collapse

Advertisement


Author Topic: Wolf Half-truths and Lies  (Read 25044 times)

Offline wolfbait

  • Site Sponsor
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Old Salt
  • ******
  • Join Date: May 2009
  • Posts: 9113
Wolf Half-truths and Lies
« on: December 06, 2014, 01:21:27 PM »
Wolf Half-truths and Lies

When two packs of wolves began attacking livestock in Montana‟s Madison Valley in March 2004, FWS Wolf Recovery Chief Ed Bangs received complaints from Montana's congressional delegation, the governor, ranchers and local officials. The angry response forced Bangs to order both wolf packs destroyed, yet he blamed the critics‟ attitude on “wolf folklore and mythology”.

His comments were published in the April 4, 2003 Bozeman Daily Chronicle, which said “in extremely rare cases, wolves have bitten people, although most of those incidents involved rabid wolves or ones that had been fed and become accustomed to being around people. In North America, however, there are no documented cases of a healthy, wild wolf attacking people.”

The article blames hatred of wolves in Europe on the fact they “occasionally” attacked livestock and said the “Three Little Pigs” and “Little Red Riding Hood” evolved from that hatred. False claims in the article typify the half- truths and lies that have convinced many urban dwellers to accept reintroduction of wolves on a worldwide basis.

Wolf Facts

Notwithstanding the wolf advocates‟ propaganda, several thousand recorded human deaths resulting from wolf attacks worldwide have been compiled and published. Many were copied from historical records covering only brief periods in time.

For example, during one three year period from June 1764 to June 1767, 210 recorded wolf attacks in the Gevauden Region of southern France resulted in 49 people wounded and 113 killed. Of those killed, at least 98 were partially consumed.

The government record keepers were familiar with attacks by rabid wolves and none of the 210 attacks fell into that category. Proof of this is that most of the dead victims were eaten and none of the survivors died from rabies.

From 1800-1824, statistics compiled from French records show that 225 victims were attacked by rabid wolves and another 295 were attacked by non-rabid wolves. But wolf attacks on humans dropped dramatically in France and other European countries during that period.

Wolf attack victims in France declined from 1,724 in the previous 100 years, to 196 in the next 175 years.

What Caused the Change?

The same two things caused the decline in wolf attacks on several continents. (1) Widespread use of firearms for protection from wolves in rural areas; and (2) massive predator control programs which resulted in wolves becoming extinct in France, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

The same thing occurred in the United States for the exact same reasons. In most other countries wolf control programs substantially reduced wolf populations as

well as the number of wolf attacks on humans, except during major wars when wolf control was abandoned.

In Russia between 1944 and 1950, 22 children between the ages of 3 and 17 were attacked and killed by wolves in areas around Kirov. A government commission documented 80 Russians dying from wolf attacks during that period.

What Happened in Alaska

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, market hunters in Alaska killed tens of thousands of big game animals to feed a mushrooming population, including 15,000-20,000 miners living in or near Fairbanks. In 1917 a Fairbanks game warden estimated that 2,800 Dall sheep had been killed for the market during the previous four years.

Until 1925 when commercial market hunting was outlawed, the hunters scattered balls of sheep gut-fat laced with strychnine around their meat caches to kill wolves. Wolves were very scarce then and Alaska had more than one million caribou.

Between 1891 and 1902, 1,208 reindeer were brought to Alaska to provide income for the Eskimos. By 1932 that original reindeer herd had peaked at 641,000 animals and recovering wolves were killing thousands of reindeer.

In 1935, the federal government hired a specialist to shoot and trap wolves to halt the decline of reindeer and big game. Many of the Eskimo reindeer herders expressed fear of wolf attacks and allowed the wolves to slaughter and scatter the reindeer.

When Prey Declined, Attacks on Humans Increased

By 1940, there were only about 250,000 reindeer left and many of them were scattered. From 1942-45 there were four highly publicized wolf attacks on humans, three involving serious injuries and two resulting in deaths in which rabies was a factor.

In 1944 FWS in Denver, Colorado, trained Alaskan predator control agents in the use of poison to kill wolves. By then most of the reindeer were gone and the caribou herd had reached an all time low of 140,000.

About 65 percent of the caribou taken by Alaska hunters then were from the Nelchina Basin herd, which ranged between the Wrangell and Alaska Ranges. Wolves had reduced caribou recruitment to only seven calves per 100 total adults in the fall counts.

The federal government implemented a massive control effort, which included poisoning and aerial gunning. Predator agents killed more than 300 wolves in a three-year period in the Nelchina Basin and the ratio of caribou calves to adult cows and bulls jumped to 15 per 100. This allowed hunters to double their caribou harvest.

