFE CENTER
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2015