When you look down at your furry, floppy-eared canine companion, you probably don’t think of his wolf ancestors. Of course there are those canines, like huskies, which resemble wolves much more closely than most dogs, but for the most part, you may not see the wolf in dogs. Yet the wolf is there in all dogs to the very heart. You are his pack, and he submits to you because you are the alphas. He loves you unconditionally because you are his family—his pack. Now picture all the fun times you’ve had with your dog, or with friends’ dogs if you don’t have one. Think about those eyes gazing admiringly up at you. Think about those times he’s slept on your bed with you, keeping you company, and the excitement he shows you when you come home after school or work. And those many cheerful times playing Frisbee or ball with him.

 Now imagine that sweet, loyal dog, running with a pack of fifteen other beautiful dogs, and being chased by a helicopter that is shooting at them. Both puppies and adults are dropping dead all around your dog. And this is all because they were trying to survive on whatever they could find, and because they eat the same foods that we sometimes eat, and we were afraid that if we didn’t get rid of them, there might not be enough food for us. This sounds pretty selfish and ridiculous, right? Well that’s literally what is happening to hundreds of wolf packs, as of 2003.

 “The wolf protection laws have been circumvented and the killing has commenced under the notion of animal control. The main purpose for this government-sanctioned killing is to increase prey and boost game for hunters, namely moose, caribou, and mountain sheep. According to the Alaska department of Fish and Game, more than 700 wolves have been killed in this manner since 2003.” Said a documentary about these horrible mass murders.

 Massive wolf hunts, often aerial hunts using machine guns, have exploded in Alaska, and other northern states, such as Montana and Idaho. These hunts are not what you think of when you think of going duck hunting, or even boar hunting. These are barbaric hunts that are an unfair fight for the wolves, who have no way of defending themselves or escaping from the ground, especially not with young pups. They often suffer quite a bit before they die, and they are not even fully recovered from being on the verge of extinction.

 To make matters worse, Sarah Palin was even offering $150 for “fresh-killed wolf legs.” According to a 2008 article in the Anchorage Daily Newspaper. This practice is sickening, horrible, and cruel. Why are we so strict with our animal cruelty laws on dogs, and yet stand by and watch while their close relatives, the wolves are being brutally killed—in supposed population control?

 When you think about it, wolves are very similar to people. Like us, wolves are “powerful, aggressive, territorial, and predatory. They are smart, curious, cooperative, loyal, and adaptable. They also exert a profound influence on the ecosystems they inhabit.” According to National Geographic. We are calling them the killing machines, and yet we are the ones who are mass murdering them in brutal and inhumane aerial hunts. Why do we have all these problems with wolves?

 The answer may lie in simple competition, and an ancient philosophy that they must be destroyed, has been ignited once again. But things are different now. We now understand wolves much better than we did a century ago, and we know they are not our enemies. Understandably, many ranchers are upset because the wolves have killed their livestock. Yes, there has even been the occasional attack on people, but wolves do not risk attacking humans unless they really feel threatened. Maybe wolf hunts on the ground with a quick and clean killing would be reasonable if they had become overpopulated, but until then, we should not be laying a finger on wolves. There is also a claim that elk and moose populations are going to become off balance relative to wolves. But brutally mass-hunting and killing them is not the answer to any of these problems.

 In solving the livestock and human attacks, there are ways other than hunting them that have been proven to prevent these beautiful animals from hunting livestock, and even from the rare attack on a human. Scare tactics are often used, and have worked quite well; shooting firecrackers out of a shotgun, or proper fencing are effective scare tactics. Electric fences are a humane solution as well, as the wolves can hear the electricity and will be more likely to stay away from livestock. There are also dogs, such as Karelian Bear Dogs, which have been bred to chase away wolves, and can also be trained to chase away wolves, and confront them effectively if necessary. Having a few of these dogs could help significantly. This is a much fairer fight, and a much less cruel answer than killing the wolves, often with machine guns from the air.

 In the concern with elk and moose populations, though there has been a significant decrease in the elk population since the wolves have returned, this is actually good for the entire ecosystem. After wolves were hunted nearly to extinction, the elk and moose began to become overpopulated, and the entire ecosystem was out of balance for several decades. The overpopulation was causing the elk’s range to decline. Even after killing the last wolves in Yellowstone in 1926, and park officials were collecting elk by the thousands, the elk kept returning and overgrazing crucial habitats, including bushes and even small or young trees. The overgrazing was destroying all the shelter, and stunting the ability for shrubs and trees to grow. This was creating a continually unnatural situation, because animals, such as beavers, who depend on the wood from full-grown trees could not build their dams. Birds had fewer safe places to nest, and cougars, who were hunting elk because their normal prey in the mountains was so scarce, have now begun to return, with the increase in their natural prey upon the wolves’ return.

  "With less grazing pressure from elk, streambed vegetation such as willow and aspen is regenerating after decades of overbrowsing. As the trees are restored, they create better habitat for native birds and fish, beaver and other species." Explains National Geographic article, Wolf Wars.

 When you look at a wolf it is hard not to feel respect, awe, or curiosity. They really are so much like us, and you can see the intelligence in their eyes. They are some of the most beautiful, magnificent animals in the world. So why should they have any less right to live on this planet in peace, than we do?