HUNTING
The local impact of humans on the Yellowstone ecosystem saw the extinction of the Yellowstone wolf due to hunting. Farmers were displeased by the kills made to their livestock and people felt they would be safer if the top predator was eliminated. Yellowstone national park was created in 1883 and hunting was permitted for the predators, yet in 1907 the Animal Damage Control law was created. This predator control program alone killed 1800 wolves and 23,000 coyotes in 39 U.S. National Forests in 1907 alone. The last gray wolves were killed in 1926.
The absence of wolves severely impacted the entire ecosystem. A top predator was removed, which significantly increased the population of Elk and other grazers, which were previously prey to the carnivore. Elk populations became uncontrollable and severely degraded the plant life. Additionally to this, coyote populations, though also hunted, increased significantly which had a strong negative impact on bighorn sheep. Refer to the image on the right to understand the impact throughout the ecosystem. |