End the Wolf Hunt - Save the Wolves
Molly Kinney
Composition 1
Mary Burmaster
November 11 2012
Saving the Grey Wolves Wolves and humans have been coexisting for hundreds of years. Before Europeans conquered our vast country, wolves held a very esteemed place in Native American culture, as they were vital to forest ecosystems, and were often believed to be spiritual beings in many tribes (kidsplanet 1). As much as they were honored in tribal cultures, others feared them. Children’s fables often described them as “the big bad wolf” in stories such as Little Red Riding hood and The Three Little Pigs (kidsplanet 1). Settlers saw wolves in this way because they were a sort of competition, dwindling stock and wild game numbers (kidsplanet 1). Even into the 20th century, the belief that wolves were still a threat to human safety continued despite documentation to the contrary, and by the 1970s, the lower forty eight states had wolf populations less than three percent of their historical range, about 500 to 1,000 wolves (kidsplanet 1). In a book written by Bruce Hampton called The Great American Wolf, he states,
“In the span of three hundred years nationwide, but only seventy years in the West, hunters in the United States had managed to kill off the wild prey of gray wolves; settlers, farmers, and ranchers had occupied most of the wolves ' former habitat; wolfers had poisoned them; bounty hunters had dynamited their dens and pursued them with dogs, traps, and more poison; and finally, the government had stepped in and, primarily at the livestock industry 's behest, quite literally finished them off.”
Fortunately, around this time in the 70’s, American’s were starting to become much more aware of their impact on the environment and the wildlife. The Endangered Species Act was created in 1973, and the Grey Wolf was put on the list in 1974. After almost 35 years of restoration efforts and conservation work, the Grey Wolf has finally been taken off the endangered species list in Minnesota, with
Composition 1
Mary Burmaster
November 11 2012
Saving the Grey Wolves Wolves and humans have been coexisting for hundreds of years. Before Europeans conquered our vast country, wolves held a very esteemed place in Native American culture, as they were vital to forest ecosystems, and were often believed to be spiritual beings in many tribes (kidsplanet 1). As much as they were honored in tribal cultures, others feared them. Children’s fables often described them as “the big bad wolf” in stories such as Little Red Riding hood and The Three Little Pigs (kidsplanet 1). Settlers saw wolves in this way because they were a sort of competition, dwindling stock and wild game numbers (kidsplanet 1). Even into the 20th century, the belief that wolves were still a threat to human safety continued despite documentation to the contrary, and by the 1970s, the lower forty eight states had wolf populations less than three percent of their historical range, about 500 to 1,000 wolves (kidsplanet 1). In a book written by Bruce Hampton called The Great American Wolf, he states,
“In the span of three hundred years nationwide, but only seventy years in the West, hunters in the United States had managed to kill off the wild prey of gray wolves; settlers, farmers, and ranchers had occupied most of the wolves ' former habitat; wolfers had poisoned them; bounty hunters had dynamited their dens and pursued them with dogs, traps, and more poison; and finally, the government had stepped in and, primarily at the livestock industry 's behest, quite literally finished them off.”
Fortunately, around this time in the 70’s, American’s were starting to become much more aware of their impact on the environment and the wildlife. The Endangered Species Act was created in 1973, and the Grey Wolf was put on the list in 1974. After almost 35 years of restoration efforts and conservation work, the Grey Wolf has finally been taken off the endangered species list in Minnesota, with
Cited: "DNR- What Happened behind Closed Doors?" Howling for Wolves Minnesota. N.p., 13 July 2012. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. <http://www.howlingforwolves.org/news/dnr- what- happened-behind-closed-doors>. “COSMOS Magazine." Grey Wolf Withdrawn from Endangered List. N.p., 05 May 2010. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. <http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/news/2729/grey- wolf-withdrawn-us-endangered- list?page=0,009>. Greder, Andy. "Minnesota Wolf Hunt: About 150 Wolves Killed Statewide’’. "TwinCities.com. N.p., 18 Nov. 2012. Web. 10 Dec. 2012. Horon, Sonia. “The Grey:A Bad Fairy Tale About Wolves." Globalanimal.com. Global Animal Website, 27 Jan. 2012. Web. 10 Dec. 2012. Meador, Ron. "Save the Grey Wolf." Causes. Minnpost, n.d. Web. 19 Sept. 2012. <http://www.causes.com/causes/75833-save-the-grey-wolf>. Motsinger, John. "Wolf Weekly Wrap-up | Defenders of Wildlife Blog." Wolf Weekly Wrap-up | Defenders of Wildlife Blog. N.p., 7 Dec. 2012. Web. 10 Dec. 2012. "Oregon Wild." Wolves-Misunderstood. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2012. <http://www.oregonwild.org/fish_wildlife/bringing_wolves_back/wolves- misunderstood> Robb, Bob Seely, Matt. "Questions abound before Wisconsin’s Wolf Hunt" Madison.com. 14 Oct. 2012. Web. 10 Dec. 2012 William, Matt