Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
have their work cut out for them, however, as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has said that it won't
release wolves on private lands over the objections of the owners. With relatively few large blocks of
public land in the Northeast, this policy would greatly complicate any wolf release.
The whole controversy could become academic, however, if wild wolves from Canada infiltrate the
northern reaches of the Northeast. Two animals— one definitely a wolf and the other quite likely a
wolf—have been killed in northern Maine. Moreover, a Maine hunter and woodsman has seen what he
firmly believes is a wolf, and has extensively tracked two or three other equally large animals that he
feels confident are wolves.
Some biologists believe that the pattern of infiltration from Canada observed in the West is repeating
itself in the Northeast. First there were numerous reports of wolf sightings, they say, and then a pack
eventually formed. Others feel that the heavily settled St. Lawrence River Valley, the four-lane highway
running through it, and the river itself constitute a nearly insurmountable barrier against any significant
southward movement of wolves. An occasional wolf, they assert, won't be enough to establish a pack
in the Northeast.
Only time will tell how conflicting views among the public and contrasting opinions among biolo-
gists will ultimately be resolved. The only thing that seems certain is that the budding uproar over wolf
restoration in the Northeast is likely to grow a great deal more heated!
No chapter about wolves would be complete without a warning about wolf-dog hybrids. These
crosses between wolves and dogs have become increasingly popular—indeed, something of a
fad—within the past few years. Although there are exceptions to any rule, owners of wolf-dog hybrids
generally fall into two broad categories. The first is the macho type who wants a pet with a macho
reputation to match, while the second is the person enamored with the notion of wildness who wants
somehow to own a piece of that wildness.
Let me be very blunt about it: wolf-dog hybrids are DANGEROUS! Many owners of these crosses
become highly incensed at the idea that their lovely hybrid could cause problems, let alone harm any-
one. However, the facts tell a very different story.
The danger is greatest for small children, roughly a dozen of whom have been killed by wolf-dog
hybrids in the past few years. Anyone with any kind of disability, even a temporary one, may also be at
risk. Wolves by nature constantly try to assert their dominance, and they're quick to sense weakness in
humans; this may lead them to attack in an attempt to become dominant, just as they would with other
wolves.
Small children, on the other hand, may for some reason or other appear as prey to a hybrid and
awaken its killing instinct. No one knows for certain what triggers these attacks on either adults or
children by wolf-dog hybrids, but the frightening thing is that they're usually lightning-fast and totally
unexpected. Very often, attacks are by hybrids that have never before acted vicious in any way.
As a result of numerous attacks, a number of states have passed strict requirements for ownership of
wolf-dog hybrids. Typically, the hybrid must be leashed and kept behind heavy-duty fencing that ex-
