Wolves

"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."

"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."