Wolves May Be Killed to Save Game for Hunters : Alaska believes that reducing wolf packs would increase moose and caribou herds. Opponents say the purpose is dubious.

Competition between two of Alaska’s most savage predators--man and wolf--is the subject of a three-day, state-sponsored “wolf summit” in Fairbanks beginning Saturday.

Wildlife lovers from around the world promise to be watching closely. That’s because afterward, the state will decide anew whether to risk a tourism boycott and environmentalist outrage and order the killing of wolves in future years to try to build up moose and caribou herds for the benefit of Alaska hunters.

The state’s theory is that, if wolf packs are reduced, herds of moose and caribou will flourish, resulting in more meat for Alaskans to put on the table. Opponents of the kill say this amounts to humans playing God, favoring one animal over another for dubious purposes.

Earlier this winter, Alaska canceled a plan to shoot 300 to 400 of the wild animals from helicopters in 1993. But the question of what to do in future years was left open for discussion at the summit.

Here is some background on the wolf and the predator control program:

THE ANIMAL: Sometimes called the arctic wolf, other times the timber wolf, Alaska’s wolves all belong to the species known as Canis lupus, or the gray wolf. However, the animals actually range in color from black to virtually pure white.

Wolves can weigh up to 175 pounds. They range over 85% of Alaska, from Anchorage suburbs to Arctic wilds.

The state Department of Fish and Game says Alaska’s wolf population is stable at an estimated 5,900 to 7,200 animals, but some environmentalists say those estimates are generous by twice.

Wolves live in elaborately socialized packs. An estimated 700 to 900 packs are believed to exist in the state.

Because of abundant habitat, relatively sparse human intrusion and plentiful prey, wolves never have been categorized as an endangered or threatened species in Alaska, as they are in their small ranges in the Lower 48 states.

KILLING WOLVES: Hunting wolves is legal in Alaska. In the past decade, an average of 842 wolves have been reported killed each year by trappers and sport hunters. Some believe the actual kill is significantly higher.

Wolves are commonly taken in baited traps and by shooting from high-speed snowmobiles. Until last summer, Alaska also permitted hunters to locate the animals from the air, land their airplanes and shoot them.

Competition between wolves and humans has long existed in Alaska, and the state has undertaken many “control” programs in the past. The last predator control efforts, undertaken nearly a decade ago, were dropped amid growing pressure from citizens in the Lower 48.

There is no government record of wolves killing humans in Alaska.

THE PELT: Wolf fur is rare and some of the most expensive in the world. A wolf parka at the retailer in Anchorage can cost $5,000 or more.

THE ISSUE: State game officials would like to build up caribou and moose populations in three large tracts of Alaska that are within reach of hunters from Anchorage and Fairbanks. Killing up to 80% of the wolves in these three areas will allow their antlered prey to multiply, state officials say.

For at least some of these hunters, caribou and moose meat is a traditional part of subsistence living on the frontier. There is wide agreement that Alaska wolves depend heavily for their own survival on killing moose and caribou.

Environmentalists and their allies argue that, biologically, killing wolves does not automatically result in larger herds of caribou or moose. Ethically, they argue that it is unacceptable to kill the predator wolf to advantage the predator man.

COMPARISON: In the Lower 48 states, the coyote, the wolf’s smaller cousin, is routinely killed. In 1991, the Agriculture Department said it killed 95,910 coyotes.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

“For Alaskans, the wolf is a magnificent animal, one to be respected and admired. But we do not have the luxury of mistaking a wolf for Lassie or Rin Tin Tin . . . . You can’t just let nature run wild.”

--Alaska Gov. Walter J. Hickel

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“Killing wolves to increase the number of animals available for hunting may not be good enough anymore . . . . If the pendulum has to be on one side or another, I’d want it on the side of the wolves.”

--Former wolf bounty hunter Jay Hammond, an ex-governor of the state and longtime hunting guide. He recently watched as a wolf carried off the family dog.

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“What we’re asking for is wildlife management, and it’s not Dark Ages management, either . . . . All we want is a fair share.”

--Mary Bishop, an Alaskan hunter who feeds her family on wild meat and fish.

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“Angry Alaskans can parade, posture and pout until the Yukon River dries up, but the outcome inevitably will be the same: State-sponsored aerial wolf hunting is doomed.”

--Editorial, Anchorage Daily News.

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“Everybody makes a living from nature. Man is a natural predator too.”

--David Green, dean of Alaska’s fur traders.

3 Areas Targeted for Control, GEORGE CAREY / Los Angeles Times

Killing up to 80% of the wolves in three designated areas during the next few years would allow time for moose and caribou herds to expand, Alaska officials say.

The state has projected herd size for the year 2002 under such a plan-although opponents call this nothing more than guesswork.

Delta

2002 Present (projected) Wolf 220-295 220-295 Caribou 5,000-6,000 7,000-9,000 Moose 10,000-12,000 12,000-15,000 Fortymile Wolf 183-212 300-340 Caribou 22,000 58,000-62,000 Moose 3,400-4,000 9,000-10,000 Nelchina Basin Wolf 195 150-200 Caribou 45,000 40,000-60,000 Moose 22,000 25,000-30,000

Source: Alaska Department of Fish and Game