Defenders and National Park Service Launch Denali Wolf Education Program
“This has been an extraordinary opportunity for Defenders of Wildlife and the National Park Service in Alaska to work together to protect Denali’s wolves and promote safe and valuable viewing experiences for visitors”, says Karen Deatherage, Defenders Alaska Program Associate, working in the Denali area this summer to implement Defenders’ wolf initiatives.
Over the past few years, the Park Service has closely monitored interactions between visitors and the Toklat (also known as East Fork) and Mt. Margaret wolf packs, which occupy the vast majority of territory along the Park road where over a quarter million visitors each year come to see wildlife. These wolf families are the most viewed and most photographed in the world. Wolves occupying this area have been studied continuously since the late nineteen thirties. Because some Park campgrounds and the road corridor have been part of their territories for decades, the risk of habituation and food-conditioning is high for these two packs.
Due to concerns over wolf activity, in 2001 Park managers closed Teklanika campground to tent camping and completely closed Igloo Creek, a small campground near the Toklat packs’ current den site. Since then, the National Park Service and Defenders have initiated education efforts on proper camping and wolf viewing practices. Defenders hopes that both of these campgrounds will be restored to normal activity next summer.
“Wolves in Denali National Park have never shown aggressive behavior towards humans. But any fed animal can become aggressive, and just like bears, a fed wolf is a dead wolf,” said Deatherage. “It is up to us to make sure that Denali ’s wolves don’t become conditioned to human food or approach people too closely. We can do this by providing them with an environment where they can act naturally and remain wild.”
The video is currently playing at the Visitor Center in Denali National Park . Thousands of copies of the Denali Wolf Tracker are also available at the Center, as well as hotels, nature centers and visitor information facilities throughout Alaska .
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Defenders of Wildlife is one of the nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and habitat, and was named as one of America's Top 100 Charities by Worth magazine. With more than 430,000 members and supporters, Defenders is an effective voice for wildlife and habitat.
Contact(s):
Karen Deatherage, (907) 683-2952
