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Description

Under the Fair Use Act, I OWN NOTHING!!!!!

Base belongs to

10

The Big Bad Wolf (Tex Avery)

9

Balto (Balto)

8

The original Big Bad Wolf

7

Faolan (Wolves of the Beyond)

6

Mowgli’s Brothers (The Jungle Book)

5

Kaala (The Wolf Chronicles)

4

Patrick Warburton as the Big Bad Wolf (Hoodwinked!)

3

Maugrim (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe)

2

Moro (Princess Mononoke)

1

The Sawtooth Pack

Canis lupus.

The Grey Wolf.

In recent years, it has become number-one on my list of favorite animals. In our current political climate, I can sign as many petitions as I can to keep them preserved. However, there are a few facts that need to be considered.

On one end are the wolfaboos—people who are so in love with wolves that they can’t think straight. They worship wolves as good guys who can do no wrong. The reality is that they are NOT good guys. They’re animals, and just because they don’t attack people as often as lions or bears or other large predators doesn’t mean they can’t. While there may be reports of attacks, they are sketchy at best and not as mainstream as the others I just mentioned. This wolfaboo idolatry may stem from tribal culture, but that’s not a clear-cut reason. There is a cautionary Cherokee tale that I had discovered recently, and it goes:

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy.

“It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

In Jiang Rong’s provocative masterpiece Wolf Totem, it is implied that the Mongols had utmost respect for wolves, but unlike modern wolfaboos, they weren’t blind to that respect. Some circumstances required them to draw the line, at least momentarily.

Then there is the other end—the anti-wolves. Before Europeans arrived, there were once two million wolves in the United States. Today, there are more or less than 5,000. Regardless, the United States Fish and Wildlife Services declared them “recovered” and thus delisted them from the Endangered Species Act, despite the fact that they have reclaimed only 5% of their former range. This created an outrage among the American people. A recent survey suggests that seven Americans out of ten not only want the wolves to survive, but thrive. So why are they falling on deaf ears?

There has been blame that wolves are responsible for the destruction of livestock. But in truth, wolves make up only one percent of livestock fatalities, the real biggest blame being put on two of Earth’s biggest predators—weather and disease. Some ranchers are spending better efforts resorting to DEfense rather than the 19th-century OFfense. Fladries, guard dogs, patrolling, indoor calving and disposal of the dead and dying become required strategies, with the traditional approach—guns, traps and poisons—being the last resorts. Unfortunately, not enough ranchers got that gig and used only lethal force, which actually worsens the situation because wolves are family animals, and killing one will make the whole family dysfunctional.

There is the whole picture we must consider about wolves. They claim to be killing all the deer, but wolves have been hunting deer and bison and other big game all around the northern hemisphere for hundreds of thousands of years. The infamous Yellowstone story is proof that wolves are among many keystone species that keep an ecosystem healthy. If they are the problem, then what’s the point of them existing in the first place? By preying only on the weak link, they keep whole herds healthy and on their toes. A frightened elk has a better chance at survival than a relaxed elk. Wolves are just a fraction of a natural balance that has been apparent for over two billion years—predators hunt to survive and prey escape for that same reason. The strong pass their genes while the weak are easy prey. That’s the order of nature, the natural balance.

If you claim that a population of deer or caribou has been decimated by a predator who had been shadowing them for a lot longer than humans, then you’re not making sense.

Description

Under the Fair Use Act, I OWN NOTHING!!!!!

Base belongs to

10

The Big Bad Wolf (Tex Avery)

9

Balto (Balto)

8

The original Big Bad Wolf

7

Faolan (Wolves of the Beyond)

6

Mowgli’s Brothers (The Jungle Book)

5

Kaala (The Wolf Chronicles)

4

Patrick Warburton as the Big Bad Wolf (Hoodwinked!)

3

Maugrim (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe)

2

Moro (Princess Mononoke)

1

The Sawtooth Pack

Canis lupus.

The Grey Wolf.

In recent years, it has become number-one on my list of favorite animals. In our current political climate, I can sign as many petitions as I can to keep them preserved. However, there are a few facts that need to be considered.

On one end are the wolfaboos—people who are so in love with wolves that they can’t think straight. They worship wolves as good guys who can do no wrong. The reality is that they are NOT good guys. They’re animals, and just because they don’t attack people as often as lions or bears or other large predators doesn’t mean they can’t. While there may be reports of attacks, they are sketchy at best and not as mainstream as the others I just mentioned. This wolfaboo idolatry may stem from tribal culture, but that’s not a clear-cut reason. There is a cautionary Cherokee tale that I had discovered recently, and it goes:

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy.

“It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

In Jiang Rong’s provocative masterpiece Wolf Totem, it is implied that the Mongols had utmost respect for wolves, but unlike modern wolfaboos, they weren’t blind to that respect. Some circumstances required them to draw the line, at least momentarily.

Then there is the other end—the anti-wolves. Before Europeans arrived, there were once two million wolves in the United States. Today, there are more or less than 5,000. Regardless, the United States Fish and Wildlife Services declared them “recovered” and thus delisted them from the Endangered Species Act, despite the fact that they have reclaimed only 5% of their former range. This created an outrage among the American people. A recent survey suggests that seven Americans out of ten not only want the wolves to survive, but thrive. So why are they falling on deaf ears?

There has been blame that wolves are responsible for the destruction of livestock. But in truth, wolves make up only one percent of livestock fatalities, the real biggest blame being put on two of Earth’s biggest predators—weather and disease. Some ranchers are spending better efforts resorting to DEfense rather than the 19th-century OFfense. Fladries, guard dogs, patrolling, indoor calving and disposal of the dead and dying become required strategies, with the traditional approach—guns, traps and poisons—being the last resorts. Unfortunately, not enough ranchers got that gig and used only lethal force, which actually worsens the situation because wolves are family animals, and killing one will make the whole family dysfunctional.

There is the whole picture we must consider about wolves. They claim to be killing all the deer, but wolves have been hunting deer and bison and other big game all around the northern hemisphere for hundreds of thousands of years. The infamous Yellowstone story is proof that wolves are among many keystone species that keep an ecosystem healthy. If they are the problem, then what’s the point of them existing in the first place? By preying only on the weak link, they keep whole herds healthy and on their toes. A frightened elk has a better chance at survival than a relaxed elk. Wolves are just a fraction of a natural balance that has been apparent for over two billion years—predators hunt to survive and prey escape for that same reason. The strong pass their genes while the weak are easy prey. That’s the order of nature, the natural balance.

If you claim that a population of deer or caribou has been decimated by a predator who had been shadowing them for a lot longer than humans, then you’re not making sense.