How have wolves become demonized over hundreds of years?
I am exploring this question because I absolutely love
wolves and have found them rather fascinating creatures! However, I have come
across a lot of people that either hate wolves or have some degree of
ambivalence. What is curious to me is how wolves have become a feared animal,
but are not often seen by the general public? Recently, while watching television
there was a show that came on about a man who was tracking wolves in Idaho. He
was with a photography team just seven days prior to the wolves being taken off
the endangered species list. Throughout the show he expressed concern for the
welfare of the wolves and spoke to many local townspeople who had very negative
attitudes towards them. This got me to thinking about these animals, and the
opinions that ranchers hold of them. What are the wolves' hunting patterns
like? Do wolves really come into ranch lands and slaughter a number of farm
animals, and if they do why are they doing this? Was the opinion of wolves
different, or the same as hundreds of years ago?
Do fairytales contribute to the negative attitudes of
wolves? Is there anything that can be done to change the attitudes of people? I
think that this topic is very important and will help people understand more
about the creatures themselves. Perhaps, it is not so much of hatred as it
really is a misunderstanding of the wolves themselves. After all they have been
one of the top predators in North America for many years, but now there are so
few of them because of mass slaughters. Through this blog people can come to
realize the importance of wolves on our ecosystem, and maybe they will see that
they are not the “demons” they have been made out to be.
Photograph by Joel Sartore
Photograph by Joel Sartore
Interesting research inquiry that definitely relates to larger issues in "the West" about farmers/ranchers vs. wildlife and resource preservation. This issue was significant in Montana when I lived there for graduate school.
ReplyDeleteI've also seen some TV specials on this topic (on PBS). I think you will find a wealth of information in books, articles, and scholarly journals (through the databases).
Also, keep your focus on the questions you've raised. At the end of your post, you say "Through this blog people can come to realize the importance of wolves on our ecosystem, and maybe they will see that they are not the 'demons' they have been made out to be," and this sounds rather persuasive (not exploratory). If your mind is too settled about wolves, then you might have trouble engaging in true exploring and allowing your ideas to change.
I have to agree that people, in general, seem to have an undeservedly negative opinion of wolves. I do recall from history lessons and personal study that in the middle ages wolves were a problem. Hunters, trackers, and skinners would be at severe risk when they'd enter forests and fields. The demonized opinion may relate to an ancient fear of them. These days I can't really see how wolves could be a significant danger to livestock, if the ranchers would invest in better fencing. Taller fences, with fewer gaps in the bars. Maybe even electrified.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I look forward to following this research line. :)
You may want to look at how the hunting practices of coyotes have changed. I know that in Colorado the coyotes changed from being small game hunters to hunting in groups to take bigger game down.
ReplyDeleteI love wolves as well. They are beautiful creatures.