October 29, 2010 by Australian reporter Kirsty Bennett
VIDEOLINK – FOUND ON ORIGINAL ARTICLE http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3045575.htm# (not able to embed video)
From feature films to fairy tales wolves haven’t got the best reputation.
And they’re not too popular with farmers in some parts of the US either.
For years the wolves were hunted and killed but now they’re protected.
Kirsty checked out why that’s got some farmers pretty angry.
KIRSTY BENNETT, REPORTER: Wolves get a pretty bad rap. They’re either a scary superhero like Wolverine or appear as an evil werewolf character in the movies. In Australia, this is the closest we get to seeing wolves. But over in the US and Canada, these animals have roamed in the wild for a long time.
This is one place wolves can call home. It’s the Wild West in America – a state called Idaho. Thousands of Gray Wolves used to hang around here but by the 1930s most of them were killed by hunters. Almost 70 years later, packs of wolves from Canada were brought back to the area to rebuild the population. Now, around sixteen hundred wolves live here and in two of the neighbouring states. They can’t be hunted either because they’re a protected species. And that doesn’t please some of the locals, who don’t think they belong.
Ron’s family has lived on this range for more than a hundred years. His feeling towards wolves is pretty obvious, he doesn’t like them.
RON GILLETTE: What are these wolves going to eat? We’re in a wildlife disaster right now they’re killing near everything. What are they going to do eat our livestock and then start eating humans?
KIRSTY: Ron would normally be out hunting wolves by now. But the US Federal Court has put the animals back on the protected list, so they can’t be touched for the time being. It’s a frustrating situation for farmers like Luke too. He’s had to lock up his dogs and cattle behind huge fences to protect them.
LUKE MORGAN, RANCHER: Now we spend a lot of nights and days worrying about how many livestock is actually getting killed by them. It’ll put a lot of ranchers out of business, which is hard on the whole economic deal.
KIRSTY: So for some, wolves are public enemy number one. But for others, they’re great mates!
NANCY TAYLOR, “WOLF PEOPLE”: Give mummy a kiss. Give mummy kisses. Good boy!
KIRSTY: Nancy has been breeding wolves in captivity for about seventeen years. And she reckons their bad reputation is unfair.
NANCY TAYLOR: They make him out to be a monster, a snarling evil creature which he isn’t.
KIRSTY: Here, wolves look pretty similar to your pet dog. And they’re not really much different. Many scientists reckon that domestic dogs evolved from wolves. Over tens of thousands of years people have used selective breeding to get dogs for their own use.
So if that’s the case, all dogs, including this little fur-ball are pretty close relatives! Hundreds of years ago, before white people moved in, Idaho was also home to the Nez Perce Indians who feel a strong connection to the wolf. Tribal leaders are joining the battle to protect the animal.
This bloke reckons you can’t sacrifice a species just because it’s convenient. For the time being it sounds like the wolves are a bit safer than they have been in any fairytale.
COMMENTS (57)
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SIX EM RODICK :
24 Nov 2010 5:46:49pm
as Dan said, but HIGHER fences
SWIFTCLAWS :
24 Nov 2010 10:01:38am
I seriously hate the way wolves are treated in fairy tales, they have a right to live in this world.
DAN :
17 Nov 2010 1:28:50pm
Just put up fences! Simple!
I like wolves and I think they should continue to be protected.
SHAMISE :
11 Nov 2010 10:56:50am
Wolves are awesome like dogs they dont do anything to cattle.
TOP RIDER :
11 Nov 2010 10:54:57am
I reckon that wolves shouldn’t be hunted they have a right to live on the world
PITTYGIRL :
11 Nov 2010 10:54:41am
I think wolves do nothing to hurt livestock as long as they make secure fences
BOB :
11 Nov 2010 10:53:38am
I think that wolves should be kill because they are killing the sheep and cattle
MR PUFFY :
11 Nov 2010 10:44:28am
I think that wolves should be protected so at least one animal doesn’t get extinct
PLUTO :
11 Nov 2010 10:43:00am
I love wolves
They should stay in America and be protected. Farmers shouldn’t shoot them.
