Douglas W. Smith Wolves and Yellowstone National Park

Doug’s love for wolves began when he was a child. He read books about them and puzzled why humans could wipe out an entire animal species. He had to wait until he was 18 to take a volunteer position to help raise wolf pups in Indiana.
He went to university to study biology and spent his summers working with wolves. He finished his studies in 1994 and joined the Yellowstone Wolf Project, becoming project leader in 1997.killed

In 1995, almost 60 years after the last native wolves were killed, 14 wolves from Canada were released into the park’

Doug until he retired in 2024, watched the positive influence the reintroduction of wolves had on the ecosystem of the park.

The number of elk fell in the park - which they had expected. The wolves changed the eat habits of the elks- they now now grazed and browsed instead of staying in one place. With less elks the land had a chance to recover.

Trees which had been stunted in their growth now grew into dense forests.
The berries and the insects from the trees brought back the birds

Beavers flourished, their dams created deep pools and caused the rivers to slow down and meander

The new trees stabilised the riverbanks

The wolves had changed the landscape itself.

Sources
Wikipedia
Earth Heroes by Lily Dyu and Amy Blackwell