Science tells us that domestic dogs are a subspecies (or a bunch of subspecies) of the wolf.  So, maybe we should be asking, “should we be hunting and trapping (some) dogs?”

Most environmentalists are not happy about the wolf hunt, even if some might argue that like any wild population, there may be certain draconian management practices under extremes conditions.  Howling For Wolves, a wolf-friendly non profit, has information about legislation in the pipeline pertaining to this issue:

Hello Wolf Advocates,

Bills to remove wolf hunting and trapping from state law were officially introduced in both the Minnesota State Senate and House! Senate File 2062 is chief authored by Senator Mary Kunesh and co-authored by Senators Hawj, Abeler, Marty, and Dibble. The (identical) House companion bill, House File 2144, is chief authored by Representative Peter Fischer and co-authored by Representatives Becker-Finn, Jordan, and Hornstein. 

Now: “Tag you’re it!” It is your turn (and ours) to push this bill into law! Throughout the legislative session we need a steady drumbeat of communications by constituents to their state lawmakers.

The easiest way to contact legislators is to send an email through our website’s “Take Action.” Wolves need emails sent by constituents to their state representatives and senators along with the Governor asking for their vote on this bill. We have an email already written. It helps to put in a few unique words to let them know you are not a robot. 

Feel free to steal then rephrase further some of these suggestions for opening lines:

• In the words of Barry Lopez, essayist and nature writer, “The gaze of the wolf reaches into our soul.”
• The wolf was here first. The native people, arrived next, and they respect the wolf. The typical Minnesota hunter is a latecomer, but seem to feel the need to destroy much of what came before.
• I’ve lived in Minnesota for years.  A wolf never did me harm.  But when I speak to friends and relatives from the other states, I get to brag that we are the only state of the 48 that still has an original wolf population.  How cool is that?
• Wolves display remarkable fidelity. They mate for lives, care greatly for their offspring, and have a complex social system that involves long term alliances.
• A healthy wolf population may be the best defense against deer-born diseases affecting humans.
• It is hard to believe that one would ever see a wolf in the wild, then want to kill it.  That is like visiting the Grand Canyon and having as a first thought, “wouldn’t it be nice to fill in this big pothole.”