Alsatian - You are correct, I don't hold the position of the quote you cited, I was just noting it as one of the accepted rationalizations for reintroduction. I think that the philosphy of the "right" that they're refering to is sort of an "innate" right that all creatures have. An animal has a "right" to live, we have a "right" to harvest them for our needs. Sort of a touchy-feely kind of philosophy of the animal kingdom.

Like you, I don't think that it "hold up". For instaance, we have plenty of rational for doing everything we can to eliminate mice, rats, etc. Perhaps its the fact that we have no real chance of ever succeeding that makes it a non-issue. Yet I can recall a newspaper column where someone complained to city hall that the city pest control was killing rats instead of trapping and relocating them.

I've been approaching the arguement from the other side. That is, now that they're back, what is the rational for removing them? Is improved hunting opportunities a sufficient motive? You started the thread asking fellow posters how wolves had impacted their hunting. I'm not disputing that there is an impact. While not trying to get anybodys blood boiling, it can be an emotional topic.