Estimated Costs of Maintaining a Recovered Wolf Population in Agricultural Regions of Minnesota
Mech LD. 1998. Estimated Costs of Maintaining a Recovered Wolf Population in Agricultural Regions of Minnesota. Wildlife Society Bulletin. 26(4):817-822
The annual costs of maintaining Minnesota gray wolves (Canis lupis), now numbering about 2,500, under 2 plans are compared: (1) maintaining a population of about 1,400 primarily in the wilderness and semi-wilderness as recommended by the Eastern Timber Wolf Recovery Plan, and (2) allowing wolves to continue colonizing agricultural areas for 5 years after removal from the endangered species list, as recommended by a consensus of wolf stakeholders (Minnesota Wolf Management Roundtable). Under plan 1, an estimated 27 farms would suffer livestock losses, 3 dogs would be killed by wolves, 36 wolves would be destroyed, and the cost per wolf in total population would be $86 each year. Under plan 2, it is estimated that there will be 3,500 wolves by 2005, approximately 94-171 farms would suffer livestock losses, 8-52 dogs would be killed by wolves, 109-438 wolves would be destroyed, and the annual cost per wolf averaged over the total population would be $86 for the 1,438 wolves living primarily in the wilderness and an additional $197 for the wolves outside the wilderness. (Author's abstract)
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Mech, L
- Units
- VOYA
- Keywords
- Animal Studies, Depredation, Economics, Endangered Species, Gray Wolf (Canis lupus), Management, Population, Predator Control, Recovery, Wildlife damage, wolf (Canis lupus)