Predators
Predators, more than any other wildlife, engendered fear and loathing, prompting an all-out assault through much of history.
Often painted as the enemy to livestock production and therefore frontier and later rural civilization, predators’ positive role in the environment was never considered.
Predators evolved alongside the herds they hunted. Predators keep herds healthy and strong by selectively culling the weakest members—the old, the injured, the genetically compromised and abandoned youngsters. In their pursuit of prey, predators also keep the vast herds on the move, protecting habitat by keeping the grazers from staying in one place too long.
When we look at nature’s big picture, we have to recognize the role predators play in the health of the natural world. True biodiversity must also include fangs and claws.
Latest articles
Read more about predators and management practices:
Wolf Caught Swimming Off Remote Part of Vancouver Island
“A British Columbia woman was on a boat at the right time and managed to see a wolf swimming near Kyuquot Sound off the coast of Vancouver Island.
How Predators and Forest Management Affect Elk Numbers
Elk numbers around Yellowstone Park have declined over recent decades. This is usually blamed on wolves and bears. But according to this video, forest management probably plays a larger role. NOTE: this post […]
My Rancher Parents Hate Wolves. I Took Them on a Wolf-Watching Tour in Yellowstone to Change Their Minds
The wolf debate out West is driven in large part by ignorance – on both sides. A morning spent with Wolf Trackers would greatly help the parties to find common ground for compromise. In […]
The Chase
“A national park should present a vignette of primitive America.” – A. Starker Leopold Predator-prey chases happen countless times every day in Yellowstone, but we rarely witness them. Kira Cassidy, research associate with […]
Nature’s Fear Factor
“For animals in Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park, the normal balance of competition and predation was upended when a war wiped out the top predators. The remaining animals didn’t simply grow in numbers—they began behaving in […]
What is Holistic Management?
From the Savory Institute. The Savory Institute’s mission is to facilitate the large-scale regeneration of the world’s grasslands through Holistic Management. The organization’s educational consulting activities are turning deserts into thriving grasslands, […]
Mother Grizzly and Cubs
Idaho Fish and Game posted this video with these comments: “Every year Idaho Fish and Game Biologists place GPS collars on grizzly bears to learn about their reproduction, survival, and distribution. A recently retrieved […]
Yellowstone in Depth: The Northern Range
The Northern Range is the hub of wildlife in Yellowstone National Park. Occupying just 10 percent of the Yellowstone Park, the Northern Range is winter range for the biggest elk herd in Yellowstone and is […]
To Teach Young Black Bears New Habits, Grand Teton Sees ‘Proactive Relocation’ as an Option
“As discussed below, “wildlife officials actively rely on relocations as part of a larger management regime for black bears.”
Bison Bunch Up to Protect Calves
Over millions of years, rangelands have evolved under grazing by nomadic herds that travel in mass, bunched up to protect both young and adults from predators. And, plants have evolved to need this. This observation […]
By Learning to Hunt Otters, Wolves Decimate a Deer Population
“How wolf recovery on Pleasant Island Alaska affected deer populations
The Color of Wolves Mysteriously Changes Across America. We Finally Know Why
“As explained below, scientists believe that exposure to canine distemper, a disease of domestic dogs, is causing the coats of North American wolf populations to change color.
Mountain Lions Pushed Out by Wildfires Take More Risks
As reported below, wildfire can increase human-cougar conflict. This shows why wildfire reduction with such tools as domestic animal grazing, and logging, is good for wildlife, and people.
Grizzly Bear Attacks Prey
A grizzly chases down and kills an elk calf. Terms like predation and harvest sugarcoat that hunters and predators kill. Nature is brutal; everything feeds on something. Treasured species like elk […]
Yellowstone Bats
There are at least 13-species of bats found in Greater Yellowstone, which includes Pitchstone Waters Ranch. Bats are among the most under-appreciated, misunderstood, and necessary of all the mammal predators. All this and much more […]
Wolves 101
With their piercing looks and spine-tingling howls, wolves inspire both adoration and controversy around the world. Find out how many wolf species exist, the characteristics that make each wolf’s howl unique, and how the wolf […]
Want to Fight the Feral Hog Problem in Texas? Start With $8k, a Helicopter and a Machine Gun.
“Feral pigs have become a problem for one reason: The food-safety agencies tasked to insure safe, wholesome, and affordable food have made them illegal to sell commercially. The commonsense solution is to put them back […]
Baby Black Bear Learns the Ropes
A baby black bear must “learn the ropes” from mom in order to survive. NOTE: this post was originally published to this site on July 8, 2019
Watch Bobcats, Bears, and Even Birds Use Fallen Logs as Bridges
“As explained below, fallen logs and logjams are essential to riverine wildlife and habitat health. NOTE: this article and video was originally published to Popular Sciences’s Apple News Channel on June 25, 2022. […]
How Texas Cougars Saved the Florida Panther
According to the article below, cougars translocated from Texas saved the Florida mountain lion, known as the Florida panther. At least two of those cougars were trapped at Circle Ranch, the West Texas ranch we […]