Thursday, February 18, 2016

Reader's view: States should control wolves without hunting


02.18.2016

While I couldn’t agree more with people who claim that the wolf is recovered in the Great Lakes and that farmers and rural residents need to be accommodated, there is one problem with the manner of accommodation: It’s all about the hunt. You see, the very minute that wolves are removed from protection, they are hunted. Or threatened with a hunt.

Does that make the livestock, pets or people safer?

Surprisingly, it does not. When predators — not just wolves — are randomly hunted, the effect is more livestock predation. It is thought that when the integrity and ability of the pack is shattered, young wolves turn to easier livestock to kill.

So, by all means, let’s return control of wolves to the Great Lakes states. Let’s allow farmers to kill persistent livestock killers (although non-lethal deterrence, when genuinely attempted, works better).

Let’s just not have a hunt because a wolf hunt is not in the best interest of farmers, pet owners or wolves.

Chris Albert
Lebanon Junction, Ky.

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