Lobo/Hybrids

[Guest Del]

I had to ask so I did. If hybridization happened, where did it happen. At what point and why? It doesn't make sense. So I asked AGFD.

"I keep hearing that the Mexican wolves that have been reintroduced are

wolf/dog hybrids. If so, where did the hybridization happen?"

 

The response was;

 

"No, the wolves that were reintroduced are geneticly pure Mexican gray

wolves. There has been recent information in the media about wolf/dog

hybrids. This was in reference to one of the female wolves breeding

with a local dog. The wild born pups are hybrids. The female was

recently shot due to predation on ranches. Several of the pups were

also captured and euthanized because they are hybrids."

 

You can read more about the wolf reintroduction program at:

http://www.azgfd.gov/w_c/es/wolf_reintroduction.shtml

 

Regards,

 

Sabra

Sabra Tonn

HDMS Program Supervisor

AGFD, WMHB

5000 W. Carefree Hwy

Phoenix, AZ 85086

623.236.7618

stonn@azgfd.gov

 

I'm sure someone here knows more than anyone - even more than the experts - and will say it's not true. But I had to ask them. Why would they allow hybrids to happen? How would wolves come in contact with dogs before reintroduction? In any scientific experiment you have to be sure of what you are using. I think this "AGFD reintroduced dogs stuff" is just a bunch of BS from ignorant people who don't know better and just talk and make up things. If not - then prove it. So who do you believe? I'm with the experts who were hired to take care of our environment so we don't destroy it any more than we already have.

[Guest Del]

"Experts"...hahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!! Good one i needed a morning laugh.

 

You must be one of those guys I mentioned. One of the guys who knows more than anyone. I'm not saying you don't but maybe you should work for AGFD. Be the answer instead of an ignorant finger pointer.

[gearsnagger]

If the AZGFD admitted they have been introducing wolfxdog then the program would be over and all of the personnel in this program would be looking for work.... So of coarse she will tell you the truth - She is an expert :lol:

[Guest Del]

Yeah I guess I'm an environmentalist too. I think YOU guys are FOS and you don't know if it's true or not either. If you did you would have proof.

[gearsnagger]

Yeah I guess I'm an environmentalist too. I think YOU guys are FOS and you don't know if it's true or not either. If you did you would have proof.

All it will take to end this FUBAR program is a law suit - Prove that these are wolfxdog's and the game is over!

The map change also proves it's not about the wolves it's about gaining control of vast tracts of land in the name of "conservation"....

[Guest Del]

Yeah I guess I'm an environmentalist too. I think YOU guys are FOS and you don't know if it's true or not either. If you did you would have proof.

All it will take to end this FUBAR program is a law suit - Prove that these are wolfxdog's and the game is over!

The map change also proves it's not about the wolves it's about gaining control of vast tracts of land in the name of "conservation"....

 

There you go! Where does the info that says the wolves are hybrids come from? If they are and AGFD has been lying all along I want to know and they should answer for it.

[gearsnagger]

Yeah I guess I'm an environmentalist too. I think YOU guys are FOS and you don't know if it's true or not either. If you did you would have proof.

All it will take to end this FUBAR program is a law suit - Prove that these are wolfxdog's and the game is over!

The map change also proves it's not about the wolves it's about gaining control of vast tracts of land in the name of "conservation"....

 

There you go! Where does the info that says the wolves are hybrids come from? If they are and AGFD has been lying all along I want to know and they should answer for it.

I once read an AZGFD lion study – They hung aluminum pie plates up in trees and monitored them with trail cameras!

Are these the experts you are referring to! :lol: :lol:

As for them being liars or not that can be proved also!

DNA testing was not done on most of the animals in the "Mexican Curr Introduction Program" - When the program started there were very few labs doing DNA testing.... These labs mostly did forensic and or research work!

I know that the next one I shoot is going to be DNA tested! :lol:

[gearsnagger]

Here is a little more info on wolf DNA testing

This is from 2008 - Prior to this new test it was almost impossible to test for wolfXdog hybrid!

A California lab recently developed DNA-sequencing techniques to genetically distinguish gray wolves (Canis lupus) from wolf-dog hybrids or domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris). The genetic make-up of wolves and dogs is so similar that previous tests were unable to distinguish the two. Wolf and dog DNA differs by only two-tenths of one percent (0.2%).

 

New genetic tests have verified that a canine found dead on a road northwest of Spokane last month was a pure gray wolf.

 

A second road-killed animal found slightly farther west about two weeks later was a wolf-dog hybrid, genetic tests determined.

