How to Build a Culture That Respects Wolves

Part 4 in a Series on Wolf-Human Conflict We live in a culture that fears and hates wolves. That's what lurks behind our miserable treatment of these essential predators. The question is: Can we build a culture that respects wolves? I believe we can, and that's the topic of the fourth post in my series on wolf-human conflict. I start with a story about Japan, a country that took its culture from wolf respect to wolf hatred. Though that's the opposite direction of where we must go, buried in that tragic tale of rejection of wolves are lessons that we can use to build acceptance The story of Japanese wolves reveals how a government has the power to convince citizens to do the unthinkable: eradicate an animal they once respected. Our government might use such power to do something almost as unthinkable: convince those who want to eradicate wolves to respect them. What did Japan use for the bad that the U.S. can use for the good? To continue reading

Rick Lamplugh lives near Yellowstone's north gate and is the author of the Amazon Bestseller In the Temple of Wolves: A Winter's Immersion in Wild Yellowstone. Available as eBook or paperback. Or as a signed copy from the author.

Wolf photo by Eric Kilby via CC BY-SA 2.0