When fourteen wolves were released into the wild in Yellowstone National Park in 1995, scientists had no idea that it would dramatically change the park’s entire ecosystem.
The park has been wolf-free for 70 years, during which time deer have dominated, and years of uncontrolled breeding (all human attempts to control the population have failed) have severely damaged the local flora. Fourteen wolves, of course, could not eat all the deer, but they were more careful in choosing pastures and avoided certain parts of the park. Plants began to recover in these areas. In six years, the number of trees has increased fivefold.
A beaver was born that needed wood to build a dam. Minnows, ducks and fish breed in the back.
