“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown” ― H.P. Lovecraft. Fear drives mankind to hate what he cannot comprehend. With this irrational fear mankind is controlled and set on a path of destruction and chaos. In the autobiography Never Cry Wolf written by Farley Mowat, the main character (Farley Mowat), journeys to the Canadian tundra to study the much-feared wolf. There he discovers the fear brought upon by men, and how it can result horribly for the wolves. The human race was so frightened by the unknown species that they began to blame the wolves for cold slaughters, portrayed them as vicious killers, and because of the fear of the unknown tried to exterminate wolves all together.
When Mowat journeys to the tundra to research the wolves as the culprits for the massive caribou killings, he is surprised at how many people actually despise the wolves simply because they don’t understand them. In the beginning of the book Mowat starts to believe what everyone else did, that wolves were scary, dangerous animals. Little does he know that his first wolf encounter of his trip would be that night. “I do not know what went on in his massive skull, but my head was full of the most disturbing wrong thoughts” (Mowat 54). Since it was his first encounter with a wolf Mowat feels uneasy by the thought of being mauled by an alpha wolf. To his surprise the wolf was just as scared of him as he was of it and ran as fast as he could away. Mowat begins to realize that wolves are the scapegoats to the real reason the caribou population is declining. When Mowat meets Mike, a trapper living in Canada, Mike tells him some surprising information and says. “ ‘Every trapper got to...
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The human mind is very powerful, whether were trying to figure out what we don’t know, or trying to persuade others to fear the same as we do. With this fear mankind is set on a path of destruction. To conquer their fears humans often act out by violence. This violent outbreak doesn’t solve the problem but instead makes it worse. Wolves are examples of the ways humans handle their fears. Humans don’t understand the behaviors of wolves and that makes them believe that they are bad and should be feared. Mowats time researching the wolves has led him to believe that it isn’t the wolves who are the ones to blame, but the humans who were the cause of the main problem; the decrease in caribou. Mankind needs to realize that fear is a natural thing that occurs in everything, and we shouldn’t let our fears drive us to make bad decisions that we might regret later.
The history behind the extirpation of the grey wolf in the United States dates back to the very first European settlers that colonized eastern North America in the late 16th century. The killing of gray wolves was done primarily out of fear in an attempt to protect livestock, and, in some cases, to protect human life within the colonies. As more settlers expanded West, the practice of killing wolves was considerably increased to protect livestock that included cows, pigs, and chickens. As waves of European settlers expanded westward, they began to deplete the deer, moose, and elk populations. The gray wolves food source continual depletion gave rise to wolf populations actively targeting the settler’s livestock, causing great financial loss. The fiscal loss of livestock became such an issue to wealthy ranchers and settlers that they began to offer cash rewards for wolf pelts. This practice gave birth to a lucrative cottage industry of professional hunters and trappers. As the wolves began to move further West, and into Wyoming, they began to diminish the elk and moose population. To respond to this threat, Congress approved funding in 1914, to eliminate the native gray wolves from
Farley Mowat is the author of Never Cry Wolf, a personal memoir and it was published in 1963. This memoir was written so he could tell his experiences in the Arctic with the wolves.
...I think that repopulating wolves in an area where they might have to deal with people is kind of a feeble-witted idea. Wolves are not an animal with a great reputation, even though they might not deserve that reputation most people do not like. I think that people as a whole would probably rather have deer in their back yard rather than wolves. Therefore, the questions what can happen, what should happen, and what will happen, with the deer problem all three have different answers. These answers will differ due to the area that the deer are in and the peoples' feeling towards these deer. It is too bad that there is not one perfect solution to the deer problem. Maybe in the future there will be, but until then we will have to deal with each problem that comes up individually.
of the wolves and finds that they are more than the savage and merciless hunters
Through powerful visuals and specific vocabulary, Cormac thoroughly portrays the main character’s sorrow that was prompted by the loss of the animal he highly respects. The protagonist seeks to find a suitable burial site for the wolf, hoping to uncover and reveal the perfect place from Night’s blanket of darkness. Detailed descriptions establish a sense of deep respect as the main character “cradled the wolf in his arms and lowered her to the ground and unfolded he sheet. She was stiff and cold and her fur was bristly with the blood dried upon it” (McCarthy 5-8). The main character’s actions reveal great care and love for the wolf. It is difficult for an individual to cope with the death of an animal he/she places high regard for. Although wolves are often seen as brutal and deadly animals, McCarthy uses elaborate details to portray wolves as majestic and brave creatures. Such contrast is also achieved through a precise use of diction. He touches the “cold and perfect teeth”. The wolf’s “eye turned to the fire gave no light,” until the ...
For as long as mankind has been around the fascination of savage beasts were greatly integrated through its cultures. The concept of monsters has been used in many historical and ideological context to vilify what society deems abhorrent. Monsters serve as our own depictions of ourselves and the world around us. They challenge our cultural mores and force us to analyze what is within us. The reason why monsters are becoming increasingly popular is because it allows people to break out of social norms and immerse themselves into a world of immorality. Werewolves, in particular, we see are just like humans, facing the same issues we do. They are seeking love, affection, and acceptance, much like us. However, much of their approach may test our
During 70 years of absence from the Rockies, the Grey Wolf had been protected under the Endangered Species Act that was passed in 1973. Since the wolf is under the protection of Endangered Species Act a person could be punished with up to a $100,000 fine and up to 1 year in jail for killing a wolf. Back in the 1850's there was a major population increase of the wolves in America, this was due to settlers moving west. These settlers killed more than 80 million bison, the wolves started to scavenge on the carcasses left behind.
