Comments on: Wolves Are Returning to Oregon–but Not All Locals Want Them

By: Mike

Mike — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 22:59:46 +0000

I do support a rancher to be able to make a living and to do so within fairness to Mother Nature on and around his land. I like the program of ranchers being reimbursed for wolf kills though it’s true it’s part of business. At same time I’m also a lifelong advocate of wolves and wish them a return from man’s doing. The wolf and a great many other creatures, once we lose them, they aren’t coming back in my lifetime. Maybe someday they could come back through DNA but that’s probably still 50-100 years away from what I just read. I absolutely emphasize for the ranchers and yes I’ve lived and worked on one. But, I want us to find a way for the wolf’s safe return also. Yes, that’s really a walking the fence opinion, no pun intended.

By: robert

robert — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 15:35:10 +0000

Why not say that the reimbursement program for wolf kills is a good start to help ranchers. But we shouldn’t forget either that many ranchers are using public lands; that is to say, the lands belong to the American public when they do so, and this form of government welfare should be seen in balance with rancher demands. The American public at large should havee at least as much say as ranchers on, let’s face it, a form of taxpayer government dole.

By: David

David — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 05:23:03 +0000

chaining do live in Oregon and believe a rancher should be allowed to kill a wolf if it is found on his/her property!

By: Emma21

Emma21 — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 20:20:09 +0000

Dear MW,
Do you even know what a cow looks like??? Have you ever worked for ten hours a day, every weekend, to make sure your cattle were in the right place? Or that they had enough water, feed up in the hills they graze on, a salt block? Do you know the time and effort my family and local ranchers/farmers put into making YOUR DINNER?! Doesn’t matter if you are a vegaterian, but the REST OF AMERICA is eating what I raise EVERY DAY! It’s not about eating though. What are your shoes made of? Listen to this…. I put my cattle on my land,my own land,thats over 7,000 acres, and there is only a fence between my cattle, and a wolf. Apparently wolves have gone to school and learned to read, because I can guarentee a fence with a trespassing sign isnt going to stop a wolf from crossing, and attacking my herd. I dont understand were you come off. You are saying if we keep our cattle on our own acres, that the wolves will stay off of it? Do you understand how ridiculous that sounds? Apparently you also have taken a field trip into the mind of a wolf, to learn what they think… I dont have a problem with them being in Oregon if they dont distrub our crops. They should be taken care of, if they do. Also who are you to say that they have a right to be here. You have many misconceptions about the way ranchers operate. You are on the side of the wolf, and not the side of your fellow humans. So maybe you should do a little more research yourself, and realize that the majority of people dont want them to disturb OUR livestock. We care about animals and want to protect them. Just as you would care and protect your own family. We would like to protect out livlihood and preserve the livability of our culture.

When someone is in New York, they have a problem with cars. they think they are so bad for the environment which i wont argue… BUT! just because you dont need it, doesnt mean that the REST OF AMERICA doesnt??? what im saying is stop forcing things down peoples throats. i like the city alot! the easy way to get things and what not. BUT! who are you to say what a rancher goes through???

I dont think a wolf has the RIGHT to live here. They were here originaly, before us, so i think they can be here. We should deffinatly be able to address the problems if the need arises. I dont know about you, but i would really like eat tonite?? We donate cattle to our local schools as do other cattlemen, not to be macho but so that they can eat… Eat that. Let’s introduce wolves into Central Park…seems like that would be ok right?

I love anumals. So much!:) They should be treated humainly… All of them should!

