The primary threat to the gray wolf is human interaction as a result of the effects of forestry services, hunting, poaching, and protection of livestock (Mech, 2019). Another common threat in areas high in wolf activity is disease, as well as starvation and fighting among species due to decreased prey populations (Wolves Fact Sheet, 2020). In most cases, the key to survival for wolves is to seek areas with the absence of human activity.
Habitat selection for gray wolves can depend on forestry services, like timber harvesting and other forms of forest management. These processes involve the development of roadways and cutblocks. According to the research article Cumulative effects of forestry on habitat use by gray wolf (Canis lupus) in boreal forest, habitat selection by gray wolves depends on denning period, home range, and abundance of roads and cutblocks. Though wolves use them to improve hunting efficiency, the increase in human activity among the roads increases the risk of death of the species by hunters and trappers. (Houle, 2010)
Another common threat to the gray wolf is mortality due to the protection of livestock. Wolves tend to seek areas with these animals, as well as dogs, to establish a source of prey (Mech, 2019). The production of livestock has a strong economic influence in many regions of the United States, which comes with protection of the animals in efforts to preserve livelihood. Livestock predation has caused a great deal of controversy as it pertains to methods on how to deal with wolves while preserving the species and saving livestock. (Bradley, 2005)
Additionally, diseases such as rabies, blastomycosis, Lyme disease, canine parvovirus and parasites like lice and heartworm pose a risk to gray wolves. Lastly, areas with higher wolf populations and lower prey populations show two major reasons for death: starvation and fights with other wolves. (Gray Wolf, 2020)
