Jackson Hole, WYOMING (Enviro Snowflake Brief)— As more research confirms wolves are the best “first defense” to protect deer, elk, moose and caribou from the contagious neurological disease, chronic wasting disease (CWD), over hundred wildlife ecologists and epidemiologists recommend testing in Montana and Wyoming whether infecting certain public lands ranchers and predator hating hunters with CWD’s abnormal cell protein could accelerate an increase in wolf populations.
“Wolves are cursorial — they chase their prey and they look for the weak ones, and research is supporting the hypothesis that we need more wolves to slow the spread of CWD devastating wild cervids,” explains Dr. Johnny Muir, a professor in wildlife ecology at Penn State University, who is leading the project in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Park Service.
“Mother Nature needs more wolves to fight this disease; thus, we need less of the ranchers who cannot tolerate sharing the landscape with nature, and less science denying predator hating hunters. For the good of ecology, we believe ‘the disease from outer space’ (some experts call CWD) injected into them will serve nature and mankind,” passionately said Dr. Alvin Leopold, a renowned professor of wildlife ecologist at University of Wisconsin.
Ken McDonald, chief of the wildlife division of Montana’s Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department, and a proud recipient of his wildlife biology degree from inside a box of Lucky Charms, expressed doubts that wolves would prevent chronic wasting disease, and expressed confidence that Montana knows how to “manage” their wildlife.
The state’s approach to controlling the disease, he said, “is to increase the number of deer that can be killed in places where the disease is growing.”
“Killing is always Montana’s solution.”
Mr. McDonald never misses a chance to remind the public where he earned his degree by flexing those credentials with cerebral quotes on wildlife ecology issues involving wolves. “Deer and elk don’t get visibly ill with CWD for about 2 years so they are carriers and spreaders, so if I can’t see any symptoms, well, how could wolves know an elk has it,” mused McDonald with a straight face.
Dr. Leopold, however, said the science community believes wolves detect the disease long before it becomes apparent to people, through smell or a slight change in the movement of prey. However, he did believe one statement Mr. McDonald recently made was true and was the exact reason for the new study to inject ranchers and predator hating hunters with the disease.
Mr. McDonald stated, “Maintaining a large enough wolf population outside of Yellowstone to control chronic wasting disease would require so many wolves that it would be socially unacceptable, especially to ranchers and hunters.”
“Exactly! Critical to increasing the wolf population and helping save North American wild cervids requires a little “disease from outer space” selectively transmitted to some humans- for the betterment of Mother Nature,” exclaimed Dr. Leopold.
The science is still out whether humans can contract CWD, but this study gives Mother Nature a chance to weigh in on the possibilities.
Meanwhile, fish & game officials for Montana and Wyoming released a curse statement vowing to dispute any science put forward by Muir or Leopold as “fake.”
