Predators are wild animals that hunt, or prey on, other animals for their own food. Wolves, mountain lions, hawks and ferrets are all predators. Because these animals are meat eaters, they are also called carnivores ("carne" means "meat" in Latin). Some predators, such as coyotes and bears, are also scavengers, meaning they will eat the carcasses of animals that they didn't hunt themselves.
The Role of Predators
Some predators are bigger than a human and others are merely the size of a house cat. But all of these native wildlife have special needs in order to survive. Most need large areas of land to meet all of their food and habitat requirements. For this reason, predators are considered "umbrella" species. By protecting large wild areas for predators to live and roam, we are, in effect, saving a place for many more animal and plant species.
The fact that predators regularly prey on herbivores or plant-eating animals, such as deer and elk, they play a critical role in their ecosystem. If predators were eliminated, those plant eaters could literally alter the vegetation to the point where it is no longer suitable habitat for wildlife species that once lived there.
Predators are not always successful hunters so they try to go for the easiest target. Most of the time, predators will choose the weak, old, and sick animals in a population, leaving the healthy and robust individuals to reproduce offspring. Predators play such an important role in keeping a balance in the ecosystem, that they are often referred to as "keystone" species.
Look around and you will see myriad uses of predators as popular symbols. Just think about how many sports teams are named after predators. The charismatic qualtiy of the grizzly bear and the gray wolf, for example, make them "flagship" species that symbolize the importance of saving a place for our wild neighbors.
Myths versus Facts
Myth: Predators are a main cause of livestock loss.
Fact: Predation accounts for a small fraction of livestock loss, with the majority of livestock deaths being due to disease and harsh weather. In 1995 alone, 100,000 cattle were lost to weather, disease and calving problems the Northern Rockies. From 1987 to 2000, a period of 13 years, 149 cows and 356 sheep were confirmed lost to wolves.
Myth: Wolves kill so many deer and elk that hunting opportunities are and will be drastically reduced.
Fact: The following are excerpted from announcements by the state departments that manage hunting in the wolf's current range.
From Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks website on 3/19/02: “Elk seasons will be more liberal in Southwestern and Eastern Montana in 2002.”
From Wyoming Game and Fish Department website on 3/19/02: “Elk populations in many areas of the state are over the objective or target level, which is prompting continued liberal seasons.”
Many variables including wolves, harsh winters, drought and late-season hunts cause elk populations to fluctuate. The Northern Yellowstone elk herd is well within historical population levels.
Myth: Predators are vermin that must be eliminated if people and their pets are to be safe and economically stable.
Fact: There have been no verified instances of unprovoked wolf attacks on people in the Northern Rockies or Yellowstone National Park. An average of four dogs per year have been killed since 1995.
Predators serve a very important role in a healthy ecosystem, they help keep a balance that benefits all living things, including humans.
Myth: Predators are making a comeback so we don't have to worry about them going extinct.
Fact: Predators are facing more threats today than ever before. Increased resource extraction, rampant development and unregulated motorized recreation are all modern day threats to these highly sensitive animals. This, coupled with a federal program called "Wildlife Services" which kills 100,000 predators each year (with 10 million dollars in taxpayer money) makes it clear that we must work together to save a place for America's predators now more than ever.
