Wolves and Global Warming

As the world begins to change due to global warming, we can see the effects of these changes here in the United States, as Alaska is one of the most extreme examples of this in the world. As ice melts and temperatures rise, flooding and erosion threaten to take out entire Eskimo communities that live by the sea. Additionally, the coastal areas are experiencing stronger storms and intensified waves, which often led "several coastal villages ... actively trying to figure out where to move entire communities." Wolves have had to relocate farther into land as their habitats are being destroyed or flooded. Also affecting the environment is the increase in the amount of spruce bark beetles has resulted in the destruction of 4 million acres of spruce forest, home to innumerable wild animals, over the past twenty years. "More beetle larvae can survive, and higher summer temperatures allow the insects to mature faster and complete a two-year life cycle in one year." These beetles destroy trees vital to the habitat in which wolves live and also force them to relocate into different, often smaller locations that have a way of being closer to human populations.

Here are some pictures that illustrate the effects of the destructive spruce bark beetle:

As for moose populations, they are also experiencing the effects of global warming, but in a way that makes them more vulnerable to preying wolves. With warm temperatures, moose often become more susceptible to falling victim to a wolf because they are "stressed out" with the higher temperatures. Because moose cannot sweat, they often have to lie in the shade or water to cool themselves. A result of this is that moose often do not feed during this time and become weak, easy targets for wolves in the winter. In addition to the heat, moose are experiencing an outbreak of ticks with the higher temperatures. "A single moose can be host to tens of thousands at a time, several per square inch, and each tick can suck up about a cubic centimeter of blood." Such extreme blood loss, which most likely results in weight loss, proves detrimental to many moose each year.

When coming from an environmental standpoint, it seems as if the decrease in moose population is not so much due to wolves, but as a result of humans' destruction to the environment.