 

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) sent tissue samples from both road-killed animals to the University of California-Los Angeles Conservation Genetics Resource Center to determine whether they were wolves. The California lab recently developed DNA-sequencing techniques to genetically distinguish gray wolves (Canis lupus) from wolf-dog hybrids or domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris). The genetic make-up of wolves and dogs is so similar that previous tests were unable to distinguish the two. Wolf and dog DNA differs by only two-tenths of one percent (0.2%).

 

"These new genetic tests promise to greatly assist us in the future management of gray wolves," said WDFW Director Jeff Koenings, adding that WDFW’s genetics laboratory is investigating adopting the same genetic-testing approach in the future to support the state’s upcoming Wolf Conservation and Management Plan.

 

The wolf carcass was discovered June 5 by a Washington Department of Transportation (DOT) crew along State Route 291 near Tum Tum in Stevens County, about 25 miles northwest of Spokane. DOT staff contacted WDFW to retrieve the carcass.

 

The wolf-dog hybrid was struck by a car June 21 on State Route 25 north of Davenport in Lincoln County, about 40 miles northwest of Spokane. The driver contacted the county sheriff, who contacted WDFW.

 

Other genetic tests on the animal killed on State Route 291 showed its DNA was similar to that from wolves in northwest Montana and southern British Columbia.

 

Gray wolves last spring were removed from federal endangered species list in the eastern third of Washington, as part of a recovered Rocky Mountain wolf population in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. The wolf de-listing is being challenged in federal district court by conservation groups. Gray wolves remain listed by the state as an endangered species throughout Washington.

 

WDFW Endangered Species Program Manager Harriet Allen said verification of a road-killed wolf is not surprising because individual wolves are sighted periodically in northeast Washington.

 

"We expect wolves from Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon or Canada to disperse to Washington," Allen said.

 

Verification of the wolf-dog hybrid is also not surprising, Allen said.

 

"Unfortunately, some people attempt to raise wolves and wolf-dog hybrids in captivity," Allen said. "Wolf-dog hybrids can be dangerous because they lack the shyness of wild wolves, but they have the physical strength and predatory instincts of wild animals."

 

Wolf-dog hybrids complicate gray wolf management in a number of ways, including attacking livestock in incidents that are mistakenly blamed on wild wolves.

 

Pet wolves are prohibited by state law (RCW 16.30.030), although wolf-dog hybrids are excluded from that ban and remain regulated as domestic dogs. Most Washington counties have dog-control regulations and some counties and cities prohibit wolf-dog hybrid ownership because of potential safety problems.

 

WDFW is drafting a Wolf Conservation and Management Plan, with the help of a 17-member citizen working group. The draft plan is available at http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/diversty/soc/gray_wolf/ . After scientific peer review this year, a final draft plan will be circulated for public comment early next year.

 

No established wolf breeding pairs or packs have been documented in Washington since the 1930s, although WDFW and federal officials are currently working to locate and radio-collar wolves in Okanogan County, where recent howling surveys indicate a pack may exist.

 

Reports of possible wolf sightings or activity can be made to a toll-free wolf reporting hotline at 1-888-584-9038.

 

SOURCE:

NEWS RELEASE

WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE

600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, Washington 98501-1091

Internet Address: http://wdfw.wa.gov

 

July 17, 2008

Contact: Madonna Luers, (509) 892-7853

or Kevin Robinette, (509) 892-7859

 

SO how can the AZGFD be so sure about the purity of the "wolves" here in Arizona? True DNA testing for hybrids didn't exist until 2008......

[Guest Del]

Here is a little more info on wolf DNA testing

This is from 2008 - Prior to this new test it was almost impossible to test for wolfXdog hybrid!

A California lab recently developed DNA-sequencing techniques to genetically distinguish gray wolves (Canis lupus) from wolf-dog hybrids or domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris). The genetic make-up of wolves and dogs is so similar that previous tests were unable to distinguish the two. Wolf and dog DNA differs by only two-tenths of one percent (0.2%).

 

New genetic tests have verified that a canine found dead on a road northwest of Spokane last month was a pure gray wolf.

 

A second road-killed animal found slightly farther west about two weeks later was a wolf-dog hybrid, genetic tests determined.

 

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) sent tissue samples from both road-killed animals to the University of California-Los Angeles Conservation Genetics Resource Center to determine whether they were wolves. The California lab recently developed DNA-sequencing techniques to genetically distinguish gray wolves (Canis lupus) from wolf-dog hybrids or domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris). The genetic make-up of wolves and dogs is so similar that previous tests were unable to distinguish the two. Wolf and dog DNA differs by only two-tenths of one percent (0.2%).