In March of 1952 the FWS predator agents moved to the arctic slope north of the Brooks Range. Seven FWS predator control agents flying out of Umiat in three light airplanes killed 161 wolves in the first three weeks. By


May they had killed 259 wolves of which 102 were recovered for their pelts and biological information.

Wolves at a bait station. Pictured here is Dr. John Buckley, then head of the Wildlife Unit at the University of Alaska, at a poison bait station near Northway Village. After extensive predator control from 1946 to 1957, the Northway area and most other parts of interior Alaska had record moose, sheep, and caribou populations.

Following the intensive wolf control in the late 1940s and 50s, Alaska‟s moose, sheep, caribou and deer populations reached record highs. Wolves were increasing again but, with abundant big game, there were no recorded wolf attacks on humans.

With statehood in 1960, limited seasons were established for wolf hunting and trapping and the wolf bounty was discontinued in 1968. Alaska guides were reporting declining big game numbers again and in 1969 two wolves attacked a man near his cabin on Wien Lake

Like many back country dwellers, Alex Lamont wore a sidearm and shot the first wolf while it was biting his leg. Then he shot and killed the other wolf at close range.

The Cycle Repeats Itself

This was the first recorded wolf attack on a human in Alaska since the last big game decline in the 1940s. The ban on aerial wolf hunting followed and wolf advocates solicited funding and political support in the „lower 48‟ to stop any wolf control in Alaska.

ADFG biologist Mark McNay published accounts of 43 wolf attacks or other significant encounters with humans in Alaska between 1974 and 2000. These included two dozen instances where the wolves were killed and most were checked for rabies.

The most highly publicized attack occurred at a logging camp near Icy Bay on April 26, 2000. Two boys, ages 6 and 9 were playing behind the school when a wolf chased them and attacked the younger boy, biting him severely on the back and buttocks.

Within seconds, witnesses threw rocks at the wolf and shouted but it picked up the boy and ran. It dropped the boy to get a better grip and a black Labrador retriever appeared and jumped between the wolf and the boy.

The boy‟s father shot the wolf and a necropsy revealed it was healthy with a normal amount of interior body fat. This incident was the subject of heated debate in the Alaska Legislature and wolf control was proposed for some rural areas to enhance public safety.

Fatal Encounters Lack Proof

When there are witnesses to a wolf attack they will normally attempt to aid the victim and prevent a fatality. When there are no witnesses, wildlife biologists do not classify it as a predatory attack by wolves.

For example, a child turned up missing one afternoon and searchers found wolf tracks and drag marks made by the child‟s body. Yet that was not classified as a wolf attack. In another incident, a trapper failed to show up in a settlement at an appointed time and experienced woodsmen searched in the vicinity of his cabin for several days.

They finally found a few scattered human bones and identified some shredded clothing. The large leg bones were shattered indicating that wolves, not bears, had fed on his remains, yet the cause of death might have been a bear attack, a heart attack or simply an accident.

Recent Attacks in Other Countries

Most people with some knowledge of wolves are aware of recent happenings in India when wolves carried off and ate dozens of children over a period of several months. Not so well publicized are recent attacks in other Asian countries.

In Iran in 1996, 329 people attacked and bitten by wolves received rabies treatment. In December 1997, a 4- year-old boy was seized by a wolf and eaten in Dushab village in central Iran according to newspaper accounts.

It would require far more space than is available here to list all of the documented wolf attacks in other countries during recent years. There are far fewer predatory attacks than occurred a hundred years ago but, when combined with attacks by rabid wolves, the number is still significant.

Yet worldwide wolf advocates have convinced a new generation of urban dwellers to accept reintroduced wolves in countries where they were exterminated earlier in order to protect citizens and their livestock and pets from wolf attacks.

By classifying attacks as being by wolves that are “habituated to humans”, or “provoked” or by rabid wolves, wolf advocates somehow excuse the increased frequency of wolf attacks which is tied directly to declining populations of prey species.

They lie about how wolves and humans have “peacefully coexisted for hundreds of years” and point out that we are less likely to be killed by a wolf than by a tiger in India, or a bear or a mountain lion in North America.

