Eureka's Endangered Wolf Center caught attention in St. Louis with both a
plea and an announcement this weekend. The center's director of animal
care said wolves view humans as predators, not prey.
This weekend's national movie launch of the fictional, suspense film The Grey sent shivers down the backs of staffers and volunteers at the Endangered Wolf Center in Eureka because they feared that once again wolves were associated with an unearned negative reputation.
The movie pits stranded airplane crash survivors against a pack of wild wolves in Alaskan wilderness, according to the movie's trailer and recap. Liam Neeson's job in the movie prior to the crash is to "protect men from dangers they cannot see." The movie's gist is about the question of how hard people would fight to survive, but in this case, it's a wolf pack that emerges as the major threat to these humans.
The center's staff who care for wolves and endangered species hopes everyone realizes the drama created in the movie is not based on reality, but purely offered for entertainment value.
But Pam Braasch, education director at the local wolf center, said wolves by nature are much more shy creatures and would not likely seek contact with humans—unlike what was portrayed in this movie.
Braasch told KSDK-TV's Art Holliday in an interview that movie-goers should not believe everything they hear about wolves.
Regina Mossotti, director of animal care and conservation at the center, told Patch the movie is a fictional, unrealistic portrayal of wolf behavior and is completely inaccurate. Unlike the wolves depicted in the movie, wild wolves are extremely elusive and very cautious by nature, she said.
"Biologically, this movie doesn't make any sense. In real life, wolves would not put forth that much energy to hunt humans because their bodies would not be compensated for such an effort," said Mossotti.
"Wolves in Alaska focus their energy on caribou and moose, perhaps rabbits and rodents. They wouldn't even spend hours on catching a rabbit."
She said she's personally encountered wolves while hiking. "It was a large pack, and they would have nothing to do with me. There were only two of us hiking, but they turned and ran away. We are not their prey. They view us as predators."
A wolf’s natural instinct is to fear and avoid humans, said Mossotti. In fact, there has never been a documented case in North America of a healthy, non-habituated wild wolf attacking a human, she stated. "According to the Alaska Fish and Wildlife Service (2002) and High Country News (2006) there have only been a handful of recorded human-wolf interactions in recorded history in North America, and they were from wolves that were sick, had been someone’s 'pet' (lost that natural fear of humans) or were dog-wolf/coyote hybrids."
Mossotti said human habituation of a wolf can interfere with that natural shyness—if humans try to feed wolves, then the animals lose that natural fear.
"The movie The Grey is a perfect example of how a myth, designed for entertainment, can become woven into the fabric of our culture—through stories, fairytales and now movies, it can negatively change our perspective toward wildlife," Mossotti said.
"From Little Red Riding Hood, Three Little Pigs and werewolves to modern-day advertisements and movies, the misconception that wild wolves are vicious and should be feared is the main reason why wolves have been hunted to near extinction. This is why The Endangered Wolf Center exists today—to help save these important species."
She reminds that their work with national recovery programs has helped two species of wolf from becoming extinct. "Wolves are a vital part of maintaining a healthy ecosystem. If you do go to see this movie, please just remember that it is a fictional, completely inaccurate story and that it does not portray true wolf behavior. Unfortunately, stories and films like this can majorly set the conservation movement back."
Editor's Note: The Endangered Wolf Center staff invite people to visit or call 636-938-5900 regarding any questions about true wolf behavior.
source
The movie pits stranded airplane crash survivors against a pack of wild wolves in Alaskan wilderness, according to the movie's trailer and recap. Liam Neeson's job in the movie prior to the crash is to "protect men from dangers they cannot see." The movie's gist is about the question of how hard people would fight to survive, but in this case, it's a wolf pack that emerges as the major threat to these humans.
The center's staff who care for wolves and endangered species hopes everyone realizes the drama created in the movie is not based on reality, but purely offered for entertainment value.
But Pam Braasch, education director at the local wolf center, said wolves by nature are much more shy creatures and would not likely seek contact with humans—unlike what was portrayed in this movie.
Braasch told KSDK-TV's Art Holliday in an interview that movie-goers should not believe everything they hear about wolves.
Regina Mossotti, director of animal care and conservation at the center, told Patch the movie is a fictional, unrealistic portrayal of wolf behavior and is completely inaccurate. Unlike the wolves depicted in the movie, wild wolves are extremely elusive and very cautious by nature, she said.
"Biologically, this movie doesn't make any sense. In real life, wolves would not put forth that much energy to hunt humans because their bodies would not be compensated for such an effort," said Mossotti.
"Wolves in Alaska focus their energy on caribou and moose, perhaps rabbits and rodents. They wouldn't even spend hours on catching a rabbit."
She said she's personally encountered wolves while hiking. "It was a large pack, and they would have nothing to do with me. There were only two of us hiking, but they turned and ran away. We are not their prey. They view us as predators."
A wolf’s natural instinct is to fear and avoid humans, said Mossotti. In fact, there has never been a documented case in North America of a healthy, non-habituated wild wolf attacking a human, she stated. "According to the Alaska Fish and Wildlife Service (2002) and High Country News (2006) there have only been a handful of recorded human-wolf interactions in recorded history in North America, and they were from wolves that were sick, had been someone’s 'pet' (lost that natural fear of humans) or were dog-wolf/coyote hybrids."
Mossotti said human habituation of a wolf can interfere with that natural shyness—if humans try to feed wolves, then the animals lose that natural fear.
"The movie The Grey is a perfect example of how a myth, designed for entertainment, can become woven into the fabric of our culture—through stories, fairytales and now movies, it can negatively change our perspective toward wildlife," Mossotti said.
"From Little Red Riding Hood, Three Little Pigs and werewolves to modern-day advertisements and movies, the misconception that wild wolves are vicious and should be feared is the main reason why wolves have been hunted to near extinction. This is why The Endangered Wolf Center exists today—to help save these important species."
She reminds that their work with national recovery programs has helped two species of wolf from becoming extinct. "Wolves are a vital part of maintaining a healthy ecosystem. If you do go to see this movie, please just remember that it is a fictional, completely inaccurate story and that it does not portray true wolf behavior. Unfortunately, stories and films like this can majorly set the conservation movement back."
Editor's Note: The Endangered Wolf Center staff invite people to visit or call 636-938-5900 regarding any questions about true wolf behavior.
source
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