 

"These new genetic tests promise to greatly assist us in the future management of gray wolves," said WDFW Director Jeff Koenings, adding that WDFW’s genetics laboratory is investigating adopting the same genetic-testing approach in the future to support the state’s upcoming Wolf Conservation and Management Plan.

 

The wolf carcass was discovered June 5 by a Washington Department of Transportation (DOT) crew along State Route 291 near Tum Tum in Stevens County, about 25 miles northwest of Spokane. DOT staff contacted WDFW to retrieve the carcass.

 

The wolf-dog hybrid was struck by a car June 21 on State Route 25 north of Davenport in Lincoln County, about 40 miles northwest of Spokane. The driver contacted the county sheriff, who contacted WDFW.

 

Other genetic tests on the animal killed on State Route 291 showed its DNA was similar to that from wolves in northwest Montana and southern British Columbia.

 

Gray wolves last spring were removed from federal endangered species list in the eastern third of Washington, as part of a recovered Rocky Mountain wolf population in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. The wolf de-listing is being challenged in federal district court by conservation groups. Gray wolves remain listed by the state as an endangered species throughout Washington.

 

WDFW Endangered Species Program Manager Harriet Allen said verification of a road-killed wolf is not surprising because individual wolves are sighted periodically in northeast Washington.

 

"We expect wolves from Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon or Canada to disperse to Washington," Allen said.

 

Verification of the wolf-dog hybrid is also not surprising, Allen said.

 

"Unfortunately, some people attempt to raise wolves and wolf-dog hybrids in captivity," Allen said. "Wolf-dog hybrids can be dangerous because they lack the shyness of wild wolves, but they have the physical strength and predatory instincts of wild animals."

 

Wolf-dog hybrids complicate gray wolf management in a number of ways, including attacking livestock in incidents that are mistakenly blamed on wild wolves.

 

Pet wolves are prohibited by state law (RCW 16.30.030), although wolf-dog hybrids are excluded from that ban and remain regulated as domestic dogs. Most Washington counties have dog-control regulations and some counties and cities prohibit wolf-dog hybrid ownership because of potential safety problems.

 

WDFW is drafting a Wolf Conservation and Management Plan, with the help of a 17-member citizen working group. The draft plan is available at http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/diversty/soc/gray_wolf/ . After scientific peer review this year, a final draft plan will be circulated for public comment early next year.

 

No established wolf breeding pairs or packs have been documented in Washington since the 1930s, although WDFW and federal officials are currently working to locate and radio-collar wolves in Okanogan County, where recent howling surveys indicate a pack may exist.

 

Reports of possible wolf sightings or activity can be made to a toll-free wolf reporting hotline at 1-888-584-9038.

 

SOURCE:

NEWS RELEASE

WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE

600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, Washington 98501-1091

Internet Address: http://wdfw.wa.gov

 

July 17, 2008

Contact: Madonna Luers, (509) 892-7853

or Kevin Robinette, (509) 892-7859

 

SO how can the AZGFD be so sure about the purity of the "wolves" here is Arizona? True DNA testing for hybrids didn't exist until 2008......

 

This really pisses me off! I hate being lied to. If AGFD and the other agencies are lying they need to answer for it.

[gearsnagger]

Here is a little more info on wolf DNA testing

This is from 2008 - Prior to this new test it was almost impossible to test for wolfXdog hybrid!

A California lab recently developed DNA-sequencing techniques to genetically distinguish gray wolves (Canis lupus) from wolf-dog hybrids or domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris). The genetic make-up of wolves and dogs is so similar that previous tests were unable to distinguish the two. Wolf and dog DNA differs by only two-tenths of one percent (0.2%).

 

New genetic tests have verified that a canine found dead on a road northwest of Spokane last month was a pure gray wolf.

 

A second road-killed animal found slightly farther west about two weeks later was a wolf-dog hybrid, genetic tests determined.

 

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) sent tissue samples from both road-killed animals to the University of California-Los Angeles Conservation Genetics Resource Center to determine whether they were wolves. The California lab recently developed DNA-sequencing techniques to genetically distinguish gray wolves (Canis lupus) from wolf-dog hybrids or domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris). The genetic make-up of wolves and dogs is so similar that previous tests were unable to distinguish the two. Wolf and dog DNA differs by only two-tenths of one percent (0.2%).

 

"These new genetic tests promise to greatly assist us in the future management of gray wolves," said WDFW Director Jeff Koenings, adding that WDFW’s genetics laboratory is investigating adopting the same genetic-testing approach in the future to support the state’s upcoming Wolf Conservation and Management Plan.