In days gone by, the four species managed to live in perfect harmony. Witches, werewolves and vampires lived in secret, blending in with the humans on a daily basis - and the humans remained completely in the dark about their existence. It was after thousands of years of living this way, whilst everything was completely normal, that a small group of vampires decided that they’d had enough. They spent months devising plans. They constructed great ideas of ways to overthrow the human rule, to achieve the true power that they felt they deserved. Most of the witches stayed far away from the plotting, whereas the wolves threw themselves right into the centre of it and the humans remained none the wiser as to what was about to happen to the world they’d come to know. The rumours started quietly; nobody paid very much attention. Vampires, werewolves and witches were things of fairytales - they had no place in the real world. Or did they? Apparently, they thought so. Those little whispers; the hints of a ‘revolution’ were blasted by the human population and their government, unt...
A lot of people think that humans are the only ones killing Arctic wolves, but that is not the case. Arctic wolves most dangerous threat is humans, but they are also being killed by gobal warming for melting there habitat to water and since there are less of them now polar bears have a bigger advantages to hunt them down.
Canis Lupus, the Latin term for the “North American Wolf”. A meat eating mammal with the capability of weighing up to 180 pounds and reaching a height of sixty-three inches, the wolf is easily the largest member of the canine family. Over 500,000 wolves once lived in harmony, roaming the Northern Americas alongside the Native American tribes and the rest of the ecosystem. Wolves live in packs, a pack essentially being a family. While the average size of a pack is six to ten, the largest confirmed pack recorded in North America can be found in Yellowstone National Park where the “Druid Pack” numbers thirty-seven strong and counting. There have been alleged reports of a pack that attacked a small Russian town killing thirty horses in just four days. This pack numbered up to almost 400 members. Animal experts remain suspicious due to the fact that this number is almost fifteen times the size of an average sized pack. Wolves heavily rely on their pack. Every member of the pack has a specific job that benefits the pack, without the pack, death would be almost imminent. The pack is set up as a hierarchy, with an alpha male and an alpha female. The alphas get the best of everything, the best part of the kill, the best sleeping spot, and the breeding rights. When hunting, one member will scout ahead and will determine the weakest member of the herd. Once determined, the rest of the pack will chase the animal down and either takes it down on the run or chase it until it tires out. Unlike many predators in the animal kingdom, wolves eat their prey alive. While wolves are known for their spine tingling howls, the howl is not the only way they communicate. “Wolf Language” so to speak, consists of many grunts, snarls, growls, yips, and whines....
When the reintroduction of wolves began in the state of Wisconsin, a goal of 350 wolves was set, and this number was reached successfully in a short amount of time. Once this was reached, however, the population continued to rise dramatically and exponentially, and is now in the upper 600s (Allen). The problems now come down to a few simple questions that have complex answers. Will a regulated hunt get out of control, and a repeat of the past begins? Are the wolves posing any sort of threat in the present? Who or what would a hunt benefit? First, the issue of the past must be addressed. Back in the earlier years of the United States, wolves roamed free, and when farmers moved their livestock into what was then the wolves' territo...
The wolves’ were hunted in late 1800 s’ and early 1900‘s in the United States because farmers wanted more land for their cattle’s to graze upon. As farmers were moving out west they felt threaten that the wolves would hunt their cattles so the farmers thought that the best solution would be to take them out of the picture. This was possible because at the time there were no government regulations on hunting....
Never cry Wolf is a book about Farley Mowat’s experiences throughout the Keewatin barrens. The central theme is “the truth lies behind the stories of society” Farley was informed of the dramatic decline of caribou and was told to prove that the wolves are responsible before his expedition, he and his superiors felt very educated on the behavior of wolves. On page nine the author stated “because their grievance is the complaint that the wolves are killing all the deer,and more and more of our fellow citizens are coming back from more and more hunts with less and less deer.” Also, nearly all of the northern Canadian population agreed that wolves were a nuance and should be destroyed. Once Farley Mowat finally made it out of Churchill and into the north he obviously went in with a biased mindset towards the wolves, however once Farley
The first part of the story tells folk tales about the wolf and werewolf. Here, wolves are used as a symbol of fear. It overwhelms the reader with terrifying descriptions of the wolf and shows the reader that the wolf is clearly something that strikes fear into the people in the story. They are described as “forest assassins grey members of a congregation of nightmare” and are known to be worse than “all the teeming perils of the night and the forest, ghosts, hobgoblins, ogres that grill babies upon gridirons, witches”. These monsters are not real and fear for these nonexistent monsters is ridiculous as they are fictional. The fear fo...
Hides are used for watching animals’ kindred to wildlife such as, foxes, deer or even birds (eagles or hawks). Despite the positive aspects of the hides such as having the ability to gaze upon Mother Nature’s creatures in their natural habitat, they do have their negative facets too. Helen MacDonald’s essay, “Hiding from Animals” depicts her standpoints on why she feels that hides have their negative features. “Patience is a virtue” originating from William Langland is an essential asset that one may have when being inside of a hide. Going as you please, watching different animals, waiting for that “action shot” or even watching various animals act in their natural state are all wonders of being in a hide but waiting is a killer.