Wolves

"All stories are about wolves. All worth repeating, that is. Anything else is sentimental drivel. …Think about it. There's escaping from the wolves, fighting the wolves, capturing the wolves, taming the wolves. Being thrown to the wolves, or throwing others to the wolves so the wolves will eat them instead of you. Running with the wolf pack. Turning into a wolf. Best of all, turning into the head wolf. No other decent stories exist."

"The wolf is an intelligent and cultural animal. Its behaviour is not just imprinted in its genes, but is also taught from mothers to pups according to circumstance. It knows that a man with a pitchfork is dangerous, and that a man with a gun is even more so. The wolf was different once, and was more active during the day. Its [modern] nocturnal activities are an adaptation against danger. If people completely left wolves alone, in just one lupine generation (that is, five years), the wolf could once again try and attack people, at least in areas where it can allow itself to do so. We have signs of this in Canada, where three cases have been brought to our attention. In Europe, there have been no similar incidents, for now."

"The mischief [the wolf] causes by his hunting might be borne, though it is considerable, if he were not impelled by his wild hunting zeal and indomitable thirst for blood to slay more than he needs for his sustenance. This renders him a curse to the flock-owner and sportsman, and makes him everybody's cordially hated enemy."

"There’s no doubt that a pack of wolves gallivanting around the Highlands would keep deer numbers down, and this would save the trees and crops. But I can’t help wondering what else Mr Wolf might eat. Obviously Johnny Fox would be a tasty target, which is fine now that man isn’t allowed to hunt him any more. But what about the sheep? In the Alpine region of France a pack of just 30 wolves does its level best to keep lamb off the menu in most local restaurants, and we see a similar problem in Sweden, where wolves, tired of eating deer, are helping themselves to pretty well anything that moves. This brings me neatly to the wolf’s favourite amuse-bouche — us. [It's been said that] humans have nothing to worry about because in the last hundred years there hasn’t been a single recorded case of a person, or even a part of a person, anywhere in Europe, being eaten by a wolf. [It's also been argued] that in Alaska and Canada humans and wolves live happily together. True, but that’s because in Alaska and Canada most people pack some kind of heat in the parka. Here, however, we’re not allowed to walk around with a blue-steel .44, so I suspect the reintroduction of wolves would mean the odd rambler would go west."

"They are an effective, widespread, and basic predator. They are not very good adapting to change. Wolves are often referred to as an indicator species, which means that any little deterioration of their habitat causes immediate drop in their numbers in that habitat. They don’t seem to be able to adjust to expanding civilization the way coyotes do. The coyote’s range is increasing in the face of human expansion, while the wolf’s is decreasing."

"There are, of course, several things in Ontario that are more dangerous than wolves. For instance, the step-ladder."

"In touch with the ground I'm on the hunt, I'm after you Smell like I sound, I'm lost in a crowd And I'm hungry like the wolf'Straddle the line in discord and rhyme I'm on the hunt, I'm after you Mouth is alive, with juices like wine And I'm hungry like the wolf"

"Wolves don't suffer things like guilt or remorse. They don't have any problems with the amount of discipline that they give to a fellow pack member, because in their world, the family is what matters, not the individual. So when you go in with a pack of wolves, you have to leave your emotions at the gate. When you come back out, it's very difficult to pick those emotions back up again."

"There are some dogs which, when you meet them, remind you that, despite thousands of years of manmade evolution, every dog is still only two meals away from being a wolf. These dogs advance deliberately, purposefully, the wilderness made flesh, their teeth yellow, their breath astink, while in the distance their owners witter, "He's an old soppy really, just poke him if he's a nuisance," and in the green of their eyes the red campfires of the Pleistocene gleam and flicker…"

"Wolves are harmful to humans in many respects: they attack livestock and dogs, wild ungulates and other useful animals, spread diseases and attack people directly. The little use which may be derived from captured wolves (skin, tasty meat which is fully suitable for food) as well as sporting pleasure of the hunting of wolves, are not to be compared with the damage to human health and economic interests caused by these undoubtedly injurous predators."

"The Romans did not see [the tale of Romulus, Remus and the she-wolf] as a charming story; they meant to show that they had imbibed wolfish appetites and ferocity with their mother's milk."

"The connection between Mongols and the wolf is... interwoven with religion and folklore. In the Shamanic culture, the wolf is connected with mountain spirits. Children's fairy tales are often filled with references to the clever and mysterious wolf. With all these connections, I assumed it would make sense if Mongols had a bit of wolf blood in them. And perhaps they do. A legend is told about a blue wolf that mated with a red deer. It was their offspring that spawned the tribe of Chingis Khan. Since Chingis is considered the father of the nation, it's no wonder why the wolf is held in such awe."