 

The wolf carcass was discovered June 5 by a Washington Department of Transportation (DOT) crew along State Route 291 near Tum Tum in Stevens County, about 25 miles northwest of Spokane. DOT staff contacted WDFW to retrieve the carcass.

 

The wolf-dog hybrid was struck by a car June 21 on State Route 25 north of Davenport in Lincoln County, about 40 miles northwest of Spokane. The driver contacted the county sheriff, who contacted WDFW.

 

Other genetic tests on the animal killed on State Route 291 showed its DNA was similar to that from wolves in northwest Montana and southern British Columbia.

 

Gray wolves last spring were removed from federal endangered species list in the eastern third of Washington, as part of a recovered Rocky Mountain wolf population in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. The wolf de-listing is being challenged in federal district court by conservation groups. Gray wolves remain listed by the state as an endangered species throughout Washington.

 

WDFW Endangered Species Program Manager Harriet Allen said verification of a road-killed wolf is not surprising because individual wolves are sighted periodically in northeast Washington.

 

"We expect wolves from Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon or Canada to disperse to Washington," Allen said.

 

Verification of the wolf-dog hybrid is also not surprising, Allen said.

 

"Unfortunately, some people attempt to raise wolves and wolf-dog hybrids in captivity," Allen said. "Wolf-dog hybrids can be dangerous because they lack the shyness of wild wolves, but they have the physical strength and predatory instincts of wild animals."

 

Wolf-dog hybrids complicate gray wolf management in a number of ways, including attacking livestock in incidents that are mistakenly blamed on wild wolves.

 

Pet wolves are prohibited by state law (RCW 16.30.030), although wolf-dog hybrids are excluded from that ban and remain regulated as domestic dogs. Most Washington counties have dog-control regulations and some counties and cities prohibit wolf-dog hybrid ownership because of potential safety problems.

 

WDFW is drafting a Wolf Conservation and Management Plan, with the help of a 17-member citizen working group. The draft plan is available at http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/diversty/soc/gray_wolf/ . After scientific peer review this year, a final draft plan will be circulated for public comment early next year.

 

No established wolf breeding pairs or packs have been documented in Washington since the 1930s, although WDFW and federal officials are currently working to locate and radio-collar wolves in Okanogan County, where recent howling surveys indicate a pack may exist.

 

Reports of possible wolf sightings or activity can be made to a toll-free wolf reporting hotline at 1-888-584-9038.

 

SOURCE:

NEWS RELEASE

WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE

600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, Washington 98501-1091

Internet Address: http://wdfw.wa.gov

 

July 17, 2008

Contact: Madonna Luers, (509) 892-7853

or Kevin Robinette, (509) 892-7859

 

SO how can the AZGFD be so sure about the purity of the "wolves" here in Arizona? True DNA testing for hybrids didn't exist until 2008......

 

This really pisses me off! I hate being lied to. If AGFD and the other agencies are lying they need to answer for it.

Hey Del - Thanks for actually reading my response to this.... There are other lies that the AZGFD are partner to - Not enough time to go into and off the topic! QUESTION AUTHORITY!

[Guest Del]

Here is a little more info on wolf DNA testing

This is from 2008 - Prior to this new test it was almost impossible to test for wolfXdog hybrid!

A California lab recently developed DNA-sequencing techniques to genetically distinguish gray wolves (Canis lupus) from wolf-dog hybrids or domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris). The genetic make-up of wolves and dogs is so similar that previous tests were unable to distinguish the two. Wolf and dog DNA differs by only two-tenths of one percent (0.2%).

 

New genetic tests have verified that a canine found dead on a road northwest of Spokane last month was a pure gray wolf.

 

A second road-killed animal found slightly farther west about two weeks later was a wolf-dog hybrid, genetic tests determined.

 

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) sent tissue samples from both road-killed animals to the University of California-Los Angeles Conservation Genetics Resource Center to determine whether they were wolves. The California lab recently developed DNA-sequencing techniques to genetically distinguish gray wolves (Canis lupus) from wolf-dog hybrids or domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris). The genetic make-up of wolves and dogs is so similar that previous tests were unable to distinguish the two. Wolf and dog DNA differs by only two-tenths of one percent (0.2%).

"These new genetic tests promise to greatly assist us in the future management of gray wolves," said WDFW Director Jeff Koenings, adding that WDFW’s genetics laboratory is investigating adopting the same genetic-testing approach in the future to support the state’s upcoming Wolf Conservation and Management Plan.

 

The wolf carcass was discovered June 5 by a Washington Department of Transportation (DOT) crew along State Route 291 near Tum Tum in Stevens County, about 25 miles northwest of Spokane. DOT staff contacted WDFW to retrieve the carcass.

