7 Wolf Myths Debunked
From birth, we learn about Little Red Riding Hood, the Big Bad Wolf, and are constantly fed stories by the media that portray the wolf as the bad guy. And for some reason, these stories stick with us, but why? One of the goals of Sacred Wolves is to debunk some of the popular myths surrounding them and to show a more accurate point of view of these beautiful animals whose population is threatened by many humans’ intolerance and misconceptions about them.
In the words of Rebecca Bose, a curator at the Wolf Conservation Center South Salem, NY who works closely with wolves every day,
“I’m actually more worried about the people on the other side of the fence than I am about these animals.”
Grey Wolves are Dangerous - Wolves are extremely skittish around humans - they want nothing to do with us. In the wild, if a mother wolf sees humans approaching her pups, she will run away and leave them because they are that afraid of us. Of course, she will always come back to check on them later, but not if a human is around (Rocky Mountain Wolf Project).
There’s no Space for Them in Colorado - Colorado has more public lands and a bigger prey population for gray wolves than anywhere in the world, and there are over 22 million acres of public lands (CO Trout Unlimited).
Grey Wolves are Already in Colorado - There are no established Mexican Grey Wolf packs in Colorado. Most Mexican Grey Wolves are located in New Mexico and Arizona, however, for the health of their population, they are hoping to expand (National Geographic).
Grey Wolves Kill for Sport - Wolves only kill for survival, and typically only prey on the old, sick, or young, which helps maintain balanced animal populations (National Science Teaching Organization).
Wolves Aren’t Like Humans - Grey wolves are pack animals, and rely on each other, like families, for support. They can feel emotions from happiness to sadness, and form lifelong bonds with their mates. (Rocky Mountain Wolf Project)
Wolves Are Like Dogs - Wolves have no interest in pleasing us. They don’t sit, they don’t come when they’re called, they’re not bred to do those things like dogs are, and they should not be treated as pets (National Science Teaching Organization).
Wolves howl at the Moon - Scientific studies have shown that wolves howl for many different reasons: to reinforce social bonds within the pack, announce a beginning/end of a hunt, sound an alarm, locate members of the pack, or warn other wolves to stay out of their territory (National Geographic).
- Stella Yrigoyen