Personal blog about states
Wolves in Alaska are managed as both a big game animal and a furbearer; they are hunted and also trapped. Each year , hunters and trappers harvest about 1,300 wolves in the state, with up to an additional 200 animals or so taken annually via intensive management (predator control) programs.
Wolves rarely act aggressively toward people, but there have been instances in Alaska and Canada where wolves have attacked people. The first case of wild healthy wolves killing a human in modern North America occurred in Saskatchewan in 2005; a second person was killed in 2010 in Alaska .
The wolf lives throughout mainland Alaska , on Unimak Island in the Aleutians, and on all of the major islands in Southeast except Admiralty, Baranof, and Chichagof. This range includes about 85 percent of Alaska’s 586,000 square-mile area. Wolves have never been threatened or endangered in Alaska .
The Alaskan tundra wolf (Canis lupus tundrarum), also known as the barren-ground wolf , is a North American subspecies of gray wolf native to the barren grounds of the Arctic coastal tundra region.
Wolves , like all wild carnivores, do not kill for sport. They kill to sustain themselves. Though it is uncommon, “surplus killing ” ( killing more prey animals than can be immediately consumed) has been observed in many predator species.
Licenses, Stamps, and Tags
Nonresident Tags : | Do I need a guide? | Nonresident |
---|---|---|
Nonresident Muskox – Bull | — | $2,200.00 |
Nonresident Muskox – Cow | — | $2,200.00 Permit Required |
Nonresident Sheep | Yes | $850.00 |
Nonresident Wolf | — | $60.00 |
black bears
While Wolves are several times stronger and more intelligent than an average household dog, they would never stand a chance against a full grown African Lion ; at least 1 on 1. However, if it’s a pack of Wolves against a Lion , say, 5 to 1, the Wolves might stand a chance, albeit slim.
Gray wolves are typically apex predators throughout their range, with only humans and tigers posing significant threats to them. Genetic studies reaffirm that the gray wolf is the ancestor of the domestic dog .
33.5 in
Alaska has always been considered to be outside the lions ‘ range, but with mountain lion populations increasing in many western states and Canada, that could change. Although it’s unlikely a breeding population is established in Alaska , there’s evidence the cats are making forays into the state.
Mackenzie Valley Wolf
about 3 feet
Polar bears occur throughout the northern polar region. In the winter, polar bears in Alaska are found as far south as St. Lawrence Island and occasionally move down to St. In the summer, bears are most abundant around the edge of the pack ice in the Chukchi Sea and Arctic Ocean.
Polar bears are the only animal predators of Arctic wolves . If a young wolf cub wanders out of the cave, it can be killed by a bear or another wolf . When humans venture out to where the Arctic wolves live, they pose a threat to them as well. An Arctic wolf can survive for 4 or 5 months without eating .