 

The wolf-dog hybrid was struck by a car June 21 on State Route 25 north of Davenport in Lincoln County, about 40 miles northwest of Spokane. The driver contacted the county sheriff, who contacted WDFW.

 

Other genetic tests on the animal killed on State Route 291 showed its DNA was similar to that from wolves in northwest Montana and southern British Columbia.

 

Gray wolves last spring were removed from federal endangered species list in the eastern third of Washington, as part of a recovered Rocky Mountain wolf population in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. The wolf de-listing is being challenged in federal district court by conservation groups. Gray wolves remain listed by the state as an endangered species throughout Washington.

 

WDFW Endangered Species Program Manager Harriet Allen said verification of a road-killed wolf is not surprising because individual wolves are sighted periodically in northeast Washington.

 

"We expect wolves from Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon or Canada to disperse to Washington," Allen said.

 

Verification of the wolf-dog hybrid is also not surprising, Allen said.

 

"Unfortunately, some people attempt to raise wolves and wolf-dog hybrids in captivity," Allen said. "Wolf-dog hybrids can be dangerous because they lack the shyness of wild wolves, but they have the physical strength and predatory instincts of wild animals."

 

Wolf-dog hybrids complicate gray wolf management in a number of ways, including attacking livestock in incidents that are mistakenly blamed on wild wolves.

 

Pet wolves are prohibited by state law (RCW 16.30.030), although wolf-dog hybrids are excluded from that ban and remain regulated as domestic dogs. Most Washington counties have dog-control regulations and some counties and cities prohibit wolf-dog hybrid ownership because of potential safety problems.

 

WDFW is drafting a Wolf Conservation and Management Plan, with the help of a 17-member citizen working group. The draft plan is available at http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/diversty/soc/gray_wolf/ . After scientific peer review this year, a final draft plan will be circulated for public comment early next year.

 

No established wolf breeding pairs or packs have been documented in Washington since the 1930s, although WDFW and federal officials are currently working to locate and radio-collar wolves in Okanogan County, where recent howling surveys indicate a pack may exist.

 

Reports of possible wolf sightings or activity can be made to a toll-free wolf reporting hotline at 1-888-584-9038.

 

SOURCE:

NEWS RELEASE

WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE

600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, Washington 98501-1091

Internet Address: http://wdfw.wa.gov

 

July 17, 2008

Contact: Madonna Luers, (509) 892-7853

or Kevin Robinette, (509) 892-7859

 

SO how can the AZGFD be so sure about the purity of the "wolves" here in Arizona? True DNA testing for hybrids didn't exist until 2008......

 

This really pisses me off! I hate being lied to. If AGFD and the other agencies are lying they need to answer for it.

Hey Del - Thanks for actually reading my response to this.... There are other lies that the AZGFD are partner to - Not enough time to go into and off the topic! QUESTION AUTHORITY!

 

I've read extensively about the wolf recovery project. But I never read about what you posted. It's one thing to be ignorant and another to be kept in ignorance. I'm all for the wolves. But I want the truth!

[25-06]

Here is a little more info on wolf DNA testing

This is from 2008 - Prior to this new test it was almost impossible to test for wolfXdog hybrid!

A California lab recently developed DNA-sequencing techniques to genetically distinguish gray wolves (Canis lupus) from wolf-dog hybrids or domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris). The genetic make-up of wolves and dogs is so similar that previous tests were unable to distinguish the two. Wolf and dog DNA differs by only two-tenths of one percent (0.2%).

 

New genetic tests have verified that a canine found dead on a road northwest of Spokane last month was a pure gray wolf.

 

A second road-killed animal found slightly farther west about two weeks later was a wolf-dog hybrid, genetic tests determined.

 

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) sent tissue samples from both road-killed animals to the University of California-Los Angeles Conservation Genetics Resource Center to determine whether they were wolves. The California lab recently developed DNA-sequencing techniques to genetically distinguish gray wolves (Canis lupus) from wolf-dog hybrids or domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris). The genetic make-up of wolves and dogs is so similar that previous tests were unable to distinguish the two. Wolf and dog DNA differs by only two-tenths of one percent (0.2%).

"These new genetic tests promise to greatly assist us in the future management of gray wolves," said WDFW Director Jeff Koenings, adding that WDFW’s genetics laboratory is investigating adopting the same genetic-testing approach in the future to support the state’s upcoming Wolf Conservation and Management Plan.

 

The wolf carcass was discovered June 5 by a Washington Department of Transportation (DOT) crew along State Route 291 near Tum Tum in Stevens County, about 25 miles northwest of Spokane. DOT staff contacted WDFW to retrieve the carcass.