By: MW

MW — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 19:52:01 +0000

Victoria: It seems the only thing you know about wolves is your intense and undeserved hatred for them. I must inform you that the only creatures who hunt and kill for FUN are humans. Not wolves. Wolves burn up a tremendous amount of energy because they travel so much. Therefore, they must hunt and kill in order to eat and keep up their strength. Wolves EAT everything they kill; bones, fur and all. It may take them a few weeks depending on how big the kill was, but they will return to the same kill and feed off of it until it’s gone and they need to hunt again. Wolves often seize the opportunity to kill more than one animal per hunt, usually sheep or cattle that are free-ranged on the wolves’ territory. Because cattle and sheep are domestic, they usually don’t run away when one of their kind is being killed; instead, they watch in curiosity, which enables the wolves to grab another once the first animal is dead. Wild animals such as elk and deer know to run as far away from the predator as possible; sheep and cows lack this instinct. If the wolves do come across an opportunity to kill in excess, they will, but they will also return to their prey if given the chance to feed from it when the first kill is gone. The wolves are doing what is natural, and they do what they must to survive. Wolves kill to feed their families. Humans kill for pleasure. Maybe if the cattle ranchers stopped grazing their livestock on wolf territory, the wolves wouldn’t bother the livestock. Wolves are extremely shy and nervous animals who do everything in their power to stay away from humans. Keep your animals on your OWN property and the wolves won’t eat them. Get a livestock guardian dog to raise with your livestock to protect them. There are so many ways to prevent your livestock from being killed by predators that don’t involve going on an unnecessary killing spree. Cattle ranchers don’t kill wolves because they are threatened by them; they kill wolves because humans LOVE killing. So, Victoria, perhaps you should do a little more research before condemning an innocent creature whose only interest is to provide for its family. The cattleman kills to keep his pocket lined with money and to show how macho he is. Who’s the real murderer in all of this, I wonder?

By: Santia

Santia — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 17:44:16 +0000

If I came and took over your home and wiped out your family, what would you do? So many humans could care less about “lesser” animals – humans hardly care for other humans. The feeling of entitlement many humans have is absolutely disgusting.
The wolves were here first and as humans, a so-called “enlightened” species, we should have respect for that. But, no. Greed and entitlement. That’s a human for you.
Wolves are trying to survive a holocaust that humans caused. Face it – wolves are the ones worth saving, not humans.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 17:01:00 +0000

Victoria – you bring up an interesting point. What will we eat when the wolves start preying on our domestic herds? Maybe a more vegetarian diet. Clearly the vast herds of cattle raised on our public lands are the number one barrier to the reestablishment of wolves. Perhaps we don’t need so many cattle.

Let animals that NEED to eat meat eat meat while we humans can make educated choices concerning our diets.

By: Victoria

Victoria — Sun, 02 Sep 2012 18:48:47 +0000

I do live in Oregon, so I guess that gives me the right to comment. This article is pretty pro-wolf. These wolves ARE larger than those that were native to Oregon, and they ARE disrupting the ecosystem. They are literally wiping out the deer and elk herds all over the west(and not just for food… they LOVE to hunt and kill, so they do it whether they are hungry or not), and when those are gone, gone, they will do the same to our domestic herds. Then what will YOU eat? Aren’t you tired of the government spending so much money on killers, instead of on REAL affordable health care? Some people say they used to be here, so they should be. I ask “why?” There’s absolutely nothing in the Bible or nature that says an animal “deserves” to exist, just because.

By: Kathy

Kathy — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 16:18:44 +0000

I hestitate to give my opinion since I don’t live in Oregon. I can sympathize to a point with the ranchers, but I also see it as a cost of doing business, just like farmers have to contend with drought,disease, bugs, and birds. Should we eradicate or strictly restrain every living thing thats costs us money? I don’t think so. The wolves have a natural right to fight for survival and to thrive where ever possible. Maybe, we need to consider altering our behaviors.

By: Jack1wolfhybrid

Jack1wolfhybrid — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 23:11:20 +0000

Wolves have as much a right to live as we do.
We may not like rattlesnakes or mountaIn
lions either but they are part of our ecosystem.
The U.S. government spent thousands to
re-introduce the wolf here. Now ranchers that
keep their cattle on our public lands want
to kill them all.