"The misinformation promulgated by wolf advocacy groups ranges from minor technical errors to major deception and fraud. Technical biological misinformation, though bothersome to professionals working with wolves, is not as serious as deception about such issues as the status and trends in wolf populations. This latter type of misinformation tends to motivate well-meaning wolf advocates to press their causes through letter-writing campaigns, public meetings, lobbying, and lawsuits. For example, animal welfare and wolf advocacy groups have been advertising for funds in major national newspapers for years, claiming that wolves were threatened in Denali National Park and other parts of Alaska, despite documentation to the contrary. These misrepresentations have even made it into conference proceedings. In the non-peer-reviewed proceedings of a nonprofit citizen organization, "Defenders of Wildlife's Restoring the Wolf Conference," undocumented claims were made the wolf has been eliminated from "95% of its former range" and "95% of its historic range in North America". The actual figures are closer to 30% of its global range and 40% of its North American range."

"Physiologically, we know a great deal about the wolf, although we still have much to learn. But why should we continue to study the wolf? Some people curse the animal; others deify it. As scientists study it, we may be able to blunt these extremes and place the wolf in proper perspective. Viewed from the inside, the wolf is a large, intelligent canid predator with a variety of interesting biochemical, neural, and hormonal adaptations. It is neither good nor evil."

"Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil."

"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves."

"The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them."

"Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, [and] a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities: every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, [and] their backslidings are increased."

"But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep."

"What fellowship hath the wolf with the lamb? so the sinner with the godly."

"For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack."

"Wolves housed in cages which are far too small, are still among the most pitiful of all caged animals."

"Inescapably, the realization was being borne in upon my preconditioned mind that the centuries-old and universally accepted human concept of wolf character was a palpable lie. On three separate occasions in less than a week I had been completely at the mercy of these 'savage killers'; but far from attempting to tear me limb from limb, they had displayed a restraint verging on contempt, even when I invaded their home and appeared to be posing a direct threat to the young pups."

"We have doomed the wolf not for what it is, but for what we deliberately and mistakenly perceive it to be — the mythological epitome of a savage, ruthless killer — which is, in reality, no more than the reflected image of ourself."

"Si fermano anche i lupi quando hanno afferrato la preda."

"Pay attention to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the holy spirit has appointed you overseers, to shepherd the congregation of God, which he purchased with the blood of his own Son. I know that after my going away oppressive wolves will enter in among you and will not treat the flock with tenderness, and from among you yourselves men will rise and speak twisted things to draw away the disciples after themselves."

"Lupus est homo homini, non homo, quom qualis sit non novit."

"The wolf is the arch type of ravin, the beast of waste and desolation."

"On the ragged edge of the world I'll roam, and the home of the wolf shall be my home."

"Now the hungry lion roars, And the wolf behowls the moon."

"now witchcraft celebrates Pale Hecate's offerings; and wither'd murder, Alarum'd by his sentinel, the wolf, Whose howl's his watch, thus with his stealthy pace, With Tarquin's ravishing strides, towards his design Moves like a ghost."

"If you are afraid of wolves, keep out of the woods."

"Listen to them—the children of the night. What music they make!"

"Adrianus , discussing with Rabbi Joshua..."Great is the sheep that can withstand seventy wolves." Rabbi Joshua replied, "Greatest is the shepherd who enables the sheep to outlive the constant attacks of the wolves.""

"Auribus teneo lupum."

"The story of Romulus and Remus being suckled by a wolf is not a meaningless fable. The founders of every State which has risen to eminence have drawn their nourishment and vigor from a similar wild source. It was because the children of the Empire were not suckled by the wolf that they were conquered and displaced by the children of the Northern forests who were."

"Woman to a man is either a god or a wolf."

"What does the wolf care if the sheep-fold be destroyed?"

"The food of the lion (causes) indigestion to the wolf."

"Do not beat the wolf, and do not cause hunger to the sheep."

"Many people together won't fear a tiger, and many dogs together won't fear a wolf."

"A dog is king within a radius of one hundred paces, but is only a wolf in front of his master's door."

"Even if a wolf travels a thousand miles, it will still eat people and even if a dog gets as far as the horizon, it will still eat excrement."

"Even the eighty-year-old mother didn't let the wolf catch up with her."

"If one is unable to draw a strong bow, one will not be able to shoot the evil wolf to death."

"One who is not willing to risk his child will not catch the wolf."

"It is better to save a hundred sheep than save one wolf."