Wolves are wicked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CALLUM AND DANIEL :
11 Nov 2010 10:38:30am
We both think that Wolves should be killed and be protected
THE FANTASTIC CABBAGE :
11 Nov 2010 10:36:26am
The wolves should stay because the Nev Perce Indians feel a strong connection to them and they were they before the white yanks
LARICK97 :
09 Nov 2010 10:50:19am
I think they should be protected creatures because they were on land before the white people
EBONY03 :
09 Nov 2010 10:50:03am
I think the wolves should be on the protected list because it was their land first .
PETER GRIFFEN :
09 Nov 2010 10:48:03am
I think wolves should be controlled not kill them but just stop them breeding as fast but i dont think they should be killed as long as they don’t hassel the farmers to much.
NED :
09 Nov 2010 10:45:54am
I think that wolves shouldn’t be able to roam free. People should fence a big bushland area off and put them all in there. Shooting wolves should not be aloud because it is cruel.
KAVISH1100 :
08 Nov 2010 4:49:31pm
I like wolves because they are not that dangerous if you want to pet them but if you try to harm them, they will attack back.
JESSIE MACNEY :
02 Nov 2010 6:39:03pm
I absolutely agree with all wolf supporters! Wolves should definately have the rights to not be hunted! Imagine if you were a wolf and you got hunted because you were a pest to some silly old farmer. Now that is just plain unfair!!!WOLVES MUST NOT BE HUNTED!!!!
I LOVE ANIMALS :
02 Nov 2010 5:57:53pm
Wolves are amazing creatures they don’t deserve to be killed to save livestock.
THE GREAT CABBAGE :
02 Nov 2010 5:19:47pm
I thnk that it was a very touching story…. *Sniff* SAVE THE WOLVES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THALIA :
02 Nov 2010 4:16:34pm
I think wolves should roam free. They can just eat the sick livestock so that the farmers don’t need to spend mutch money on curing them…
THE GREAT CABBAGE :
02 Nov 2010 3:55:22pm
I love wolves!!! DO NOT KILL WOLVES!!!
ANIMALS :
01 Nov 2010 11:51:53pm
I really think every single wildlife including wolves should be let free from captivity and I think every animal has the right to have freedom and to roam around the place. They can be free to survive and no one is allowed to hurt them. They are really rare now because harmful hunters killed them which is really bad so START SAVING WOLVES AND WILDLIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MEG ,12 :
01 Nov 2010 9:37:43pm
Wolves are native animals to the area, it could ruin eco systems to take them away.
P.S. Wolverine was named after the animal wolverine not the wolf
YOONGY :
01 Nov 2010 7:29:29pm
I reckon wolves should be around, have u farmers thought about how much u did to those animals and wolves just to plant trees?! And ITS LIFE part of the food chain – cant they eat wat we grow as well i mean we eat them?
LUV 4 WOLVES :
01 Nov 2010 7:06:15pm
These people should be more sensitive. In the end, the wolves, as said, are just dogs. Do we kill dogs because they eat some cattle? No! (well, not domestic dogs) Wolves are wonderful animals. To harm or kill them is absolutely downright horrid and is a horrible crime. Save the wolves! Save the wolves!
*This comment was from a 10-20 yr old girl who has a great heart for wolves*
CHRISY101 :
01 Nov 2010 6:56:21pm
Wolves are just like dogs but not as well trained.
IZZY :
01 Nov 2010 6:55:19pm
Like totally wolves are soo scary!
2-3B AND 2K :
01 Nov 2010 10:34:01am
Wolves and Dogs are related to eachother.
We find this very interesting.
What do you think.
GINNY :
31 Oct 2010 8:41:17pm
C’mon! Wolves kill livestock! It costs a lot of money and the poor farmers!
ADALITA :
28 Oct 2010 8:00:06pm
I think that it is good that they are re-breeding the wolves because it is their natural habitat. There should be no discrimination against the wolves because they would think ‘We were here before them why should we get discriminated?’
