Cry Wolf

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address a situation
created by the human compulsion to control nature, it is crucial to discern
how much human interference is necessary. Human control must be tempered by
respect and restraint. Programs designed for the protection and restoration
of wildlife must reflect deference for the natural order rather than
dominance over it.

The consequences of human actions involving the elimination of the gray
wolf have been especially acute in Yellowstone National Park, where the
lack of a natural predator has resulted in the overpopulation of bison,
deer, and elk. According to Sharon Begley of Newsweek magazine, "Absent a
natural predator, thousands of the ungulates have starved during tough
winters, and there has been no selection pressure to keep deer fast and
moose powerful" (53).

Another issue is more subtle. As Ms. Begley points out, "The wolf has been
the only native animal missing from Yellowstone" (53). In one of the few
places where the wildness of the west could be ...

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learn not only how to hunt,
but what to hunt as well. Wolves are trained early to go after certain prey
and leave others alone. Since their prey is usually larger and stronger
than they, wolves are taught specifically to hunt the weak and sick in
order to avoid injury.

Information given in Friends of the Forest describes the similarity between
humans and wolves. This publication states, "Like humans, some wolves stay
with their families until they die, others leave the pack during
adolescence in search of uninhabited territory and a mate" (1-2). Unlike
humans, wolves instinctively control their population. The number in a pack
rarely exceeds twelve and is determined by the ...

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