05/10/07 Wolf attack I

Wolf Attack How much nuisance should one group of people endure for the pleasure of another group? I'm Jeff Keane; I'll be back to discuss that question. Wolves are back on western ranges and environmentalists couldn't be happier. Now this is not hot-off-the-press news because it's been nearly a decade since wolves have been released into national parks throughout the west. Environmentalists and wolf-lovers tried to convince the general public, ranchers, and themselves that the wolves would only prey on wildlife. Ranchers and anyone with common sense knew better. But, wolves were reintroduced to the western United States and wolf-lovers along with misguided enthusiasts across the nation could feel all warm and fuzzy in the idea they had done something noble since wolves were once again howling and hunting in the west. Wolves were eliminated from the west because they are killers, not just predators. The ranching generation of today had nothing to do with eradicating the wolf, but they now know why their ancestors felt the need to deal with wolves so severely and they are paying the price of wolf reintroduction. The protected wolves only stayed in the national parks long enough to prey on the easiest of the wildlife and proliferate to the point of expanding into new packs then they moved out of the parks to establish their own hunting territories. This is when wolf reintroduction was totally completed with the wolves reintroducing ranchers to the problems they cause. Tomorrow, I'll share some stories of those problems. I'm Jeff Keane.