Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

INTERACTIONS OF WOLVES AND DOGS IN MINNESOTA

1989; Wiley; Volume: 17; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

1938-5463

Steven H. Fritts, William Paúl,

Rangeland and Wildlife Management

Wolves (Canis (upus) are the progenitors of dogs (C. familiaris) (Olsen 1985), and the 2 species interbreed (Jljin 1941 cited by Mech 1970). They also fight with one another, and wolves are known to eat dogs (Young 1944, Mech 1970), but such interactions are mentioned only briefly in scientific literature. In the United States outside of Alaska, the wolf exists only in Minnesota, where it is classified by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as threatened (43 Fed. Regist. 9612, 9 Mar 1978), and in parts of northern Wisconsin, Michigan, northwestern Montana, and possibly Idaho, where it is classified as endangered (43 Fed. Regist. 9612, 9 Mar 1978). However, recovery plans for the eastern timber wolf, Northern Rocky Mountain wolf, and Mexican wolf identify other areas of the United States for potential reintroduction. These areas include Yellowstone National Park; parts of northern New York, Maine, and the southern Appalachians; the Upper Peninsula of Michigan; northern Wisconsin; and parts of the Southwest. About 1,200 wolves exist in Minnesota (Bailey 1978, Berg and Kuehn 1982). White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are the primary prey of wolves in Minnesota, with secondary prey including moose (Alces alces), beaver (Castor canadensis), and snowshoe hares (Lepus americans) (Frenzel 1974, Van Ballenberghe et al. 1975 Fritts and Mech 1981). A major issue in public acceptance of wolves is the potential for depredation on domestic animals. Current information on wolf interactions with domestic animals in North America is scarce (Fritts 1982, Bjorge and Gunson 1983, Gunson 1983, Tompa 1983, Mech et al. 1988a) and information on the specific problem of depredations on dogs is especially rare (Tompa 1983). We report on the nature and extent of wolf-dog interactions in Minnesota, based on investigations of complaints received by personnel of the federal government dealing with wolf-depredation control. Our findings may indicate the wolf-dog interactions that can be expected in other recovery areas.