Don't be too hard on wolves

 I wanted to write a letter concerning the hostility that so many here in Montana seem to display toward wolves. I find such an attitude somewhat distasteful. 

Wolves are indeed a predatory animal. But as has been noted wolves existed along with other predators prior to the advent of the coming of those who settled this country. There was somewhat of a balance between the ungulates and those which preyed upon them for their sustenance. Wolves at that time were an integral part of the ecosystem. 

Of course that balance was severely disturbed at the advent of the settlement of the country. The numbers of buffalo, for instance, were severely depleted nearly to the point of extinction until a few made a sustained effort to halt that decline. We now have a few left that exist on private reserves and in Yellowstone National Park. Thank God there are always a few that experience an appreciation for what nature has provided for some to enjoy. I personally am not opposed to development but development with some regard to the environment. 

Someone please let me know if I am wrong but I believe that the paper mentioned the changing behavior pattern of cougars. Normally they are a solitary predator but I believe I read where there has been increased instances of two or sometimes more hunting together. Would this altered behavior pattern, if true, make them enemies of hunters to be eliminated as so many have advocated for the total elimination of the wolf? True wolves hunt in packs and to many it is not pretty to watch wolves chase down and then bring down their prey. It is savage but that is nature. Does that mean that they should be eliminated? 

Then to some hunters, wolves take too many of their game animals,  yet I remember reading where wolves do not take as many of the game animals as has been originally thought. 

I recall a television program that featured dolphins tormenting a shark, then finally when their fun was over while those in front kept the shark distracted, one, from a distance, put on the speed  and caved in the shark’s side causing the shark to expel its intestines from its mouth, thereby killing it. That might indicate somewhat savage behavior on the part of the dolphins to some. Would that indicate that all dolphins should be removed from their environment? Wolves kill for their survival, not to play games with their prey. 

I, for one, applaud our Fish and Game office for the job they’re doing in managing our wolf population. Kudos to them. And by the way, I’ve also hunted and enjoyed the experience tremendously. —Robert Tebeau, Kalispell