Playing cowboy at the wolf's expense

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Playing cowboy at the wolf's expense

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Letter - From the January 21, 2008 issue by Wayne Hare

Let me see if I have this straight: In Catron County, N.M., a place notorious for its anti-federal government and anti-environmental stance, we're shooting and trapping wolves that have been fraudulently set up to violate the "three strikes" rule by the lackey of a wealthy foreigner who ranches for pleasure and not need (HCN, 12/24/07). Your article didn't mention how many cows this foreigner/make-believe cowboy runs versus how many are lost to wolves, as in, "Do we have an ACTUAL problem here?" nor how much of his 275,000-acre spread includes federal grazing allotments, nor how much he gets compensated by the federal government for each loss. I like to give ranchers the benefit of the doubt when it comes to their opposition to wolf reintroduction.

Real loss from real ranchers is one thing, and reasonable people can disagree. But this story makes it hard to feel charitable. We're killing wolves for a wealthy foreigner who simply wants to play American cowboy and who thrives in part thanks to the generosity of the American system ... and Catron County thinks they're being manipulated by WHOM? Is it just me, or does this make about as much sense as the old '60s mantra about screwing in the name of virginity? Gimme a break!

Wayne Hare
Fruita, Colorado

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Anonymous

Jan 22, 2008 09:54 AM

I'm a 84 yr. old WW11 vet. who loves wolves. I was raised in NE Oregon when there were a lot of wolves and cattle. Never heard of a cattle grying about the wolf feeding on His cattle, guess things have changed, not for the better, the wolf is a great magestic animal and should be treated as such and not distroyed for the benefit of a few "cry babys" sincerely, j turck, idaho city,ID

Anonymous

Mar 27, 2008 10:13 AM

Wayne,

I am visiting Catron County to see for myself. The first thing I noticed was a small structure along side the road, about, 3' by 4'. It is for children to wait for the bus. Not to protect them from the weather, but to protect them from the wolves. Gives you a different prospective when you look at it first hand.

As for Anonymous and the cry baby remark, you might think differently if you saw the remains of the animal that a wolf had eaten while still alive. Majestic . . . I have another term, predator!