I know it has been awhile since I have written about wolves, but some of you might remember my column a few months ago regarding a dead wolf in our back yard. She was a small adult that was discovered by our wiener dog, Maggie, about 25 feet from the back door.
We sent the wolf to Fish and Wildlife Service in Minnesota who in turn sent her to a lab in Ashland, Oregon for an investigation. The FWS lab determined the cause of death for this young female to be mange.
Mange is caused by microscopic mites attached to the fur and skin on wolves, ultimately causing death. Sarcoptic mange causes intense itching because the female mites burrow into the wolf ’s skin and lays eggs. The itching causes the wolf to scratch off its own fur. It also causes infections, which cause even more hair loss. The loss of hair will ultimately lead to sunburns in the summer and hypothermia in the colder months. Either way mange leads to death.
Demodectic Mange is when mites are found in the actual pores of a wolf ’s skin. It causes little or even no itching but can also result in eventual death.
Wolves transfer the mites inadvertently from scratching posts as well as general contact with other wolves. The mites can also infect red fox, dogs, bears, humans and even farm animals such as hogs, sheep and cattle.
The wolf that we found in our yard was not missing any hair and appeared to be quite healthy. We were pretty certain that some kind of foul play might have occurred, but we were wrong.
I read that wolves that die of mange have a horrible odor and our wolf showed none of these common symptoms.
The FWS said it was sad to see such a young animal dead from this type of disease. Unfortunately the younger animals are more susceptible due to the weaker immune systems and because they are more likely to have “playful” contact with each other.
The saddest thing I read when researching mange is that it is believed to be introduced into Montana intentionally. This bio-warfare was a nasty way to control the booming populations of wolves and coyotes back in the early 1900’s. It quickly spread to many other states and is currently a serious problem in Yellowstone National Park where entire packs are dying from the mites.
Our population of wolves in Minnesota is much larger than the original par set, but introducing a disease to kill them is just cruel. I would much rather see a hunting/ trapping season re-introduced than see them slowly suffer to death.
Could you imagine scratching yourself until your hair falls out?
This is just another example of how much more we understand true conservation today compared to a few generations ago. Every action has an opposite reaction and studying the mistakes made in history is the best way to make sure we do not repeat them.
Cory Christianson, a graduate of the University of Iowa, has worked as a fishing guide on the Gunflint Trail since 2000. If you have any fishing reports or stories to share, send an email to: christiansoncory@hotmail.com or call 218-388- 0315.
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