Wolves

Many people do not like the wolf, but they think the wolf is a very wicked animal. If they just read information about the wolf, they would know the wolf is not a wicked animal. The wolf is the most typical wild animal. The wolf is the model of family efficiency and loyalty, but who is feared by people who misunderstand the wolf, and the wolf's cultural history. Then, they will know the wolf is a mysterious animal.

People think that a wolf symbolizes evil and darkness. The human beings think wolves will attack them and their eerie howl frightens them. The reason people hates the wolf is because the wolf kills other animals. Wolves avoid humans as much as possible. The wolf is deeply imbedded in a man's cultural and natural history through fairy tales, folklore, and an ill-advised battle against natural predators. A wolf is defined as a wild animal. Wolves are potrayed like this in fairy tales. In fairy tales, wolves are a sinister villian hiding in woods preying on children or defenseless animals. European immigrants brought these kinds of superstitions and fears to North America. Folklore has participated in the wolf's reputation. Old sayings that the wolf is an animal that symbols badness or evil. Old wolf fairy tales should not be the blame for people hating wolves. Eskimos and Native Americans have deep respect for the wolf. In today's world, human beings are more educated about the wolf's role in the ecosystem. People still carry the belief that wolves attack people or threaten outdoor activites. Each year 15,000 visitors visit Isle Royale and report about a dozen wolf sightings. WOLVES AVOID HUMANS. THERE ARE NO REPORTS VERIFIED THAT WOLVES(HEALTHY) INJURING A HUMAN IN NORTHAMERICA.

In North America, there has not been an authenicated attack by a healthy wolf on a human. But, the reports that have been were attacked by rabid wolves which were killed, and the disease were documented. The Eurasian wolf subspecies has been exposed to a man a long time before firearms, and the wolf had less fear from a man.

There are three wolves that are true in North America. They are: 1) gray wolf, 2) red wolf, and 3) dire wolf. The dire wolf has been extinct.

Another myth is a long-standing myth. The wolf will regard you as another wolf. This myth is partly true. The wolf has enough smarts to realize that you are not a wolf. A good amounth of wolf social behavior and body language will be directed to you; and you will be expected to comply with many of the rules of pack behavior. The wolf represents the symbol of a fighting prowess, courage, and endurance. Beowulf named himself after the wolf Beowulf is the legendary Anglo-Saxon hero. The name Beowulf has been used among the North American Indians to name their most powerful warriors.

Wolves kill sheep, cows, and other livestock to provoke farmers and ranchers. Hunters hate wolves because the wolf kills game animals. Such as: 1) antelope, and 2) deer. Hunters mistakenly think that the wolf will wipe out the game in certain areas that they hunt in. The reason wolves are eating domestic livestock is because people have been killing the wolf's food that we eat like a moose, deer, etc.

Settlers of the European race that moved westward killed most of the populations of bison, deer, elk, and moose. They killed were important prey for the wolf. When this happened, the wolves turned to sheep and cattle that replaced its natural prey. The ranchers had to do something about the wolves and protect their livestock. The ranchers and the government agencies began a campaign to eliminate the wolf. The ranchers left out animal carcasses salted with strychinne were let out for the wolves to eat. This act indiscriminately killed eagles, ravens, foxes, bears, and other animals who also fed on the poisoned decaying flesh. In the 19th century, the bounty programs were initiated and continued into the 1960's. The bounty programs were offering $20-$50 per wolf. The wolves were 1) trapped, 2) shot from planes and snowmobiles, 3) hunted with dogs, and 4) poisoned with more passion and zeal than any other animal in the U.S. history. Most of the wolves managed to escape for years and became a folk tale until they were finally killed. The organizations like Aquila of Arizona, Custer, Old Three Toes offer high bounties and local cheer for the people who killed them. HOW RUDE AND UNGRATEFUL!!!!!!!!!!! Wolves are like humans. Wolves are the number on species on the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Return of the Wolf, 28 & 31. Grooms).

The fear of wolves lead people to destroy a big number of them. Organized hunts have killed thousands of wolves in the USA. Rewards have been offered for their pelts. In the late 1970's, 5,000-15,000 wolves have been killed in Alaska. 1,200 wolves are living in the USA. Most of them are living in Minnesota.

