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Wolves Ontario!

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The best way to stay informed about developments around the Wolves Ontario! project is:
Check the Wolves Ontario! website often
Email the Wolves Ontario! project coordinator at info@wolvesontario.org
Join the Wolf Defenders email list!
The Defenders email list is the best way to receive the latest breaking news about wolves in Ontario, keep up to date on the newest action alerts and press releases, and keep you informed about important volunteer opportunities.

Join the
Defenders email list

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Myths and false perceptions about wolves abound. Very few wolf ‘stories’ are based on fact. As a result of the spread of these myths, wolves have been persecuted for thousands of years. One of the goals of the Wolves Ontario! project is to educate the public about the truths about wolves.
myth_label.gif (742 bytes) Wolves will eliminate or reduce traditional game species (deer & moose) as well as other furbearers (beaver).

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Wolves, large grazing animals, and beaver have successfully lived side by side for thousands of years. It is only when the first Europeans arrived in North America that this balanced co-existence changed. When prey species drop in number because of food availability or weather conditions, wolf numbers drop as well. Wolves have smaller litters or may even starve to death.
myth_label.gif (742 bytes) Humans are attacked and killed by wolves all the time.

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There is no documented case of a healthy wild wolf killing a human in North America. By comparison, domestic dogs attack 3 million and kill 20 people each year. Wild non-socialized wolves fear humans and are rarely seen.
myth_label.gif (742 bytes) Wolves kill thousands of livestock each year, forcing farmers out of business.

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Though there are no official records for Ontario (government officials unfortunately do not differentiate between coyote and wolf predation on livestock), the number of livestock killed in Alberta averages 55 animals per year. Under the provincial government’s Livestock, Poultry, and Honey Bee Protection Act, farmers are compensated for livestock lost to predation. By increasing the amount of compensation, wolf kills by farmers would more likely be reported and total wolf kills by farmers would be reduced.
myth_label.gif (742 bytes) A large percentage of wolves have rabies

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Paranoia still exists around the idea of rabid wolves. Contrary to popular belief, very few wolves contract rabies. Most incidents of rabies occur in raccoons, skunks, foxes or bats. In Alberta in 1952, one rabid wolf was discovered. As a result of paranoia, in the next four years, 4,200 wolves were poisoned. As well, over 50,000 foxes, 35,000 coyotes, and 1,850 bears also were killed by this non-target poisoning.
myth_label.gif (742 bytes) Wolves live in Toronto and in other southern Ontario cities.

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Wolves are very shy of humans and need large wilderness to survive. There are coyotes in Toronto and other southern cities – these should not be mistaken for wolves. As cities expand and our wilderness areas are destroyed, wolf populations will suffer. The Wolves Ontario! project seeks to stop this growing threat.
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