Bullying: Wolves And Rumors

Spreading rumors is a form of bullying that kills, and throughout history, wolves have been fair game for human hostility without a justifiable cause.

Rumors allowed people to embrace a "War on Wolves" that resulted in the extermination nearly all the gray wolves in the United States' lower 48 by the 1950s. 

Rumors allowed people to be cruel and apathetic so, it became acceptable for puppies to be clubbed, set on fire, or left to starve after their pack was poisoned, trapped, and tortured.

Since then, we've come a long way in our understanding of wolves and our human impact on the environment.

Yet, wolves are still being bullied... and once again being driven to near extinction because people can't let go of the "Big Bad Wolf" reputation that continues to circulate in children's stories, movies, and myths.
 
Perhaps we need to examine the more personal, self-serving reasons humans perpetuate lies that hurt.

Sadly, when the truth is revealed, it's realized wolves aren't they only victims of the rumors humans spread. 

So.. Why Why Do People Spread Rumors?

To Feel Better About Themselves

Take the statement, “I can’t find game like I did before wolves were reintroduced.” 

The truth: Wolves have put the sport back into trophy-hunting because they make game animals more cautious, which makes it harder for hunters to find them. Now hunters actually have to hunt. 

Some hunters have taken to to concept of earning big game through tracking and physical exertion, but most would rather resort to rumor and blame the government and wolves for their laziness and insecurities.

Hence, the rumor, "The government reintroduced Canadian super wolves, which are bigger, meaner and kill everything, leaving nothing for hunters." 

The “Canadian Super Wolf” it’s pure rumor, grey wolves are grey wolves. It's silly to think Canadian wolves never crossed borders before the United States was even established.

To Feel Like Part Of A Group

People want to be a friend, a good neighbor, a good citizen.

Sometimes people feel pressured to support what the community supports, to hate what they hate.

"If you’re not with us you’re against us."

This same need to belong is strong among families too. Almost all anti-wolf sentiment is homegrown, just like prejudices against race, religion, and sexual orientation.

Revenge and Ignorance

People also spread rumors for revenge. In the case of the wolf, there are people who have a legitimate beef with wolves who’ve killed their livestock, but in seeking revenge, some of these folks rally support and agitate the community with another old exaggerated standby...

"Wolves are vicious killers, who will kill for sport and fun."

But currently. wolves only account for less than 1 percent of cattle deaths, while respiratory disease kills cattle by the millions each year. According to USDA 2011 statistics, coyotes and dogs caused the majority of cattle and calf predator losses accounting for 53.1 percent and 9.9 percent respectively.

 

Yet, the actions of a handful of wolves, has far reaching consequences for all because… rumors are like viruses they spread and mutate, they become stronger over time until they wipe out the truth.

 

People don’t know the truth anymore, so they continue to spread rumors out of ignorance.

To Force Out And Exclude Others

Rumors are a form of exclusion because they make wolves seem less worthy of our attention, protection and respect than other animals, which makes it easy for people uncertain about wolf issues to not care about the fate of wolves.

Rumors Kill

Wolves were placed on the endangered species list in 1978, and 66 wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone and Central Idaho in the mid 1990s. The wolves of the Northern Rockies (NRM) only recently reached an estimated 1,600.

In 2012, the NRM wolves and the Western Great Lakes were "delisted”, meaning they no longer have the protection of the Endangered Species Act.

This happened not as a result of research that wolves are making a comeback and are essential to the environment and animal habitats, but because of rumors and hate.

Killers were poised and ready to bait wolves. In less than 2 years, 872 wolves of the NRM were hunted, trapped, and poisoned. That's more than half the population. 

Now, the US Fish & Wildlife Service is proposing to remove nearly all wolves from the endangered species list.

No living being deserves to be a victim of rumor. 

Every year many of our children and teens commit suicide from the pain inflicted by rumors.

We can make a huge difference for all effected by rumors. Don't spread them, and don't give hate an audience.