The Yellowstone Wolf Controversy

Short Wave

NPR

Daily News, Nature, Life Sciences, Astronomy, Science, News

4.7 • 6K Ratings

🗓️ 20 August 2025

⏱️ 15 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Thirty years ago, park rangers reintroduced grey wolves into Yellowstone National Park. They wanted to restore the ecosystem and get the elk population, which had decimated the plant community, in check. And it worked – or so the popular narrative suggests. But is it really so simple? Today on the show, we explore how the Yellowstone ecosystem has changed since wolves returned and whether those changes can really be pinned solely on wolves. Plus, how the narrative of the Yellowstone wolf legacy could affect wolf reintroduction elsewhere.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This message comes from TED Talks Daily, a podcast from TED.
0:04.0	Ted Talks Daily brings you an inspiring idea every day.
0:07.9	Learn about the ideas shaping humanity from the science behind the autism spectrum to the existence of aliens.
0:14.8	Listen to TED Talks Daily.
0:17.3	You're listening to Shortwave from NPR.
0:22.6	Hey, shortwaver's Emily Kwong here with producer Burley McCoy.
0:25.8	Hi, Burley.
0:26.4	Hey, Emily.
0:27.3	Okay, what do you got for us today?
0:28.8	So I've brought you a complicated story about wolves in Yellowstone National Park.
0:33.2	I've never been to Yellowstone.
0:34.2	I've always wanted to go.
0:35.9	Are the wolves a big deal there?
0:42.0	Yeah, so I live in Montana, and most anyone in the Mountain West will tell you, people have big feelings about wolves here. Some years ago, I remember driving by this huge billboard with a
0:48.1	picture of a majestic-looking wolf with a message, like, protect the wolves, and someone had shot
0:53.8	an arrow through its forehead. Oh, that sends a message like protect the wolves and someone had shot an arrow through its forehead.
0:55.4	Oh, that sends a message. Why? Well, wolves are predators and some people view them as a menace.
1:02.7	Even though they used to be native in the area, they were hunted almost to the point of extinction in the late 18 and early 1900s, often with poison that killed other animals.
1:12.5	It was nasty. Then 30 years ago, around a few dozen wolves were reintroduced. And now there's a
1:19.2	big scientific debate about how they've affected the ecosystem. Okay. 30 years of wolf
1:25.8	reintroduction. We're recognizing that anniversary with this episode.
1:30.9	What is the debate?
	...

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