I think it is good the way the lady cares about the wolves and how they are supposed to live.
SOUNDHOUND :
28 Oct 2010 6:38:37pm
I think wolves are great animals and should not be hunted
PHILLIP AND MR. CHICKEN :
28 Oct 2010 3:09:36pm
I like wolves and I think people should stop killing them coz there are only 116 left and they r the bomb
BULLBUG :
28 Oct 2010 3:08:46pm
I think that we should look after the wolves. Because wolves are the best.
BLABLABLA6671 :
27 Oct 2010 5:59:19pm
It’s so cruel people want to kill an animal. there so FLUFFY!!!!!!!
GREEN_MUNKI :
27 Oct 2010 5:57:55pm
Yeah, I have a friend who loves wolves and I didn’t really know what she was on about before i watched this BTN story. Now i look at them and think ‘Wow, who would ever be cruel enough to want to kill this amazing creature just for fun.’ Seriously, though wolves are AWSOME!
LUKE :
27 Oct 2010 4:44:18pm
The werewolf looks weird
RONNIE :
27 Oct 2010 4:37:55pm
I think anybody who thinks they should go is mean. They have a right and anyway, they’re too fluffy to die!!
CHARLIE HIGHGATE :
27 Oct 2010 4:22:37pm
I think wolves should be let free out of captivity and not be able to get hunted down.
KATE :
27 Oct 2010 1:06:41pm
I think the wolves shouldnt be killed because the farmers livestock are being killed. I also think the farmers should be given a fence where wolves shouldnt be able to come in
BELLABANJO :
27 Oct 2010 10:38:59am
I don’t know why people would want to shoot an adorable little animal because of crops. if you were the animal that needed something to eat wouldn’t you go to farms as well??? think about it…
NATALIE :
26 Oct 2010 9:09:50pm
white wolves are so adorable and cute they look like huskies
BRIDGET W.P.S. :
26 Oct 2010 6:28:20pm
I am glad that the wolves are protected and hope they will STAY protected.
LOL :
26 Oct 2010 6:27:47pm
I think that the farmers shouldnt be hunting the wolves because they are soo CUTE and other stuff.
I LOVE WOLVES
MIKE P :
26 Oct 2010 6:08:15pm
They are so cute, I love Wolves
LOOPY LU :
26 Oct 2010 5:25:58pm
Just because wolves are being wolves (as they should) does not mean they should die. Farmers just need to make an effort to put high fencing on their land. These beautiful animals cannot be killed- that is just cruel.
SOPHIE :
26 Oct 2010 4:19:06pm
I think that wolves should be protected by law because they are animals and they have their rights as well as us. If farmers livestock are killed well than that’s their fault for not locking them up. Anyone else agree?
SHANNY :
26 Oct 2010 10:57:22am
I love wolves too
WOLVES 88 :
26 Oct 2010 4:08:12pm
I know. they are so cute!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just like cats!
AUDY :
27 Oct 2010 8:23:57pm
I SO AGREE WTTH U
BLABLABLA :
28 Oct 2010 6:37:14pm
WOLVES HAVE A RIGHT TO BE ALIVE!! IF WE KILLL OFF ALL WOLVES THEN THE FOOD CHAIN WILL GO OUT OF WACK!!!
WOLVES333 :
31 Oct 2010 8:24:46am
same here
MYNANEISEMILYIRULESOMUCH :
03 Nov 2010 7:13:24pm
=] wolves + chiwawas.related.weird.[=
o.m.g wolves are soooo cute and….
FLUFFY!yay got quiz right me cool.
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I happened to come across this old Australian article regarding wolves and I found it quite interesting! Especially the comments. To think this was written only 6 years ago! Times have changed, reached rock bottom only to start climbing slowly again. What pleases me most regarding this article and it’s comments is that the majority is pro-wolf! I’d appreciate my reader’s input through comments.
Thanks in advance!
Wolf Is My Soul 