Crying ‘Wolf!

Editor:

Raw winds whip the promise of snow across fresh corn stubble here in rural Ohio, and the singsong chorus of coyotes in hot pursuit of dinner keens in my ears.

My Blue Heeler dog, so brave and loyal, presses himself concertedly against my leg as we take a short stroll around the yard. He hears the proximity of the pack and knows that, on another day, he could well be the object of their attentions, if not for my presence.

Further west (and now north and east and south), artificial reintroduction of wolves and other predators has led to artificial herd depredation levels in both domestic and wild herds – elk and cattle, among others.

For city dwellers and those employed in government positions far from the real world of the wolf and its habits and lifestyle, the glamour and romance may sound a siren song.

For the animals that fall prey to pack attacks for sport, who are ripped asunder and sometimes partly eaten while still alive, the cry to reintroduce wolves loses much of its mystique.

For those ranchers, farmers and rural folk who see the real truth, the sales pitch to reintroduce is false advertising.

Julie Kay Smithson

London, Ohio