Minnesota has the largest wolf population in the lower 48 states. This is because part of the large amount of wilderness remain there. There are a lot of cattle and sheep ranches in this area. A state has a program that provides compensation for livestock lost to wolves, and a federal program that provides for trapping individual wolves guilty of robbery to protect the rancher's interests. The rancher must have verification of a wolf atatck if they need to collect compensation. Herd management practices are responsible for the wolf robbery and calving the forest or brushy areas and disposing of cattle carcasses in or near pastures. Farmers undergo severe wolf robbery. Other cases, the wolves are blamed when true cases of death maybe pneumonia or consumption of poisonous plants. Losses of livestock maybe due to preying on another animal or animals by domestic or feral dogs, coyotes, bear, bobcats, and mountain lions.

Through scientific research, dogs are descended from several subspecies of wolves scattered throughout the world. A long time ago, wolves probably became camp followers, taking advantage of the scraps around the fires and caves of prehistoric man. Man probably brought wolf offspring into the family to raise, and probably taken advantage to hunt and guard the campsite. Through a thousand years, the preference for wolves of certain physical characteristics and through genetic mutation, Canis lupus became Canis familiaris.

Wolves and dogs have much in common. Dogs came from many subspecies of wolves throughout the world. Training methods are different from a domestic dog to the various Canis lupus subspecies. the wolf is considered one of the largest members of the dog family, Canidae. The coyote belongs to this family. The coyote is known as Canis latrans. The jackals belongs to this group. By training methods, most breeds of dogs resemble the Canis lupus subspecies of the wolf. The wolf belongs to a species called the gray and tundra wolves. The physical characteristics and genetic mutation of wolves Canis lupus became Canis familiaris. People will believe that the wolf is related to northern breeds of dogs, and they will not believe the wolves are not related to their beloved Poodles, Beagles, or Labrador Retrievers. The Alaskan Malamute, Akita, Chow, Siberian Husky, and other related breeds are the closet resemblance to the wolf in appearance. Their double coat of hair with plush undercoats are for warmth, and their coarse outer coats are for protection against wind, rain, and snow. A lot of these breeds have wild coat coloring. They have very distinct colors appearing in each overcoat hair. The wolf sheds its coat once a year in late spring. The new hair forms the summer coat which is short that continues to grow to form the long winter coat. The coats of the wolves are basically gray but also have a lot of yellow between the salt and pepper gray and black white. The color of wolf coats grade from pure white to jet black. The arctic wolves are mostly white. The above mentioned animals have broad heads, muzzle-length, and jaw strength are less than their ancestors. Wolves mature physically at a later age than dogs. Females have their first estrus at two years old or older. They cycle once a year in late winter. Males mature at age three or later. Dogs develop from northern wolves that tend to be substantial canines. The Akita is used for hunting large game; the Samoyed is used for herding reindeer. The Alaskan Malamute and Siberian Husky are used for pulling sledges. Dogs in the southern climate tend to have shorter coats and be more streamlined than their northern cousins. Sights Hounds (Afghan Hounds, Salukis, Basenjis, and Greyhounds), dingoes, and pariah dogs fall into this group.

Mastiff-type of dogs are developed as a results of gigantism originating in populations of mountain wolf in northern India or Tiber. Some breeds have developed from the northern, dingo-pariah, and mastiff groups, and some with a mixture of dwarfism genes.

Wolves look like German Shepherd dogs. The wolf has larger legs, bigger feet, a wider head, and a long bushy tail. An adult male wolf weighs 75-120 pounds (34-54 killograms). The wolf measures from 5-6 1/2 feet (1.5-2 meters) long, that includes the tail. The tail is 2 1/2 feet tall (76 cm). The female wolf is smaller than the male wolf. The wolf fur varies in the different locations of a wolf. The color varies from pur white on the Arctic plains to the jet black in the subarctic forests. Some wolves have fure the color of gray. The fur of a wolf in northern and Arctic regions are long, thick winter coats that protect them from the bitter cold. Wolves are very distinctive from a dog. The wolves have a narrow, lanky, and have fluid movements. The biology of a dog and wolves are totally different. To understand this is to study pictures of a wolf and pictures of a dog. There are distinctive differences.

Full-grown male wolves average between 5 and 6.5 feet in length, while females can grow to 6 feet. Males average about 90 pounds in weight; female wolves usually weigh about 70 pounds. In warmer climates, wolves are slightly smaller. Wolves can live up to seventeen years in the wild and twenty years in captivity.