People do not understand wolves.  Most of the information about these canines have come from folklore and fairy tales.  They are seen as deadly animals.  Many famers see wolves as dangerous; especially to their livestock.  Farmers are ready to kill them at any time.  I believe a national law needs to be passed to prevent farmers from killing wolves.

It’s hard to believe that these animals have been killed for centuries.  Many think they are deadly creatures that kill for fun.  However, wolves are very loyal, intelligent and social.  They are dedicated to their families and their pack.  Ecologist Mark Stopher said, “…the chances of being attacked by a wolf are about the same as being hit by something falling to Earth from outer space.”

The same goes for wolves hurting livestock.  In 2011 in the state of Montana, there were 2.5 million cattle.   Out of all of this cattle, only 74 were killed by wolves.  Wolves enjoy “the hunt” – they like to hunt their prey instead of finding it in a livestock pen.  Farmers tried to use the number of dead livestock as an excuse to kill wolves.  Causes of death in livestock are mostly from poisonous plants, weather, disease and birth complications.  In fact, mountain lions, coyotes and bears kill more animals than wolves do.

If farmers continue to kill wolves, it will have a horrible effect on our ecosystem.  According to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle, “Environmental scientists insist wolves are good for the ecosystem because they control elk and deer populations and prevent overgrazing of riparian habitat…”  We need wolves to keep our ecosystem in balance.

There is a strict law in Oregon which fines farmers for killing wolves.  I believe this law should be in place on a national level.  There are so many ways for farmers to protect their livestock; they can build higher fences  or use an alarm system.  There is no reason why a wolf should ever be killed by a farmer.

 Sources:

• www.signon.org – “Protect America’s Wolves”
• San Francisco Chronicle – “Who’s afraid of the lone gray wolf?  Ranchers, families”