Albert Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Fighting chronic wasting disease (CWD) by sending hunters afield to reduce deer concentrations was tried in spades in Wisconsin, where they spent $27 million for sharpshooters to depopulate their whitetails, with no effect on CWD. A decade ago, Wild et al wrote: “We suggest that as CWD distribution and wolf range overlap in the future, wolf predation may suppress disease emergence or limit prevalence.” That appeared in “The role of predation in disease control:
A comparison of selective and nonselective removal of prion diseases in deer.” Journal of Wildlife Diseases 47(1):78-93.
Bozeman writer-editor Todd Wilkinson has written a comprehensive series of articles on CWD, available at: https:// mountainjournal.org/expertsdemand-call-to-action-in-fightingchronic-wasting-disease.
In Yellowstone Wolves: Science and Discovery in the World’s first National Park (2020), on page 64, Chapter 5, under subheading “Gray Wolf Territoriality in Yellowstone,” we see: “A wolf ’s sense of smell is thousands of times stronger than a human’s and able to detect urine several weeks old.” That tells us that wolves have the capacity to detect and select prion-infected animals not only by sight, but by their odor, long before a human hunter could notice anything amiss. And wolves are on the hunt for prey that is less likely to kick their teeth in, at dawn and dusk, 365 days a year, year after year.
If wildlife managers just have the support from sportsmen and ranchers, they can allow wolves to attain ecologically effective populations that will reduce infected animals, and lower the densities
of deer and elk, suppressing transmission of CWD, and promoting both healthy prey animals and healthy habitat.
Norman A. Bishop
Bozeman
Bozeman Daily Chronicle Letter to the Editor 3/5/21