WHAT IS THE FATE  OF THE GRAY WOLF?
By Daisey Gonzalez

When the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) released 31 Canadian wolves into Yellowstone National Park in 1996, a daring humanitarian effort was made to accelerate the animal’s population recovery and to balance the scales of nature.  “With luck, Canis lupus will disperse itself off the endangered list within the next few years-a big success not only for the wolf but for the Endangered Species Act itself, often criticized as unwieldy and ineffective” (Chadwick 82).  The gray wolf is one of over 1,115 species listed on the Endangered Species Act of 1973.  The environmentalists and ranchers in opposition to the release have won a court battle that determined the reintroduction illegal.  The court also ordered these 31 animals extracted from the park immediately.  An appeal against this decision is filed and pending.

In the meanwhile,  consider that if it becomes necessary to remove these animals from the park the only way to do it is to kill them.  Ironically, these animals are now protected by their endangered species status because never has one species so completely destroyed another as man’s war against the wolf.  The war began in 1630, when the first bounty was rewarded for the carcass of a wolf.  It ended in 1929 when Yellowstone National Park phased out the wolf control program because the “Canis lupus” gray wolf species was completely eliminated from the United States.  The fate of the appeal is more detrimental today considering 31 wolves have remained in the park since 1996.  According to FWS projections the animals’ population should have recovered itself only a few years after its initial insertion into the park.  It is now 1998, two years have gone by.  If the appeal is unsuccessful we will have gone full circle.  The efforts of the Endangered Species Act and the FWS were futile because once the species population is replenished the animal is no longer protected by government sanction.  And, if history repeats itself a new campaign for the animals annihilation could ensue.  Ironically,  the only condition that ensures the continued existence of the gray wolf, heedless of the decision rendered, is man.

Therefore, while the appeal is pending we should explore whether there are any fundamental differences between man today and those who lived in 1930.  If we could predict their behavior we could foreshadow the inevitable fate of the gray wolf.

“Weary, traps and poison
on our great-grandfather’s worn path
I am eager, I tread lightly
A predator who is prey - the irony
I taught them to hunt”

ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT
According to Bruce Hampton, author of The Great American Wolf the Endangered Species Act of 1973 essentially provided animals with a bill of rights.  “For the first time private enterprise - timber, mining, agriculture, and other industries - was forced to demonstrate that its actions would not adversely effect species considered precariously close to extinction.  And, contrary to traditional law…the act gave the federal government control over those species considered most at risk” (177).  In summary, the Act includes a list categorizing whether the animal is endangered or threatened, provides for the imposition of severe penalties, “and allowed the government to maintain and acquire land in order to protect ecosystems that endangered species depended upon” (177).  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the spokesperson for all land species and the National Marine Fisheries Service is the spokesperson for all marine life.  These two agencies determine what species should be listed in the ESA.

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK
Yellowstone National Park is located in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.  It is 2.2 million acres of natural wilderness.  It became a natural wilderness on March 1, 1872.  Four other endangered or threatened species are protected in the park.  Since the reintroduction of 31 wolves in 1996, the population has practically tripled.  “Presently 80 wolves grouped in 10 packs inhabit the park “(Uhler).  In March 1998, a man shot a wolf claiming he thought is was a coyote.

THE IRONY IS MAN AND WOLF ARE ALIKE
Humans and wolves share several similar personality and character traits. For instance, both live in small cooperative family units, pup require long periods of learning and maternal care, the life cycle is infant, sub-adult and adult, loners are uncommon and ostracized, gatherings or reunions are commonplace, there is a hierarchy to the social structure, both are territorial and aggressive against unfamiliar and familiar intruders and both are incredibly intelligent creatures (Hampton 23).

INTERVIEW WITH COMPASSIONATE 804
People have hated wolves all their lives for reasons they don’t even know.  Do you believe me?  Certainly there are some exceptions, members of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, people who have adopted a wolf in their lifetime and the Indians.  Everyone else is jaded by wild speculation, bad movies, bad art, classical literature and prejudiced opinions.

What do you know about wolves?  “Well, I remember asking my mom, as a kid, if wolves bite” (Interview).  This was the response I received from a young compassionate man I talked with at Samaritans, who I only knew by #804. Samaritans are volunteers who console people in crisis.  He continued, “I don’t remember why I asked her that.  But I do remember that I watched a lot of channel 13 specials.  Maybe I heard something about them there that scared me ” (Interview). Except for the prevalent notion that wolves are vicious and dangerous animals he only knew that they traveled in packs.  Our conversation then quickly veered off into a discussion about the similarities between man and wolf.

He compared teenagers, parents and politicians to wolves.  He also told me what significance wolves had for him today.  Ironically, though he had never read about the wolf his assumptions were fairly mainstream.  Basically, they mirrored the general misconceptions I already knew.  It was hard to assess whether he liked wolves or not and what it was that made him feel that way.  Notably, he didn’t remember reading classical fairy tales, such as Little Red Riding Hood or the Three Little Pigs, but he had heard of them.  He proceeded to describe the wolf’s beautiful appearance and poise as classy and distinguished.  He dissected the adjective fierce into unapproachable, protective and dangerous.  Amazingly, he believed the gray wolf was a herbivore and that if he killed it was only because he was preyed upon.  So how did this young man become so jaded?

“The wolf embodies the evil forces out there “(Interview).  Fierce and dangerous are the people he has met (in his short life) that have verbally and psychologically manipulated him.  He specifically emphasized those people who pretended to be what they weren’t.  During these experiences he felt betrayed and tricked.  “When you live in a capitalist society, like we do, you will always deal with selfish people” (Interview).  Unfortunately, our society exists upon the contention that self worth and success are measured by material wealth.  In order to achieve these goals a person must sacrifice time, love and compassion.  To the detriment of our society, these are the elements of spiritual enlightenment that need to exist in order to maintain a harmonious balance with mother earth.  In consequence, the human condition is on a downward spiral and rapidly disintegrating.  It was very sad to hear such a young compassionate man associate the human race with an animal he believed to be fierce and dangerous.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Chadwick, Douglas. “Return of the Gray Wolf.” National Geographic May, 1998:72-99

Doe, John (804). Personal Interview. 14 April 1998.

Hampton, Bruce. The Great American Wolf. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1997.

Uhler, John W. “Wolf News.”  The Total Yellowstone Page. 1997
     <http://www.yellowstone-natl-park.com/wolf.htm> (28 April 1998).