It is true that the average American‟s odds of being bitten by a rattlesnake are far greater than being attacked by a wolf. Yet we cannot ignore the reality that a single wolf is a formidable predator capable of killing deer, elk, moose, buffalo and man.

http://idahoforwildlife.com/files/pdf/georgeDovel/The%20Outdoorsman%20No%20%204%20June%202004%20Controlling%20predators.pdf
 In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, any copyrighted material herein is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml

DNA and Investigation Confirm Candice Bernier Killed by Wolves  http://www.skinnymoose.com/bbb/2011/12/07/dna-and-investigation-confirm-candice-bernier-killed-by-wolves/


Offline predkiller

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Pilgrim
  • *
  • Join Date: Aug 2014
  • Posts: 23
Re: Wolf Half-truths and Lies
« Reply #1 on: December 06, 2014, 06:35:32 PM »
Well said its a tragedy they reintroduced them again. Next up is total destruction of either private property or the wolf packs. Not enough room for both

Offline Special T

  • Truth the new Hate Speech.
  • Business Sponsor
  • Trade Count: (+13)
  • Legend
  • *****
  • Join Date: Aug 2009
  • Posts: 24823
  • Location: Skagit Valley
  • Make it Rain!
    • Silver Arrow Bowmen
    • Silver Arrow Bowmen
Re: Wolf Half-truths and Lies
« Reply #2 on: December 06, 2014, 06:54:41 PM »
This recap of history reinforces the fact that 50-70% of wolves need to be killed each year to have 0% growth. The only way they reach "equilibrium" is by devastating the game. So everytime that war was declared on wolves game rebounded.
In archery we have something like the way of the superior man. When the archer misses the center of the target, he turns round and seeks for the cause of his failure in himself. 

Confucius

Offline hrd2fnd

  • Non-Hunting Topics
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Sourdough
  • *****
  • Join Date: May 2009
  • Posts: 1810
  • Location: Wa
  • Groups: Washington for Wildlife
Re: Wolf Half-truths and Lies
« Reply #3 on: December 06, 2014, 07:01:44 PM »
Thanks for the history lesson
"Believe in your abilities and confidence will lead you on"

Offline idahohuntr

  • Political & Covid-19 Topics
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Frontiersman
  • *****
  • Join Date: Mar 2011
  • Posts: 3534
Re: Wolf Half-truths and Lies
« Reply #4 on: December 06, 2014, 07:03:26 PM »
100% agree that the subject title accurately reflects the content  :tup:
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood..." - TR

Offline Whitpirate

  • Business Sponsor
  • Trade Count: (+9)
  • Sourdough
  • *****
  • Join Date: Oct 2011
  • Posts: 2005
  • Location: Duvall, by way of Spokane/Metaline Falls
Re: Wolf Half-truths and Lies
« Reply #5 on: December 06, 2014, 07:32:30 PM »
We can agree the wolves have killed an American based on the DNA report so I'm sure the other side is already changing the rhetoric on "wolves have never killed anyone..."

Offline wolfbait

  • Site Sponsor
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Old Salt
  • ******
  • Join Date: May 2009
  • Posts: 9113
Re: Wolf Half-truths and Lies
« Reply #6 on: December 06, 2014, 08:23:43 PM »
Do wolves attack people?

Wild wolves generally fear and avoid people, and rarely pose a threat to human safety. In the past 60 years, there have been two wolf-caused human fatalities in North America (Canada and Alaska). Two broad summaries published in 2002 documented 28 reports of wolf aggression towards humans in North America from 1969 to 2001. Nineteen of these involved wolves habituated to people and five involved people accompanied by domestic dogs. There have been no physical attacks on people by wolves in Idaho, Montana, or Wyoming from the time wolf recovery began in the 1980s.

Wolves  passing near, watching, or otherwise behaving in a non-threatening way near humans should not  necessarily be considered dangerous.  But wolves can become habituated to humans in areas where they regularly encounter humans or human food. To avoid habituation, wolves should never be fed or approached. If wolves seem too comfortable near people, or frequent roads or trails where close encounters are  morelikely, they should be hazed using non-lethal methods like air horns or other scare devices.

In the extremely rare event of an encounter with an aggressive wolf, don’t run or turn your back. Stand your ground, act aggressively by stepping toward the wolf and yelling or clapping your hands if it tries to approach.  Use air horns or other loud noise-makers.  Stare directly at the wolf and  retreat slowly while facing the wolf.  Climb a tree if necessary. If a wolf attacks, fight back with any means possible, including bear spray or firearms if necessary.  Wolf-dog hybrids, which cannot necessarily be distinguished from wild wolves, can be more dangerous to humans than wild wolves because they have lost their natural fear of humans. While they are bred from domestic dogs, they still retain the predatory instinct from their wolf ancestry.
http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/gray_wolf/faq.html#9

Offline Bango skank

  • Political & Covid-19 Topics
  • Trade Count: (+9)
  • Old Salt
  • ******
  • Join Date: May 2014
  • Posts: 5880
  • Location: colville
Re: Wolf Half-truths and Lies
« Reply #7 on: December 10, 2014, 10:10:42 PM »
We can agree the wolves have killed an American based on the DNA report so I'm sure the other side is already changing the rhetoric on "wolves have never killed anyone..."

