Why There Ought To Be Wolves

By Erik Markham

* Why should we have wolves in this world?

Thousands of years of evolution have created the nature and wildlife we have around us and predation pressure has been one of the driving forces. Both predators and prey have contributed to the enhancement of mental and physical capabilities/skills for survival. For the prey such skills are the prerequisites to their ability to discover, escape from, stand up to and fight predators. Without predation pressure, the animals constituting the prey class will lose such capabilities over time and the inevitable result will be a slow but sure degradation of the species. Human hunting, typically characterized by random choices of which animals are shot, can never replace constant selective predation pressure.

Smaller predators such as birds of prey, foxes, ravens etc., benefit from the carcasses left by larger predators and in that sense the wolves help maintaining the balance within nature and contribute to nature's diversity.

Humans, as the superior species on this planet, have a responsibility and an obligation to take care of wildlife including the wolves. It is a matter of ethics.

The wolf has a right to exist, it plays an important role in nature.

* Wolves are not endangered as there are plenty of wolves other places in the world. Why should we have wolves here?

Wolves are under pressure many places around the world where the arguments and motivation to wipe them out used at one place are similar to what is seen in other areas. The negativity towards wolves and other large predators seems to be less serious in countries where farmers protect their domestic animals in the traditional way with herdsmen. Should the day ever come when market forces and increased material consumption in these countries cause the farmers to not wish to or be able to spend their time together with their animals, that will be the day when the same negative sentiment towards the predators will arise there too. Therefore this is a matter of accepting global responsibility.

* People are afraid and worried that something will happen!

One should take seriously that people can be afraid of certain perceived dangers. Fear can be defined in two basic categories where:

Category 1 is the natural fear we all have. This is part of our natural survival instinct and tells us when something is dangerous in a situation and that we should back off or fight back.

Category 2 is learned fear where we learn to fear something through experience, what we have heard from misinformed people and from other erroneous sources.

The fear of wolf is basically a conditioned fear originating from fairy tales about the big bad wolf, etc. and has been indoctrinated into people since childhood. Humans are not a natural prey for wolves and it is the wolf's nature to be shy of humans and human activity. It is this instinctive shyness that has given the wolf a mystical reputation. Even though the wolf is shy, the animal has also an inborn curiosity epecially among young individuals and it is not a sign deviation from normal instincts that observations are made close to houses etc. Fairy tales should not be the reason to prosecute wolves or any other animal for that matter and one should instead look at facts and that is exactly what an organisation named "Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe" (LCIE) has done. They have made an extensive study to arrive at a conclusive answer to the issue "are wolves dangerous to humans" with documented facts from all over the world. They concluded that only in very rare cases or situations can wolves be a threat to humans. In Europe there are stories about wolf attacks deriving from a couple of hundred years ago, but that was at a time when rabies was more common in the European fauna.

There are no particular reasons to fear wolves.

What you don't understand you'll fear, and what you fear you'll destroy. It is therefore important to gain knowledge about the wolf and its behaviour and to spread such knowledge.

* The wolves are vicious killers!

The wolf is a predator and it is it's predator instinct that is the key to its survival. This does not mean that the wolf is either mean or evil in the human sense. It is the same mechanisms drived by instinct that can make a calm family dog chase and kill a sheep if given the opportunity even though the dog does not necessarily kill because it is hungry or have shown any signs of aggressive behavior towards humans or other dogs. The only animal that actually kills for pure pleasure is Man.

It is natural for a predator to kill prey and that is part of the balance regulating nature.

* The wolves kill our cattle, sheep and dogs and who should pay?

The owner of a domestic animal has the overall responsibility for protection of that animal. However, it is a fact that predators put additional burden upon farmers and ranchers and in areas where predators are re-introduced or increasing as a result of conservation measures. The authorities should cover the additional costs in such areas but not necessarily by compensation for losses. Coverage should preferably be directed towards protective actions and measures such as electrical fences, guard dogs and other environmentally friendly methods that may be developed to reduce livestock depredations by wild predators.

* This area has been without wolves for a very long time and why should we allow them to come back?

Man has driven the wolf to the point of extinction many places. Thanks to recent changes in attitude towards the nature that surrounds us, the wolf has been able to return to its natural habitats many places by means of natural emigration or re-introduction programmes where the species has been restored to its former abode. The return of the wolves is part of bringing nature to its natural state.

* Wolves kill deer and moose where there will be less game left for us to hunt!

This is one of the more egoistic and ignorant statements in the discussions about wolves. Of cause humans should be able to hunt and harvest from what nature can provide, but wolves belong in the same nature. If humans create an environment with only the animals they wish to hunt, we will not have nature any longer but a human made park.