Recent Legislation on Idaho Wolves

Recent legislation was introduced, in the Idaho State Legislature, to allow relatives of victims killed by wolves, to sue the Federal Government for damages. This proposed legislation would also make it a felony for folks to protect a killer wolf , punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a $ 50,000 dollar fine. The sponsor of the legislation goes on to say that the Federal Government introduced the wolves into Idaho in the 1990's, knowing they were dangerous, and that the Feds should be held responsible.

There are several issues and concerns I have over this proposed legislation. Wolves have always been present in Idaho and there was a small population of wolves, before reintroduction in 1995. It's impossible or impractical to distinguish between introduced wolves and ones that were native.

The big issue seems to be that wolves are very dangerous animals. There have been wolf attacks in North America but they are very rare, but that really isn't the point. A wolf is a wild animal and like every other wild animal they can be dangerous. There is little to fear from wolves; they are dangerous but no more so than a bear, a falling tree, a rolling rock, a flash flood or a drunken motorist careening down a mountain road. You have to take precautions in the mountains in any regards. Statistics from the National Parks show that the vast majority of fatalities in parks are from vehicle accidents (boats, planes and cars) or folks falling off cliffs or drowning. Fatalities from wild animals, hardly make a blip in the statistics.

In the 1980's and 1990's in the United States, domestic dogs were responsible for an average of 17 fatalities per year and by the 2000's this number jumped to 26. You are probably safer hiking in the mountains, than taking a walk in your neighborhood. However it's not fair to compare numbers of wolf attacks, to numbers to domestic dog attacks, because there is a huge difference in the numbers of these animals. There have been documented cases of deer killing and injuring people, but does that make deer, a dangerous and vicious animal? The point is you have to keep things in perspective.

Does the Federal Government have to provide for our full protection when we are recreating in a National Forest or Park? If I lose my hunting rifle or a porcupine eats my boots, while I am camping on Federal Lands, am I due compensation? Do you want a ranger behind every tree to protect us from the multitude of dangers in the woods? I surely hope not. In the mountains and wild lands, we can escape civilization (at least for a short time) and don't have to worry about people looking over our shoulders, and we can get away from the everyday commotions. Part of the mystique of camping and hiking and exploring, is knowing we are in wild country, that there are dangers, but we can take care of ourselves.