No, they still say this and believe it.  it is one of those little bits of false info that are repeated so often everybody just takes for granted that they are true.

Offline jasnt

  • ELR junkie
  • Political & Covid-19 Topics
  • Trade Count: (+5)
  • Old Salt
  • ******
  • Join Date: Feb 2010
  • Posts: 6445
  • Location: deer park
  • Out shooting
  • Groups: WSTA
Re: Wolf Half-truths and Lies
« Reply #8 on: December 10, 2014, 10:48:45 PM »
In the extremely rare event of an encounter with an aggressive wolf, don’t run or turn your back. Stand your ground, act aggressively by stepping toward the wolf and yelling or clapping your hands if it tries to approach.  Use air horns or other loud noise-makers.  Stare directly at the wolf and  retreat slowly while facing the wolf.  Climb a tree if necessary. If a wolf attacks, fight back with any means possible, including bear spray or firearms if necessary.  Wolf-dog hybrids, which cannot necessarily be distinguished from wild wolves, can be more dangerous to humans than wild wolves because they have lost their natural fear of humans. While they are bred from domestic dogs, they still retain the predatory instinct from their wolf ancestry

problem is one of the wolves favorite tactic is one wolf distracts while the rest attack from behind.
https://www.howlforwildlife.org/take_action  It takes 10 seconds and it’s free. To easy to make an excuse not to make your voice heard!!!!!!

The commission shall attempt to maximize the public recreational game fishing and hunting opportunities of all citizens, including juvenile, disabled, and senior citizens.
https://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=77.04.012

Offline birddogdad

  • Non-Hunting Topics
  • Trade Count: (+2)
  • Sourdough
  • *****
  • Join Date: Jun 2014
  • Posts: 1855
  • Location: WA
  • Groups: LMAC, NRA
Re: Wolf Half-truths and Lies
« Reply #9 on: December 15, 2014, 12:41:24 PM »
was watching an episode of Alaska Troopers last night, they were in Brown Bear season, flying into camps to inspect/seal kills.. one Trooper commented on Alaska's "first documented" person killed by wolf two months ago. Has people up here pretty spooked". I wonder if we will read anything of this in the lower 48? don't know when episode aired. There is an attack in MN of a teenager recently too...

Probably wont make news until they film a wolf dragging off some poor child, then the wolf weenies will say the kid should not have been alone :bash:
USN retired
1981-2011

Offline The scout

  • Non-Hunting Topics
  • Trade Count: (+7)
  • Sourdough
  • *****
  • Join Date: Oct 2012
  • Posts: 1702
  • Location: belfair
Re: Wolf Half-truths and Lies
« Reply #10 on: December 15, 2014, 12:52:03 PM »
 :yeah: but I am going to load my air horn and bear spray in my day pack right now

Offline pianoman9701

  • Mushroom Man
  • Business Sponsor
  • Trade Count: (+5)
  • Legend
  • *****
  • Join Date: Mar 2011
  • Posts: 42831
  • Location: Vancouver USA
  • WWC, NRA Life, WFW, NAGR, RMEF, WSB, NMLS #2014743
    • www.facebook.com/johnwallacemortgage
    • Apply for a loan
Re: Wolf Half-truths and Lies
« Reply #11 on: December 15, 2014, 01:17:55 PM »
Good article, wolfbait. Thanks for posting it makes some interesting points with statistics, which are always good.

100% agree that the subject title accurately reflects the content  :tup:

We know that you love the wolves very much. You also love quotes. Here's one you posted just last week:
"Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people." - Eleanor Roosevelt

No ideas, no events. Just casting stones. What does that make you here?
"Restricting the rights of law-abiding citizens based on the actions of criminals and madmen will have no positive effect on the future acts of criminals and madmen. It will only serve to reduce individual rights and the very security of our republic." - Pianoman

Online mountainman

  • Political & Covid-19 Topics
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Frontiersman
  • *****
  • Join Date: Mar 2007
  • Posts: 4923
  • Location: Wenatchee, Wa
Re: Wolf Half-truths and Lies
« Reply #12 on: December 15, 2014, 07:18:28 PM »
Good article, wolfbait. Thanks for posting it makes some interesting points with statistics, which are always good.

