My sympathies to those of you who live in the rural areas of western states, where the last admin, under Sec. Bruce forced Grey Wolves (Timber Wolves) into your states. From over 30 years of making many of the same impassioned arguments about controlling the wolf population to prevent devastating game populations and livestock, I can tell you, we’re fighting a battle while climbing a mountain. It’s that difficult to get those who see the warm and fuzzy pictures and sometimes “live with” some of these animals that’ve been raised outside of the wild, to see the realities and destruction an over abundance of very intelligent, highly skilled predators can bring about over thousands of square miles. (Obviously, I’m talking about many packs of these animals.)

Don’t be intimidated by the “experts” like David Mech that some quote. My family lives within 40 miles of this “Learning Center” he runs to indoctrinate little minds of mush they bring up in school buses every year. He, like many of his kind, also have an extreme “environmental” agenda, which includes creating millions of acres of “corridors” where there will be many of the “natural” species, but no humans, except of course a few “experts” who’ll need to study the effects of all of their grand plans.

For my experience, people who haven’t lived near heavy populations of Timber Wolves and other large predators in the wild are very unsympathetic and often have unrealistic ideas that an unlimited number of these predators “the more the better” mentality in someone else’s backyard (yours and mine), while they enjoy their cities, horse farms, pets that don’t get grabbed out of their yards while their kids and moms watch in horror.

Cristina, I know you are well read and have some experiences with non-wild wolves. It’s not the same. One correction for you, too. If you had livestock that you saw killed by a wolf, you can’t go out and shoot it! The fines and jail time (federal crime) are many tens of thousands and many years in prison. Sensible people here have tried to get the wolf de-listed from the “endangered species” list in our state, so reasonable measures like being able to protect your animals and family from these predators. So far, that hasn’t happened.

That’s the reality people in northern MN, some of Wisconsin, have for decades and now rural people other states like Wyoming and Montana are beginning to live with. And virtually no one who lives outside these areas cares. It’s a terrible shame. But that’s the cold, hard reality.

Good luck!