Time for Nature

Who should you fear most: wolves or humans?

June 29, 2009

Pacific Rim National Park Reserve of Canada

Taking a walk in the woods

A cougar lying low in the lush West Coast rain forest
© Parks Canada 10.101.10.01(17) 3/30/1978

Not so long ago, wolves and other large carnivores such as cougars were seen only rarely in the forests of Vancouver Island. These predators have always inhabited this region and travel long distances in search of food. They move along the coast and follow walking trails, rivers and roads but avoid and are wary of humans. Since the late 1990s, however, they have increasingly appeared in areas frequented by people. The significant rise in the number of incidents involving these predators prompted officials at Pacific Rim National Park Reserve of Canada to look into the matter.

Speaking of wolves…

Kayakers in the Broken Group Islands
© Parks Canada 10.104.07.19 (231) 3/30/2006

This reserve accommodates one of the highest numbers of overnight campers in the national park network, especially on the West Coast Trail, a 72-kilometre-long backpacking trail along the coast, and in the Broken Group Islands, an archipelago beloved of kayakers. However, wolves and cougars are appearing in the park more and more frequently. Incidents have been reported in which hikers in the forest have been stalked by wolves for over 15 minutes. When confrontations occur, wolves and cougars are hard to drive off. They are overtly aggressive toward dogs and will sometimes attack them. They will also enter tents in search of food. Wolf packs now tend to frequent and remain in areas of the park with higher numbers of people. They have even been seen in the village of Ucluelet, near the park.

Wolves now tracked by humans

The problem has reached such proportions that the opening of the West Coast Trail was almost delayed recently because of a cougar roaming the area that would not leave when threatened. With close observation, agents concluded that the animal was evaluating whether or not humans were accessible prey. After an extensive search, it was eventually found dead of starvation on the beach. There have been other cases where wolves or cougars have had to be killed because they had become dangerous. These animals do not fear humans and often must be killed before they have had time to learn that humans are dangerous.

Human and wolf come face to face on a beach
© Parks Canada

Hunting for photo ops

Gradually, the pieces of the puzzle are starting to fall into place. For example, it is now understood that proximity between wild animals and humans can have harmful consequences. The first instinct of tourists who see a wolf close up for the first time is not to run or chase the wolf away but instead to take a picture of it! To preserve this rare moment, they will even try to get as close as possible. Park agents have also observed several instances of people feeding animals, including wolf cubs. Feeding wild animals can habituate them to the presence of people and disturb their natural relationship with humans.

Land of the deer

One of the reasons for the increase in incidents involving wolves involves a change in these predators’ traditional habitats. Logging in the watershed upstream from the park has disturbed the habitat of the mule deer, which is their primary prey. After clear-cutting, logging companies planted seedlings far too closely together in their reforesting efforts. Twenty years later, the forest cover is so dense that the understory contains only mushrooms and mosses, not a very appetizing menu for the deer, which prefer to graze on young growth. With deer populations declining, carnivores have had to look for new sources of food, which they have found in the greatest diversity near rivers and along shorelines. These include raccoons, gulls, seals, ruffed grouse, mink, river otters, and sea lions. However, these areas are also the sites of human activities such as salmon fishing, camping and sea kayaking.

The WildCoast project

To study this phenomenon, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve of Canada officials have implemented the WildCoast project. They have created a database of wolf and cougar populations and their prey to better understand their behaviour. The are also conducting surveys among local populations and First Nations peoples to draw up a cultural and spiritual portrait of the wolf, which the Aboriginal peoples believe to have spiritual powers. The goal is to tell the story of the wolf and its ecology and re-instill the respect that humans formerly had for this animal. The program also includes an awareness campaign to teach vacationers and park users to avoid these animals. If wolves and people are to cohabit the park over the long term, each will have to be wary of the other.