100% agree that the subject title accurately reflects the content  :tup:

We know that you love the wolves very much. You also love quotes. Here's one you posted just last week:
"Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people." - Eleanor Roosevelt

No ideas, no events. Just casting stones. What does that make you here?
:chuckle:
That Sword is more important than the Shield!

Offline bearpaw

  • Family, Friends, Outdoors
  • Administrator
  • Trade Count: (+10)
  • Legend
  • *****
  • Join Date: Apr 2009
  • Posts: 37052
  • Location: Idaho<->Colville
  • "Rather Be Cougar Huntin"
    • http://www.facebook.com/DaleDenney
    • Bearpaw Outfitters
  • Groups: NRA, SCI, F4WM, NWTF, IOGA, MOGA, CCOC, BBB, RMEF, WSTA, WSB
Re: Wolf Half-truths and Lies
« Reply #13 on: December 15, 2014, 07:31:50 PM »
Do wolves attack people?

Wild wolves generally fear and avoid people, and rarely pose a threat to human safety. In the past 60 years, there have been two wolf-caused human fatalities in North America (Canada and Alaska). Two broad summaries published in 2002 documented 28 reports of wolf aggression towards humans in North America from 1969 to 2001. Nineteen of these involved wolves habituated to people and five involved people accompanied by domestic dogs. There have been no physical attacks on people by wolves in Idaho, Montana, or Wyoming from the time wolf recovery began in the 1980s.

Wolves  passing near, watching, or otherwise behaving in a non-threatening way near humans should not  necessarily be considered dangerous.  But wolves can become habituated to humans in areas where they regularly encounter humans or human food. To avoid habituation, wolves should never be fed or approached. If wolves seem too comfortable near people, or frequent roads or trails where close encounters are  morelikely, they should be hazed using non-lethal methods like air horns or other scare devices.

In the extremely rare event of an encounter with an aggressive wolf, don’t run or turn your back. Stand your ground, act aggressively by stepping toward the wolf and yelling or clapping your hands if it tries to approach.  Use air horns or other loud noise-makers.  Stare directly at the wolf and  retreat slowly while facing the wolf.  Climb a tree if necessary. If a wolf attacks, fight back with any means possible, including bear spray or firearms if necessary.  Wolf-dog hybrids, which cannot necessarily be distinguished from wild wolves, can be more dangerous to humans than wild wolves because they have lost their natural fear of humans. While they are bred from domestic dogs, they still retain the predatory instinct from their wolf ancestry.
http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/gray_wolf/faq.html#9

There have been two close calls in Washington that I can recall. Hirshey was nearly attacked a couple years ago. In elk season this last fall a hunter shot an attacking wolf, had he not had a rifle he probably would not have lived to tell the story. Both of those incidents are documented on this forum.
Americans are systematically advocating, legislating, and voting away each others rights. Support all user groups & quit losing opportunity!

http://bearpawoutfitters.com Guided Hunts, Unguided, & Drop Camps in Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wash. Hunts with tags available (no draw needed) for spring bear, fall bear, bison, cougar, elk, mule deer, turkey, whitetail, & wolf! http://trophymaps.com DIY Hunting Maps are also offered

Offline idahohuntr

  • Political & Covid-19 Topics
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Frontiersman
  • *****
  • Join Date: Mar 2011
  • Posts: 3534
Re: Wolf Half-truths and Lies
« Reply #14 on: December 15, 2014, 07:40:14 PM »
In the extremely rare event of an encounter with an aggressive wolf.  An important point to make sure comes through in discussions about the dangers of wolves...particularly with non-hunters.
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood..." - TR

 


* Advertisement

* Recent Topics

Springer 2024 Columbia River by dilleytech
[Today at 04:04:01 PM]


Springer Fishing Opportunity 3/29 & 3/30 by Blacklab
[Today at 12:48:56 PM]


Long Beach Clamming Tides by dilleytech
[Today at 12:39:19 PM]


Let’s see your best Washington buck by abhold87
[Today at 12:03:27 PM]


Bearpaw Season - Spring 2024 by bearpaw
[Today at 11:45:41 AM]


Walked a cougar down by Rainier10
[Today at 11:17:49 AM]


SB 5444 signed by Inslee on 03/26 Takes Effect on 06/06/24 by hughjorgan
[Today at 09:03:26 AM]


Average by lhrbull
[Today at 07:31:56 AM]


CVA optima V2 LR tapped hole for front sight by Remdawg
[Today at 07:09:22 AM]

SimplePortal 2.3.7 © 2008-2024, SimplePortal