Wolves once roamed the UK and played a vital role in keeping wild deer populations under control through hunting. However, in the 17th-18th centuries they were hunted to extinction and this allowed wild deer populations to skyrocket. Without natural predators, wild deer have thrived and have reached the point of venturing onto roads and public areas where they cause traffic accidents, destroy crops and become dangers to the public. According to a BBC News article (written on 14 May 2019) it is estimated that up to 74,000 deer-related accidents could occur in Britain each year with 400 motorists injured. The reintroduction of wolves into the UK could reduce this number as they will prey on deer and reduce their populations to more manageable levels. The reintroduction of wolves to the UK would also bring conservation benefits as the breed of wolf that could be reintroduced would be the red wolf (Canis rufus), labeled as critically endangered by the IUCN red list. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Bangs. E (2008) describes a recovery plan to reintroduce wolves into Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho as part of a wolf recovery plan for the northern Rocky Mountains of the United States. According to Bangs. And (2008) there were strong debates and disagreements over the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone and Idaho that lasted for approximately two decades as the reintroduction of wolves was viewed as "nonessential and experimental under Section 10(j) of the Endangered Species Act federal". However, the plan was finally approved in 1994, but wolves were not introduced into the park until January 1995, when 29 wolves were released. Since then no livestock have been killed and the herds have thrived and reproduced. Houston. D (2003) describes what happens after wolves are released into Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho and why the research conducted by Houston. D (2003) can easily be linked to the research conducted by Hayward. Houston. D (2003) states that since wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone and Idaho, the number of moose, moose, and coyote populations has declined due to hunting by wolves and also due to the reintroduction of wolves, it is stated that the ecosystem can once again support large carnivores. Hayward. M (2009) states that the wolves used in Yellowstone National Park and in central Idaho wolf reintroduction were all captured from Canada and reintroduced due to the Endangered Species Act (1973) and National Park Service policy wanted a restoration of "natural" conditions. Like Houston. D (2003) stated that only after two decades of public debate on the risks associated with the reintroduction of wolves was it finally decided to proceed with the reintroduction plan and the wolves were captured and reintroduced (as stated by Bangs. E (2008) and that the reintroduction plan was completed only after 2 years instead of the 3-5 years that was the estimated time needed for the reintroduction to be completed. The plan was considered a success and in 2007 there were approximately 1500 wolves populating the National Park. Yellowstone and central Idaho. When reintroducing wolves, Bangs E (2008) stated that "29 wolves were captured in Alberta and transported to Yellowstone National Park (14) and central Idaho (15)." At least 13 of the 15 wolves released in Idaho were alive in the planned area, just as 13 of the 14 Yellowstone wolves were known to have been illegally killed in each area."they had not killed any livestock in that period. Impacts wolves had when they were reintroduced and impacts they already have. Data has been collected regarding the impacts of wolves in Yellowstone and some other places such as North Carolina and we can predict the impacts that wolves may have on other countries such as the United Kingdom. In an article by Chamberlain. M (2016) states that during a 2009-2011 study GPS systems were placed on critically endangered red wolves (Canis rufus) living on the Albemarle Peninsula in eastern North Carolina in order to track space used by wolves and their habitat selection. The “wolves maintained spatially stable territories that varied between 25 km2 and 190 km2.” Another article by Brotas. G (2015) studied the diet of the endangered Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus) when living in a human-dominated landscape in central Portugal. From 2011 to 2014, a total of 295 wolf scats were collected monthly, indicating that wolves have a high dependence on livestock. The result showed that “the domestic goat predominated in the diet (62% of excrement), followed by the cow (20%) and sheep (13%); the only wild ungulate present in the analysis of the excrement was the wild boar (4% of the excrement)”. This fact could cause problems if wolves were reintroduced into the UK as it indicates that wolves may prefer to prey on livestock rather than wild deer. However, this study was based on wolves that lived in populated areas where large small game such as deer can be found. A book by Yuskavitch. J (published in 2005), which also contained a section on the feeding patterns and expected diets of Yellowstone gray wolves, states that "reintroduced wolves would prey primarily on deer and elk, but might also be expected to occasionally kill livestock" . It is estimated that “a population of 100 wolves in Yellowstone would kill up to 1200 deer or elk, up to 20 cows and 70 sheep per year.” These figures are more likely to occur as wolves reintroduced into the UK would most likely be placed in wildlife parks away from widely populated areas and farms. In an article from Houston. D (2003) states that Yellowstone wolves passed through Isle Royale which had an overabundant moose population. Wolves slowly reduced moose populations to manageable numbers and kept them low for many years. This allowed the forest to recover by reducing browsing by elk. However, in the 1980s, wolves were wiped out from Isle Royale due to humans introducing wolves to parvovirus. Because of this, the moose population grew again until the catastrophic famine struck in 1990. Houston. D (2003) further stated that regarding Yellowstone wolves “elk are the primary prey of wolves in the park year-round, accounting for 92% of the 1582 wolf kills recorded from 1995 to 2001.” It has also been argued that, as on Isle Royale, Yellowstone wolves have contributed to the regrowth of vegetation and forests by reducing the numbers of browsing and grazing animals such as moose and elk. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay When looking at potential impacts, you need to take into consideration things like interbreeding between wolves and other species like dogs. In a study by Fredrickson. R (2007) it was stated that “A number of coyote-red wolf hybrid litters were observed in the late 1990s in the reintroduced red wolf population.” This could indicate that if wolves were reintroduced to the Kingdom.