subject: Wolf Stuffed Animal Toys & Facts [print this page] We don't realize how lucky we are to be able to choose a wolf stuffed animal from the vast array of soft toy choices, given there was a time when, in many parts of the United States, the real thing had all but disappeared. To this day, wolves are very misunderstood animals so it's a good thing the same can't be said about the wolf stuffed animal.
By the time the 1970s rolled around, in the lower 48 United States, wolves had been hunted to extinction in order for both ranchers and farmers to protect their livestock. Given the wolves were the predators, there was nothing else to prey upon them except humans. Finally, after 30 years without them, researchers felt that in order to control rising populations such as cougar and elk, wolves needed to be reintroduced.
Fourteen wolves from the Canadian Rocky Mountains were transferred to Yellowstone National Park in the United States in 1995. The next year, another 17 wolves joined them. From the original 31, more than 1,000 healthy wolves are descendents and 150 of those still live inside the park boundaries. The question researchers had back in 2006 was: why were the wolves only dispersing at a rate of about 6.2 miles one tenth of their usual 62 mile disperse rate? The puzzle was finally solved by a team of mathematical biologists from the University of Alberta.
According to Dr. Mark Lewis, co-author of the study when the wolves travelled far distances in their new environment it was easy for them to lose track of their mates, and the further they travelled the less likely it is for them to find a mate. Ultimately, the wolves recolonization process was significantly slowed when there was the reduced possibility of them finding a mate. Despite the fact that the wolves were adapting well to their new home, researchers weren't so much concerned about their slow dispersal as they were puzzled by it all; as long as they are dispersing into uncharted territory, we expect the population to continue spreading at the slow rate - about 6.2 miles per year, said Dr. Mark Lewis.
Luckily, for the soft toy world, the wolf stuffed animal has made it's place amongst the numerous teddy bears, tigers, lions, and elephants, to name just a few.
by: Angeline Hope
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