"For Gray Wolves, a Success Story Not Without Detractors"

"Few mammals are as unloved as the wolf. Not that the feeling is universal. Some North American Indian tribes traditionally honored the predator as a worthy fellow hunter. Other societies have shown comparable reverence. How can anyone bear a grudge against the she-wolf that suckled Romulus and Remus, mythological founders of Rome? Without her, would we have had all that glorious architecture, those inspiring Michelangelo frescoes, Sophia Loren? Still, in popular culture and many a metaphor this animal is far from adored. There it is at the door in hard times, disguising itself in sheep’s clothing, tormenting the likes of Little Red Riding Hood and the Three Little Pigs.

But should it be denied the right to live? Of course not, federal wildlife officials say. They pride themselves on having brought wolves — specifically, gray wolves — back from the brink of oblivion in the northern Rockies and Pacific Northwest, where kill-them-all attitudes once prevailed. By the first decades of the 20th century, the gray wolf was close to being wiped out. Then along came the federal Endangered Species Act, in 1973. Wolves were among the first species to fall under its protection."

Clyde Haberman reports for the New York Times November 2, 2014.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/03/us/for-gray-wolves-a-success-story-not...