 

The wolf-dog hybrid was struck by a car June 21 on State Route 25 north of Davenport in Lincoln County, about 40 miles northwest of Spokane. The driver contacted the county sheriff, who contacted WDFW.

 

Other genetic tests on the animal killed on State Route 291 showed its DNA was similar to that from wolves in northwest Montana and southern British Columbia.

 

Gray wolves last spring were removed from federal endangered species list in the eastern third of Washington, as part of a recovered Rocky Mountain wolf population in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. The wolf de-listing is being challenged in federal district court by conservation groups. Gray wolves remain listed by the state as an endangered species throughout Washington.

 

WDFW Endangered Species Program Manager Harriet Allen said verification of a road-killed wolf is not surprising because individual wolves are sighted periodically in northeast Washington.

 

"We expect wolves from Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon or Canada to disperse to Washington," Allen said.

 

Verification of the wolf-dog hybrid is also not surprising, Allen said.

 

"Unfortunately, some people attempt to raise wolves and wolf-dog hybrids in captivity," Allen said. "Wolf-dog hybrids can be dangerous because they lack the shyness of wild wolves, but they have the physical strength and predatory instincts of wild animals."

 

Wolf-dog hybrids complicate gray wolf management in a number of ways, including attacking livestock in incidents that are mistakenly blamed on wild wolves.

 

Pet wolves are prohibited by state law (RCW 16.30.030), although wolf-dog hybrids are excluded from that ban and remain regulated as domestic dogs. Most Washington counties have dog-control regulations and some counties and cities prohibit wolf-dog hybrid ownership because of potential safety problems.

 

WDFW is drafting a Wolf Conservation and Management Plan, with the help of a 17-member citizen working group. The draft plan is available at http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/diversty/soc/gray_wolf/ . After scientific peer review this year, a final draft plan will be circulated for public comment early next year.

 

No established wolf breeding pairs or packs have been documented in Washington since the 1930s, although WDFW and federal officials are currently working to locate and radio-collar wolves in Okanogan County, where recent howling surveys indicate a pack may exist.

 

Reports of possible wolf sightings or activity can be made to a toll-free wolf reporting hotline at 1-888-584-9038.

 

SOURCE:

NEWS RELEASE

WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE

600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, Washington 98501-1091

Internet Address: http://wdfw.wa.gov

 

July 17, 2008

Contact: Madonna Luers, (509) 892-7853

or Kevin Robinette, (509) 892-7859

 

SO how can the AZGFD be so sure about the purity of the "wolves" here in Arizona? True DNA testing for hybrids didn't exist until 2008......

 

This really pisses me off! I hate being lied to. If AGFD and the other agencies are lying they need to answer for it.

Hey Del - Thanks for actually reading my response to this.... There are other lies that the AZGFD are partner to - Not enough time to go into and off the topic! QUESTION AUTHORITY!

 

I'm all for the wolves.

Realy, you coulda fooled me

[gearsnagger]

Here is a little more info on wolf DNA testing

This is from 2008 - Prior to this new test it was almost impossible to test for wolfXdog hybrid!

A California lab recently developed DNA-sequencing techniques to genetically distinguish gray wolves (Canis lupus) from wolf-dog hybrids or domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris). The genetic make-up of wolves and dogs is so similar that previous tests were unable to distinguish the two. Wolf and dog DNA differs by only two-tenths of one percent (0.2%).

 

New genetic tests have verified that a canine found dead on a road northwest of Spokane last month was a pure gray wolf.

 

A second road-killed animal found slightly farther west about two weeks later was a wolf-dog hybrid, genetic tests determined.

 

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) sent tissue samples from both road-killed animals to the University of California-Los Angeles Conservation Genetics Resource Center to determine whether they were wolves. The California lab recently developed DNA-sequencing techniques to genetically distinguish gray wolves (Canis lupus) from wolf-dog hybrids or domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris). The genetic make-up of wolves and dogs is so similar that previous tests were unable to distinguish the two. Wolf and dog DNA differs by only two-tenths of one percent (0.2%).

"These new genetic tests promise to greatly assist us in the future management of gray wolves," said WDFW Director Jeff Koenings, adding that WDFW’s genetics laboratory is investigating adopting the same genetic-testing approach in the future to support the state’s upcoming Wolf Conservation and Management Plan.

 

The wolf carcass was discovered June 5 by a Washington Department of Transportation (DOT) crew along State Route 291 near Tum Tum in Stevens County, about 25 miles northwest of Spokane. DOT staff contacted WDFW to retrieve the carcass.

