It's been only 15 years since gray wolves, after years of near-extinction, were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park. The initial group of 66 Mbwa mwitu loups were transplanted into the park from Canada beginning in 1995. Now, zaidi than 1,545 Mbwa mwitu loups roam Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.Biologists say that a minimum of 2,000 to 3,000 Mbwa mwitu loups are needed within the area in order to keep them from disappearing again.The Mbwa mwitu loups have had tremendous maarufu support from the beginning. Their reintroduction has been kwa far the most publicized and celebrated of any wildlife reintroduction in the U.S. The Mbwa mwitu loups complete the Yellowstone ecosystem, which, without them, had too many hooved animals. The overabundance of some of the wolves' natural prey was altering the natural plant communities along stream banks, due to excessive trampling. With the Mbwa mwitu loups back on the scene, the Yellowstone natural community is much closer to what it was before most of the surrounding states were profoundly altered kwa development and livestock ranching. The success of the growing mbwa mwitu population has made a lot of money for the park, in sales of mbwa mwitu paraphernalia, such as mbwa mwitu T-shirts, sweatshirts, coffee cups, and vitabu from park gift shops. The Mbwa mwitu loups have also drawn thousands of tourists and wildlife supporters to the area,people who pay to sleep and eat in the park. Ranchers and hunters have been opposed to the mbwa mwitu reintroduction from the beginning. Hunters say the Mbwa mwitu loups compete with them for native game, particularly elk. Ranchers say the Mbwa mwitu loups kill their calves. Mbwa mwitu loups do occasionally kill calves and sheep. The ranchers and hunters apparently are concerned only with their own livelihoods and recreation, respectively. They don't appear to care about wolves, which were here long before we were. Mbwa mwitu loups in the U.S. were decimated kwa an unprecedented extermination campaign in the early 1900s, funded kwa the U.S. which distributed posters encouraging people to shoot Mbwa mwitu loups on sight, and even offered a bounty for dead wolves. It worked. There were virtually no Mbwa mwitu loups left in the lower 48, although before Europeans settled North America, Mbwa mwitu loups were common throughout every region of the continental United States. If US Fish&Wildlife's plan to take Mbwa mwitu loups off the endangered species orodha goes through, hunters and trappers would be allowed to obtain permits to kill wolves. As long as at least 450 Mbwa mwitu loups survived, the animal would remain fair game. If their numbers dropped below 300, they'd be put back on the endangered species list. If wewe want to help protect wolves, consider supporting Natural Resources Defense Council's campaign to protect them from delist