"When the first domestic animals arrived in 1609 at Jamestown, Virginia, the war against the wolf was official. More than effective weapons, the American pioneer had a sense of solidarity and social cohesion, which in part was the effect of having common enemies, including the wolf. The battle against wolves was not an individual's affair, but a challenge to all. The wolf was the essence of wildness and cruel predation, the ally of barbaric Indians, a creature of twilight. Its elimination was depicted as more than just practical; it tested he resolve and spiritual fortitude of the pioneer. Its destruction could enable the spirit and unite a community."
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From "Ecological and Cultural Diversities in the Evolution of Wolf-human Relationships", in Carbyn, L.N., S.H. Fritts and D.R. Seip, 1995, Ecology and Conservation of Wolves in a Changing World, Canadian Circumpolar Institute, Occasional Publication No. 35. ISBN 0-919058-92-2
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Luigi Boitani
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