If you live in one of the 40 townships where the season was closed for wolf and coyote hunting, you need to review the following Environmental Bill of Rights posting for the Algonquin Wolf Recovery Plan - comments need to be submitted by February 14.
I just went through it - pretty disappointing in that the document clearly identified that hybridization with eastern coyotes is a threat to survival of the Algonquin wolf (if there is one) and that it can only be prevented by managing for habitats that favor wolves over coyotes. Of course hunting and trapping is listed as the primary threat.
To suggest that this approach is feasible WITHOUT having some element of control of eastern coyote populations is foolhardy and irresponsible. If hunting and trapping are the biggest threats to the Algonquin wolf, then preventing harvesting of the species that is most likely to hybridize with them makes no ecological or biological sense. Habitat management will not prevent cross breeding.
Attached is the link to the EBR posting:
https://www.ebr.gov.on.ca/ERS-WEB-E...ontent.do?noticeId=MTMzOTIz&statusId=MjAzNzAyhttps://www.ebr.gov.on.ca/ERS-WEB-E...ontent.do?noticeId=MTMzOTIz&statusId=MjAzNzAy
I just went through it - pretty disappointing in that the document clearly identified that hybridization with eastern coyotes is a threat to survival of the Algonquin wolf (if there is one) and that it can only be prevented by managing for habitats that favor wolves over coyotes. Of course hunting and trapping is listed as the primary threat.
To suggest that this approach is feasible WITHOUT having some element of control of eastern coyote populations is foolhardy and irresponsible. If hunting and trapping are the biggest threats to the Algonquin wolf, then preventing harvesting of the species that is most likely to hybridize with them makes no ecological or biological sense. Habitat management will not prevent cross breeding.
Attached is the link to the EBR posting:
https://www.ebr.gov.on.ca/ERS-WEB-E...ontent.do?noticeId=MTMzOTIz&statusId=MjAzNzAyhttps://www.ebr.gov.on.ca/ERS-WEB-E...ontent.do?noticeId=MTMzOTIz&statusId=MjAzNzAy
