From wolf to scapegoat

Idaho officials keep on crying wolf in order to protect the private interests of the powerful hunting outfitters and cattle industry as if wild game belonged exclusively to them.

Idaho officials’ petition to kill wolves with the goal of boosting elk population (for hunting) lacks credibility.

The assertion that elk population would rebound if not for wolves is nothing but crying wolf. Other determining factors like poaching and selective hunting are never emphasized.

The S-R Field Reports headline for Oct. 10 reported: “Anti-wolf activist cited for poaching.”

“Survival of the fittest” is still the rule. The fittest of a species survive to reproduce and pass along their traits to succeeding generations.

Selective hunting – picking out bigger individuals with the best horns or antlers – works the reverse of Darwin’s famous theory.

Trophy bulls, equipped to win mates or fend off attackers, i.e., wolves, become the evolutionary losers, and that consequently impacts the whole well-being of the herds.

Targeting wolves as the main cause of diminishing elk or deer population is a very risky management tool. It is highly likely to result in the END of a species.

Cecilia Nolthenius

Coeur d’Alene