Wolves are not a threat

May 22, 2005
Section: Outdoors
Page: D7
Column:Tom Funke

Tom Funke
Readers
Battle Creek Enquirer

Tom Funke
For The Enquirer

It is hard to imagine that humans nearly drove the gray wolf to extinction all because of a little misunderstanding.

That misunderstanding, or, lack of knowledge about wolves, has begun to manifest itself in recent weeks as the Michigan DNR is re-writing its wolf recovery plan.

The public has been invited to numerous meetings for comment. I am amazed at the falsehoods, misinformation, and outright fabrications told my fellow humans about wolves. Thankfully, Michigan has done a very good job for the past 30 years educating the general public, keeping the favorable rating for the wolf among the highest in the nation.

And that is what I am here for, to continue this tradition.

True Lies

Little Red Riding Hood didn't help matters. Neither did Peter and the Wolf. What about the Three Little Pigs? No wonder our children grow up to be adults fearing the wolf. Are these the same people who are claiming that eventually, a child will be eaten by a wolf?

At one time, wolves were present throughout Michigan. Then came our relatives and their fairy tales, werewolf stories, and mind-set that wolves were just not compatible with civilization. We started an overzealous predator control program that lasted well into the 20th century.

Wolves were eliminated from the Lower Peninsula by 1910. By 1960, wolves were only found on Isle Royale and a very small pack of wolves are thought to have survived this relentless persecution in the Upper Peninsula. But the vast majority of the wolves today are not descended from the remnant populations of the 1960's, nor are they a result of reintroductions by the DNR.

You can thank our neighbors to the north and west, Canada and Wisconsin, for today's wolves. In the early 1990's, there were less than 50 wolves in all of Michigan. Today, the population may exceed 400 animals.

The wolves we have today are descendants of wolves who emigrated from Ontario and Wisconsin and took up residence in the Upper Peninsula. The success of the program hinges in large part due to the general acceptance of wolves by our populace.

In the 1990's, 64% of UP residents and 57% of LP residents supported wolf reintroduction. Us folks in the Lower Peninsula better get with the program because wolves have been recently discovered around Alpena.

Mythbuster

Yes, a pack of wolves can tear apart a cow faster than a teenager devours a hamburger.

However, more cows die from other causes; it is better to invest in these maladies instead of persecuting wolves. And on top of that, did you know that if a farmer loses livestock to a wolf, they are compensated by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and International Wolf Center (Minnesota)?

Of every 10,000-cow deaths, three are from wolves. Over half of the rest are from disease, calving, and weather.

Risk and Responsibility

What this whole issue boils down to is understanding that yes, a wolf is a predator. By existing among wolves, we put ourselves, our livestock, and our pets at risk.

The probability that a wolf will attack a human has been nil, as there hasn't been a case in Michigan of a wild wolf attacking a human. Some say it has never happened in North America.

Livestock and pets are at risk, but the probability is so low, by taking some simple precautions we will keep the probability of having a problem next to zero.

How can you protect yourself from wolves?

Wear your seatbelt.

You are more likely to die in a car crash driving north into wolf habitat than even seeing, let alone being attacked by one. More people die from hitting deer.

What about bees? We should do something about bees, lots of people die from them every year.

Wolves are a critical animal in the maintenance of wild ecosystems. They have been part of our landscape way before we even came onto the scene.

This long persecuted species has a right to exist and let's leave the management of this wonderful creature to the professional biologists, not the tellers of fairy tales.

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