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| Why are Wolves Endangered?There are many reasons, Most people used to be afraid of wolves and thought they were dangerous to humans. For a long time, people would get money for bringing in a dead wolf. This is called bounty hunting (between 1850 and 1900 more that a million wolves were killed. In 1907 the call was given for the total extinction of the species.) Famous Wolf Bounty HuntersBill Caywood. Bill Caywood was one of dozens of hunters and trappers hired by the U.S federal government to kill wolves for the Biological Survey. Over the winter of 1912-1913, he killed 140 wolves, earning almost $7,000. Some of the famed outlaw wolves he killed were Rags the Digger, the Cuerno Verde Gray, the Butcher Wolf, and the Keystone\Pack. Most of his work was done in Colorado. A 1939 issue of Outdoor Life magazine described him as "so good at his job that there's almost no job left."Ben Corbin. Ben Corbin was a hunter who worked the Dakota Territory and was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of wolves. He was also the author of
Corbins; or The Wolf Hunter's Guide, a book published in 1900 that became the bounty-hunters' bible. Corbin called the wolf "the enemy of the state." Ranchers & FarmersRanchers and Farmers worry that wolves would eat all their livestock - cows, sheep, pigs - so they poisoned wolves whenever they could. Poisoning is probably the main reason there are so few wolves left today. Today there is a strong anti-wolf lobby, Some judges and political leaders in these areas are feeling pressure to side with this lobby.According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, "wolf predation of live-stock; sheep, poultry, and cattle does occur, but it is uncommon enough behavior in the species as a whole to be called aberrant" A wolf is neither good not evil, it seems Myth still out lives the wolf, but now many understand their nature, And many Ranchers and others are now seeing through a real understanding of the wolf and through some preventive measures on their part (Checking herd regularly, removing carrion, having guard dogs, etc.) both the wolf and man can live together. Myth and MisinformationThe Middle Ages in Europe was a time of growing enlightenment and crushing superstition. A belief in werewolves was widespread. The Roman Church exploited this sinister image of the wolf and, during the years of the Inquisition, used the peoples' fear of werewolves to maintain secular control. When the European settlers arrived in America, they brought this dark wolf of their imaginings with them.The indigenous people of North America both admired and emulated the wolf. The Native Americans respected the wolf's hunting abilities and honored him because he provided food for the community at large-the fox, the coyote, and the raven. To some the wolf was seen as a wise, powerful, an instinctive hunter, a teacher in fact, of tactics humans could emulate against buffalo or caribou. Growing human populationAnother reason has to do with the growing human population. People need land in order to live and raise their families. Wolves need lots of land, away from humans, to live and raise their families. As our population has grown, the amount of wilderness where wolves can live has gotten smaller. To help protect the wolf, we will need to help protect the wilderness that is left.Today we understand the science of the wolf, but the soul is lost. This once crafty hunter revered and respected is now seen as vermin and a danger to livestock. Wolves are wild animals, meant to live out their lives in freedom. When human beings interfere in the lives of wild animals, it becomes their responsibility to provide what the animals cannot provide for themselves - a healthy environment in which to live. For some wolves live in the imagination as shadows of evil, fueled by fallacy and fiction. Will they forever remain a thing of darkness or will the wolf emerge in the light of understanding? Is the cry of the wolf a mournful farewell? or does it announce his return. Will we grant him a place to live? and in turn give ourselves something more valuable? We all must work together to ensure that the songs of the wolves will always be heard in all the wild places of our earth. The wolf has been part of the natural balance for thousands of years, in less than 100 years man through ignorance and misinformation has almost made wolves disappear forever.
| Annual Cycle | Pack | Hunting | Reproduction | Pups | Injuries | Endangered | | Origins | Wolf Dog Hybrids | General Facts | |
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Copyright 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Shadow Wulf's Alphas.
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