 

The wolf-dog hybrid was struck by a car June 21 on State Route 25 north of Davenport in Lincoln County, about 40 miles northwest of Spokane. The driver contacted the county sheriff, who contacted WDFW.

 

Other genetic tests on the animal killed on State Route 291 showed its DNA was similar to that from wolves in northwest Montana and southern British Columbia.

 

Gray wolves last spring were removed from federal endangered species list in the eastern third of Washington, as part of a recovered Rocky Mountain wolf population in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. The wolf de-listing is being challenged in federal district court by conservation groups. Gray wolves remain listed by the state as an endangered species throughout Washington.

 

WDFW Endangered Species Program Manager Harriet Allen said verification of a road-killed wolf is not surprising because individual wolves are sighted periodically in northeast Washington.

 

"We expect wolves from Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon or Canada to disperse to Washington," Allen said.

 

Verification of the wolf-dog hybrid is also not surprising, Allen said.

 

"Unfortunately, some people attempt to raise wolves and wolf-dog hybrids in captivity," Allen said. "Wolf-dog hybrids can be dangerous because they lack the shyness of wild wolves, but they have the physical strength and predatory instincts of wild animals."

 

Wolf-dog hybrids complicate gray wolf management in a number of ways, including attacking livestock in incidents that are mistakenly blamed on wild wolves.

 

Pet wolves are prohibited by state law (RCW 16.30.030), although wolf-dog hybrids are excluded from that ban and remain regulated as domestic dogs. Most Washington counties have dog-control regulations and some counties and cities prohibit wolf-dog hybrid ownership because of potential safety problems.

 

WDFW is drafting a Wolf Conservation and Management Plan, with the help of a 17-member citizen working group. The draft plan is available at http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/diversty/soc/gray_wolf/ . After scientific peer review this year, a final draft plan will be circulated for public comment early next year.

 

No established wolf breeding pairs or packs have been documented in Washington since the 1930s, although WDFW and federal officials are currently working to locate and radio-collar wolves in Okanogan County, where recent howling surveys indicate a pack may exist.

 

Reports of possible wolf sightings or activity can be made to a toll-free wolf reporting hotline at 1-888-584-9038.

 

SOURCE:

NEWS RELEASE

WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE

600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, Washington 98501-1091

Internet Address: http://wdfw.wa.gov

 

July 17, 2008

Contact: Madonna Luers, (509) 892-7853

or Kevin Robinette, (509) 892-7859

 

SO how can the AZGFD be so sure about the purity of the "wolves" here in Arizona? True DNA testing for hybrids didn't exist until 2008......

 

This really pisses me off! I hate being lied to. If AGFD and the other agencies are lying they need to answer for it.

Hey Del - Thanks for actually reading my response to this.... There are other lies that the AZGFD are partner to - Not enough time to go into and off the topic! QUESTION AUTHORITY!

 

I've read extensively about the wolf recovery project. But I never read about what you posted. It's one thing to be ignorant and another to be kept in ignorance. I'm all for the wolves. But I want the truth!

I don't usually read the Wolf New's sent out by the AZGFD because I know it to be notoriously anti hunting and part of a politically green agenda - It's been that way since the beginning why would it change! The project and it's drivers need to be sued to prove that the animals are pure or not , unfortunately a legal suit is the only way to get true unbiased independent DNA testing done... Pulling teeth comes to mind!

[Jimmer Negamanee]

First off, I find the pictures of the canines in flagrante delicto to be gratuitous at best, uncalled for and offensive at worst.

 

Regarding hybridization, bears do it:

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40707032/ns/us_news-environment/t/hybrid-polar-grizzly-bear-sign-arctics-future/

 

Bees do it. Even sharks in the seas do it:

 

http://futureoftech.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/03/9921974-australias-hybrid-shark-reveals-evolution-in-action?chromedomain=cosmiclog

 

Canines do it to:

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32976657/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/coyote-wolf-new-breed-predator/

 

I’d bet that it’s hard to find a gray wolf in North America without a coyote gene in there somewhere and I guarantee you the dog in my avatar has a some wolf genetic marker somewhere in her cells. That’s where dogs come from, after all.

 

My rhetorical question would be if some 100% pure (proved to your satisfaction) Mexican Gray Wolf population was “discovered” and could be used as a foundation for reintroduction would you then support the program? My guess would be that the answer would be “no.” And if the answer is "no", the whole hybrid conversation is simply a red herring.

[gearsnagger]

Here is a National Geographic write up on wolfXcoyote...

 

Coyote-Wolf Hybrids Have Spread Across U.S. East

Predators bred with Great Lakes wolves, then moved south, DNA shows.

Coyote picture: A coyote in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia.