"When the rams lock horns, the wolf gets fed."

"A sheep separated from the flock will feed a wolf sooner or later."

"The owl does not praise the light, nor the wolf the dog."

"The wolf preys not in his own field."

"It needs but slight provocation to make the wolf devour the lamb."

"It must be a hard winter when one wolf devours another."

"Lambs don't rush into the mouth of the sleeping wolf."

"Though you teach a wolf the paternoster, he will say: "Lamb! lamb!""

"Talk of the wolf and his tail appears."

"In a small pretence the wolf devours the sheep."

"Hunger drives the wolf out of the wood."

"When the wolf grows old, the crows ride him."

"An easy shepherd makes the wolf void wool."

"There's no showing the wolf to a bad dog."

"What the she-wolf does (brings forth) pleases the he-wolf."

"Whilst the dogs are growling at each other, the wolf devours the sheep."

"The wolf will die in his skin."

"Bad watch often feeds the wolf."

"'Tis a silly sheep that makes the wolf her confessor."

"Were it a wolf, it would spring at your throat."

"To hold the wolf by the ears."

"For wolf's flesh dog sauce."

"Once, long ago, there was one good mother-in-law, but a wolf ate her."

"If the wolf had stayed in the wood there would have been no hue and cry after him."

"For love the wolf eats the sheep."

"I will not bite any dog," says the shepherd's dog, "for I must save my teeth for the wolf."

"When the shepherd's quarrel, the wolf has a winning game."

"If the wolf would cease his running, the people would cease their shouting."

"There is never the cry of "Wolf!" but the wolf is in the distance."

"The wolf is not always a wolf."

"The wolf bemoans the sheep, and then eats it."

"The wolf is always said to be bigger than he is."

"Who makes the wolf his companion should carry a dog under his cloak."

"On a very small pretext the wolf seizes the sheep."

"Even counted sheep are eaten by the wolf."

"Who does not wish to be like the wolf let him not wear its skin."

"When you see the wolf, do not look for his track."

"He sets the wolf to guard the sheep."

"The wolf is always left out of the reckoning."

"All the sheep are not for the wolf."

"Patience! said the wolf to the ass."

"A wolf cannot be satisfied with sheep, a man is never satisfied with thoughts."

"Even a wolf will not harm his pal."

"A wolf makes a living by using his legs, a shepherd by his stick."

"A sheep cannot make friends with a wolf [nor] a poor man with a rich landowner."

"A donkey left with nobody to keep an eye on it is prey for the wolf."

"A wolf pup will never take the place of a dog no matter how much you feed it."

"A wolf worries about its belly and a sheep about its life."

"To put the blame on elders is the nature of the wolf."

"A male match maker plays with a female match maker, and a wolf plays with a lamb."

"From the entire flock, the wolf selects the poor man's only lamb."

"When wolves kill sheep, the dogs grow fat."

"A clumsy wolf will frighten the sheep away, a clumsy thief will be caught."

"A wolf pays for its debts with its own skin."

"Mountains hide the wolf as the night hides the thief."

"A wolf's mouth is always covered with blood even if it did not steal its prey."

"You will not be able to trap an old wolf."

"A wolf pays no attention to a dog's barking."

"It is impossible to teach a captured wolf, and impossible to teach a pig to walk along a road."

"An animal straying away from its herd is prey for the wolf."

"A decrepit wolf calls a billy-goat his dear son-in-law, and a nanny-goat his dear sister."

"Talk of the wolf and behold his skin."

"A hungry wolf is not at rest."

"A horse measured its strength against a wolf - only a horse tail and a mane remained."

"A wolf had pity on a mare, but only a horse tail and a mane remained."

"Once upon a time there lived boyers (nobles, land owners) who had to howl like wolves. There were periods when even the boyers had bad times."

"Never permit a wolf to guard a sheep."

"It is better to be torn to pieces than to become a wolf's prey."

"A peasant may have modest clothes but a sharp mind. He still has his brain safe from wolves."

"A wolf sheds its coat every year, but his nature never changes."

"Wolves will pay dearly for the tears of the sheep."

"A herd standing together need not be afraid of a wolf."

"I cannot speak because a wolf is quite near."

"Do not presume your enemy is a sheep, it may be a wolf."

"He looks like a fox, but smells like a wolf."

"A tail is like that of a fox, but a mouth is like that of a wolf."

"Do not act as a sheep, a wolf will eat you."

"If you are afraid of wolves, don't go into the forest."

"A wolf will not eat a wolf."

"An old wolf has good senses. An old wolf has tricks."

