The majority consider the wolf to be viscous cold blooded killer who's only goal is to kill. Ranchers, the government, and fairy tales would have you convinced of this. What many do not realize or forget that mans best friend, you dog, is a straight descendent of this savage killer. It is true, wolves can have a mean face full of teeth. So does the family dog. But ahhh, there is one major difference between a dog and a wolf. We have been successful in becoming that dogs alpha and have domesticated them. Im sure over the course of a few hundred years, even the most wild animal can be trained to do what you want at will.

We are in a time of repetition. In the days of old ranchers went out and hunted the wolf and if they couldnt, they demanded the government to do so. That is precisely what is going on today. The wolf could be found on the entire North American continent before it was decided to eradicate this pest. Where they failed is that without the wolf, the coyote, not native east of the Mississippi river has taken over.

Even reports of a wolf attack or killing turns out to be that of a coyote. In conflicting reports, there has been no deaths from a wolf, while other reports contribute as much as 3 within the last century. Gee, if every animal had a record of that Im sure they would also be seen as a cold blooded killer. There is possibly that many deaths each year from big cats in zoos to wild bears, but they are not hated....no...its not hate...its fear...feared as much as the wolf. If wolves where as bad as they are made out to be I would of been mauled 4 times already.

Wolves, like it or not, are better than us. They treat each with respect, they hunt as a unit, they sleep as a unit, they are a pack. A mother wolf is said to be the most protective of her young compared to all other animals, including humans. Sure the famed omega is picked on a lot but only by the alphas and even so, the other pack members will not hurt or starve their den mate. They are all on the same playing field, no wolf has a better advantage. Not even size comes into play. Its not the size of the wolf but the size of the fight in the wolf that determines ones status. The famed lone wolf is perhaps in one of the best statuses one could find. This wolf can find a mate and start his own pack where as if said wolf was in a pack would he be no better than a beta.

So where does this fear come from? Fairy tales? Mis-beliefs? Ranchers? The fear of the unknown? What one does not know, one fears, one destroys. One only needs to realize the compassion of man as a whole by looking at how the majority treat and believe in wolves...an animal that needs to be exterminated. The earth is not the problem, nor is it wolves, it is us.

Pencil, 8 hours.