 

A coyote is seen in Virginia's Shenandoah National Park in June.

 

Photograph by Elijah Goodwin, Whimbrel Nature Photography

 

Christine Dell'Amore

 

National Geographic News

 

Published November 7, 2011

 

Hybrid offspring of coyotes and wolves have spread south along the eastern seaboard, a new DNA study confirms.

 

Scientists already knew that some coyotes, which have been gradually expanding their range eastward, mated with wolves in the Great Lakes (map) region. The pairings created viable hybrid offspring—identified by their DNA and skulls—that have been found in mid-Atlantic states such as New York and Pennsylvania.

 

Now, new DNA analysis of coyote poop shows for the first time that some coyotes in the state of Virginia are also part wolf. Scientists think these animals are coyote-wolf hybrids that traveled south from New England along the Appalachian Mountains.

 

The study also identified another coyote migration route moving through the southern states.

 

"You have a situation where you have these two waves of coyotes coming into the mid-Atlantic, a terminus for coyote colonization," said study leader Christine Bozarth, a former research fellow at the Center for Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.

 

Northern Virginia in particular seems to be a convergence point for coyote migrations, Bozarth said—and the animals' numbers are increasing there, especially in suburban areas where food is more plentiful.

 

(See "Coyotes Now at Home in Eastern U.S.")

 

Versatile Coyote Already Widespread

 

Coyotes are originally residents of middle America, particularly between the Rocky Mountains and the Mississippi River, as well as parts of Canada and Mexico.

 

By the end of the 20th century, the versatile animal—which can eat almost anything, from shoe leather to fruit—had spread to nearly every corner of the U.S., even New York City.

 

The coyote is "one of the animals that will be left at the end, like the cockroaches, raccoons, and rabbits," Bozarth said.

 

For the new study, Bozarth and colleagues collected coyote scat samples in northern Virginia and extracted DNA. The team then compared the coyote DNA with that of representatives of every canid species found in eastern North America. (Get a genetics overview.)

 

The study, published October 17 in the Journal of Mammalogy, found evidence that Virginia coyotes mated with Great Lakes wolves but not with the rare red wolf, which is hanging on in just a few isolated spots in the U.S. South.

 

That's "good news for the red wolf," whose survival is already threatened by inbreeding, which reduces the species' genetic diversity, Bozarth noted.

 

Hybrid Coyotes Taking Down Deer?

 

For now, it's impossible to say how "wolfy" the newly identified coyote-wolf hybrids really are, Bozarth added—just that "at some point down the line, a coyote mated with a Great Lakes wolf-even generations ago."

 

Scientists have not yet studied the behaviors of the Virginian hybrids to see if they're killing bigger wildlife or otherwise changing the ecosystem, Bozarth added.

 

But other East Coast hybrids seen alive or identified by their remains are noticeably larger, with more wolf-like skulls, jaws, and teeth, Bozarth noted. (See pictures of new hybrid species appearing in the warming Arctic.)

 

Given this, coyote-wolf hybrids "should be able to do things like take down deer, which a little, scrappy Great Plains wily coyote would not be able to do on its own," Bozarth said.

 

Indeed, the research highights "just how successful and adapted these hybrids are to the eastern forests," said Roland Kays, curator of mammals at the New York State Museum in Albany.

 

For instance, Kays's research on the previously known eastern hybrids has shown that a third of their diet is deer—a much higher proportion than in western states.

 

Coyotes in Mid-Atlantic "Here to Stay"

 

Jonathan Way, a wildlife biologist and head of the Massachusetts-based education group Eastern Coyote Research, called the new paper "timely."

 

Coyotes coming from the west are moving not only through the Great Lakes but also south of the region, through Ohio. But until now, it was unknown how that southern route of colonization was influencing coyotes in the mid-Atlantic region, Way said by email.

 

According to Way, these two fronts of coyote expansion have probably made the Virginia animals "hybrids of a hybrid."

 

That's because the Virginia hybrids are most likely a combination of northeastern coyote-wolf hybrids, which are slightly bigger and more wolf-like, and nonhybrid coyotes coming through Ohio.

 

"The results of the paper are clear and important, and confirm that mid-Atlantic coyotes have DNA from [Northeast] animals ... and western coyotes," Way said.

 

Whatever their exact genetic makeup, one thing is clear, study author Bozarth emphasized: Coyotes and coyote-wolf hybrids in the mid-Atlantic are "absolutely established—they're here to stay."

 

This poses new questions about what is legal to shoot in Arizona - If a hunter shoots and tags a CouesXmuledeer hybrid its legal in either season! Why would it be illegal to shoot any of the wolfXyote or wolfxdogs???????