Contrasting Views of the Wolf
Last Update/Review: May 27, 2002
Intelligent hunter or savage killer—the wolf has been many things to mankind. Few species engender such strong emotions as does this largest of the wild dogs. From our very early days to modern times, wolves have fascinated and angered humans.
Long ago, early man reached into a den and obtained young wolf pups, which became the ancestors of dog companions, hunting partners and beasts of burden. Wolf-dogs were domesticated over a period of thousands of years and their use spread to wherever people lived. Aboriginal North Americans, who kept their own wolf-dogs, respected their wild competitor, the wolf, because of its skills as a hunter. In the words of author Barry Lopez—"the wolf lived in a way that made the tribe strong; he provided food that all, even the sick and old, could eat; he saw to the education of his children; he defended his territory against other wolves."
This view of the wolf would change with European settlement. The new North Americans, many from areas long devoid of large carnivores but with enduring legends, brought their trepidation of wolves with them. The fear was reinforced as wolves attacked their livestock and pets. The wolf's natural habit of killing other wildlife as well as livestock put them in bad light with our pioneering forefathers. In retaliation, the settlers invented diverse ways to rid the land of this carnivore that had become a pest. Vast areas of the continent were cleared of wolves.
In recent times, hunters have viewed the wolf as a competitor for scarce game resources—and this perception is undeniable. Wolves and hunters do compete for hoofed mammals. Research, some of which is detailed in the following pages, has shown that certain caribou, moose and elk populations have declined because of a combination of limiting factors. Furthermore, if at low densities, the herds are often kept from increasing by natural predation, much of it by wolves. Hunters, who are often the first to call for reductions in their harvests to assist in restoration of ungulates, become frustrated if wolf control is not included as part of the management regime in these situations.
On the other hand, there is a growing demand for wilderness with its attendant wildlife. Wilderness is a link with the past, when the living world was not compromised by human activities. As a component of a pristine natural order, the wolf should be maintained for its own right and for future generations of people to respect and enjoy.
