Scientists had no idea that releasing 14 wolves into the wild in Yellowstone National Park in 1995 would have such a profound impact on the ecosystem of the park.
The park was devoid of wolves for 70 years during which time deer predominated, leading to catastrophic harm to the surrounding flora due to their unchecked reproduction throughout the years (despite all human attempts to do so). Of course, fourteen wolves could not consume all the deer, but they did make the animals more cautious in where they chose to feed and avoid specific areas of the park. There, the plants started to grow again.There are now five times as many trees as there were six years ago. There are now beavers, and they need trees to make dams. In the backwaters, muskrats, ducks, and fish have all been produced. In addition to increasing the number of hares and mice, wolves also drew hawks, ferrets, and foxes to the park by reducing the number of jackals in the area. The reason the bears came to the park was so they could chase the wolves away from their prey or eat their leftovers. The park now has more berries than before.
But what is most astounding is how the wolves have altered river currents. The erosion of the coast was lessened as their channels straightened and stabilised. This occurred as a result of the wolves' effect on deer, which caused an exponential growth of trees and grass along the banks of the rivers, reinforcing them. The fourteen wolves who were released there less than twenty years ago have completely altered the park's landscape.
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