Gray Wolf

     The gray wolf is the largest of the canines. They are one of the most widespread land mammals, inhabiting various ecosystems throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and a small portion of Africa. The gray wolf has many nicknames, such as the Timber Wolf, Arctic Wolf, and Tundra Wolf. The names vary depending on the location of their habitat. Gray Wolves are excellent hunters, seeking their prey using their scent.
     Wolves are known for their howl for many reasons. Howling helps members of the pack keep in touch and to communicate in thick forests or over large distances. It also helps to summon pack members to a specific locations, declaration of territory, or claiming of prey.Gray wolves are also known as keystone predators because they help maintain a balanced ecosystem. Their diet consists of large hoofed mammals, such as elk, deer, moose, and caribou, as well as smaller mammals like beavers and rabbits. Because gray wolves eliminate only weak animals, herds become stronger and healthier as a whole.
     On a global level, the Gray Wolf is considered a species of least concern, but on a regional level it is considered vulnerable of extinction due to loss of habitat, trapping, shooting, and poisoning.

How to Help

     If people would like to help gray wolves, there are several things you can do. You can adopt a wolf through organizations like Defenders of Wildlife or the National Wildlife Federation. These organizations support several initiatives that help gray wolves, such as banning aerial gunning in Alaska, fighting to preserve federal protections, and helping ranchers find effective ways to protect their livestock so they refrain from killing wolves. You can also help by supporting gray wolf habitat protection.

Gray Wolf Puppies

Photograph from NotDiscovery.org

Gray Wolf Pack

Photographed by Superb Wallpapers

Cougar

     The cougar, also known as the Mountain Lion, Puma, or Panther, is found in western North America, a small region of Florida, and most of South America. They live in various habitats from mountains to deserts to sea-level. Cougars are closely related to house cats on a larger scale. Unlike most big cats, they cannot roar. Instead, they purr like a house cat. Cougars can run up to 43 mph, they can jump to about 20 feet from standing position, and they can leap a distance of 16 feet vertically. They generally prey on deer and small mammals.
     Cougars have long been endangered, both by sport hunters and by farmers protecting their livestock. Other threats include habitat loss and automobile accidents. Their main cause of decline is loss of habitat. As a result, the cougar population has significantly decreased.
     In recent years, sightings of cougars in the northeast United States and eastern Canada have been on the rise. Although many are the result of former captive cougars who escaped or were released, there is a possibility of recolonization of cougars in the east.

How to Help
     It is difficult to stop habitat loss or reverse its effects, but there are some ways people can help. You can help persuade your congress representatives to designate the cougar as a protected animal. This prevents the taking or injuring of cougars, unless they pose a threat. You can also suggest to your congressman advocating the preservation of open land in order to maintain a livable habitat for cougars. In addition, you can donate directly to the Mountain Lion Foundation to help increase their population so they do not become extinct.

Cougar laying down

Photographed by Superb Wallpapers

Brown Bear

     The Brown Bear, also known as the Grizzly Bear, is a large omnivorous mammal found in northern and central Europe, Asia, and North America. Within North America, most Brown Bear populations roam around the lower 48 states, especially Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Washington.
      Brown Bears are great swimmers and have a keen sense of smell. They prefer habitats that are densely covered where there is available shelter during the day. They eat almost anything from berries and roots to fish and small mammals, like mice.
     Livestock damage control, habitat deterioration, commercial trapping, unregulated hunting, and the perception that they threaten human life are leading causes of the animal's decline. As mountainous areas were settled, development greatly contributed to an increase in human-caused death for Brown Bears. Some are accidentally killed by hunters who mistake them for black bears, which can be legal game.

How to Help
     Brown Bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem are coming close to the recovery target but still suffer from too many yearly mortalities. Many successes have been largely due to effort among several organizations, including  the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC). The IGBC includes the U.S. Forest Service; National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, state agencies in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and Washington, Canadian wildlife management agencies, and Native American Tribes.
    To help contribute to helping endangered Brown Bears, people can adopt a bear, and by spreading the word about endangered Brown Bears.

Brown Bear laying on a log

Photographed by Superb Wallpapers

Bighorn Sheep

     Bighorn sheep are one of two species of mountain sheep in North America. They range in color from light brown to grayish or dark brown. They have a white rump and lining on the backs of all four legs. Bighorn sheep get their name from the large, curved horns on the males, or rams. They are known for their ability to climb high, steep, rocky mountain areas. Bighorn Sheep can be found mostly in northern and western regions of America, but they are most prominent in California.
     The primary threats to Bighorn Sheep are unregulated and illegal hunting, or poaching, predation by natural enemies, disease, and loss of food from domestic livestock grazing and climate changes.
      Diseases from domestic livestock have devastated their population and the loss of habitat from development have become an increased threat.
      Normally, predators like mountain lions, wolves, bobcats, and coyotes do not pose a threat to Bighorn Sheep, but in areas where sheep population are low, the death of sheep from natural predators can be a risk to larger populations.
     About one-third of California's populations of desert Bighorn Sheep have died out throughout the past century. These losses occurred primarily from lower elevations where there is increases in temperature and decreases in precipitation that have reduced the amount of vegetation they depend on for foraging and water.

How to Help

     Population of Bighorn Sheep hit a low of about 280 in 1995. Since then, their inclusion on the federal endangered species list has increased their population to about 600.
     Much like many endangered species, conservation groups have developed to help save Bighorn Sheep. There are a few known game ranges within Arizona that aid in the prevention of their endangerment. The link provided is an example of one of many conservation game ranges.
Kofa National Wildlife Refuge

Bighorn Sheep
Photographed by Ron Niebrugge

American Bison

    

The American Bison is the symbol of the great plains. Vast herds migrated from Canada to Mexico. From a population that ranged in the millions, American Bison dwindled to near extinction driven by American settlers.
Fortunately, the bison population has recovered to a total of 9000 due to conservation efforts by Canadian conservationists, but they still need help to survive.
        The bison are also threatened by two main diseases. One, Tuberculosis, an infectious bacterial disease characterized by the growth of nodules in the tissues, especially the lungs, and Anthrax, a bacterial disease of sheep and cattle, typically affecting the skin and lungs which cause severe skin ulceration or a form of pneumonia. Both of these have become prominent in bison herds.

How to Help:

       People can help in their preservation by adopting bison on websites such as Defenders of Wildlife or by donating toward the purchase of prairie land on websites like the American Prairie Foundation.

American Bison

Photographed by Phillip Colla

Save the Wildlife

    30 to 50 percent of all species are headed toward extinction by mid-century, and 99% of all threatened species are at risk from human activity, such as destroying their habitats for our recreational desires, introducing exotic species to new and profound locations where they will not thrive, and therefore suffer, and global warming; a major contributor to those living in regions near Alaska and Canada.
    As a wildlife enthusiast, I have made an effort to divert attention toward threatened and endangered animals. I want to educate others about the endangered animals living within the North American boundaries and explain how we can help them live in peace as we do every day.

Gray Wolves

Photographed by Joel Sartore