Date of Award
Summer 8-14-2020
Thesis Access
Open Access Honors Thesis
Thesis Location
Honors College Thesis
Degree Name
B.A.
Department
Classical and Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
Faculty Advisor
Dr. Lisabeth Hock
Abstract
The conservation of the wolf as a species depends on a good understanding of its history. The wolves of Minnesota, USA were almost completely extirpated from the state by the mid 20th century. In Brandenburg, Germany wolves were completely extirpated from the state by the end of the 19th century. This paper looks at the history of these two wolf populations during two different time periods; between 1965 and 2000 in Minnesota and between 1990 and 2020 in Brandenburg. Through a comparative approach this paper also looks at the almost complete eradication of the wolves in the respective states, and their surprisingly quick comebacks. Location and culture have a large effect on how the wolf was studied in both places, making some methods of research more prevalent in one state versus the other. The laws and circumstances that allowed the two populations of wolves to expand were also different. This paper analyzes the different worlds that the two populations of wolves lived in, and how this effected their lives and their range expansion. I suggest that international cooperation between wolf researchers in Brandenburg and Minnesota could be valuable in the conservation of the grey wolf since there are so many similarities between the two places, and the successful outcomes they have obtained.
Recommended Citation
Depper, Jacob W., "A Comparison Between the Wolves of Brandenburg, Germany and Minnesota, USA: History, Technology, and Culture" (2020). Honors College Theses. 72.
https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/honorstheses/72