"Not everything that is gray is a wolf."

"It would be easier to teach a wolf how to read and write."

"However hard you try to make friends with a wolf, it will dream of escape to the forest."

"Wolves are not killed because they are gray, but because they eat sheep."

"An old dog never tried to make friends with a wolf."

"Slack on a State Farm - and a wolf will come during the winter."

"Having caught sight of a goat, the wolf forgets danger."

"One wolf can drive off a regiment of sheep."

"If you look like a sheep, the wolves will be ready."

"The sheep feel sad when a wolf is the shepherd."

"It is only one wolf, but it is howling with hunger in the bush."

"Even if it is a gray wolf or an old wolf, it has the pride of a wolf."

"Put the blame on the gray wolf; he will be responsible for all misdeeds done by you or someone else."

"The wolf killed many victims, but for this he will be punished."

"Two male wolves will not live in the same den and will not eat the same bone."

"A hungry wolf can tear anything. A hungry wolf can break spells."

"A hungry wolf is stronger than a full dog."

"Hunger will drive even the wolf from the forest."

"A dog must not follow in the tracks of a wolf, if the wolf turns back, it will eat the dog."

"Calves could lick the boots of a meek wolf."

"A stubborn sheep is a profit for a wolf."

"A dog was praising a wolf for the rapid wagging of its tail."

"Even a sheepskin cannot hide a wolf."

"It's a wolf's repentance and a fox's ignorance."

"Although a kind lamb, it howls like a wolf."

"To slink very carefully as a wolf."

"One who receives a rank with cunning will act in the position like a wolf."

"A fox can fool seven wolves."

"A fox always finds more to eat than a wolf."

"Do not pretend to be a sheep, a wolf will eat you."

"Caught in a trap like a wolf in a net."

"In extreme need, a wolf can act as a fox."

"Luck is like a wolf: so evasive it can slip away."

"It is a wolf and it tears like a wolf."

"He who was born a wolf, cannot become a fox."

"Two wolves will seldom agree over one bone."

"Wolf, gnaw at your own sides. This is what is said at the same time when you place a stone under a pot, and it will save your cow from being eaten by wolves."

"People travel on straight paths, but wolves travel on devious paths."

"Ivan gave the wolf food for his mouth and teeth."

"A wolf is used to winter. This is not the first winter a wolf has lived through."

"A wolf is happier when it does not hear the hounds tracking it."

"Speak of the wolf and you will run into one."

"You will make your count, but a wolf will come and make its own count."

"Who could believe that a wolf will pasture sheep."

"Why let a wolf into a cattle shed?"

"A wolf hunts, but is also being hunted."

"A wolf can kill prey but it can also be caught."

"If you cannot catch a wolf in a trap, catch it in a net."

"He has a wolfish look, and he can curse like a wolf."

"He who keeps company with wolves, will learn to howl as a wolf."

"The wolf felt pity for the lamb, and so he left the skin and bones."

"He is looking as a wolf looks at a calf."

"A piglet cannot frighten a wolf."

"Legs help a rabbit to survive, teeth are responsible for the wolf's [survival], and cunning takes care of the fox."

"He pried in as a wolf but with a dog's tail."

"We wish our calf could butt wolves."

"If you are going to hunt a wolf, you should have a good dog to help."

"Do not put your finger into the mouth of a wolf."

"A timid sheep is easy prey for a wolf."

"A mare went to make peace with a wolf, but the mare did not return home."

"A bear is not subservient to a dog, a pig in an orchard is not a garden, a wolf is not a shepherd of sheep; a person who is stupid and deaf is a poor judge."

"You won't kill a wolf in a chase, but by cunning."

"A wolf lies in wait for sheep, but a shepherd guards the sheep."

"Where the wolf gets one lamb it looks for another."

"The wolf commits no mischief at home."

"The wolf does that in the course of the week which hinders him from going to mass on Sunday."

"The wolf loses his teeth, but not his inclinations."

"The wolf and the fox are both in one story."

"One wolf does not bite/kill another."

"When one wolf eats another, there is nothing to eat in the wood."

"The wolf eats of what is counted."

"The wolf picks the ass's fleas by moonlight."

"The wolf is well pleased with the kick of a sheep."

"To wolf's flesh, dog's tooth."

"Do you want to see a wolf with young (i.e. an insatiable plunderer)? Marry your daughter."

"All in the way of joke the wolf goes to the ass."

"Even a wolf is allowed to marry two."

"Who marries a she-wolf often looks at the forest."

"For the love of the ox, the wolf licks the yoke."

"A wolf is handsome in the eyes of a lovesick girl."