"In Colorado, it’s not just lobos, wildlife officials, conservationists, and ranchers being placed in the spotlight…Right now, the best way to tamp down 'sheer anger' is for newspapers of record to stop publishing assertions that validate mythology and encourage anti-wolf vigilantism." —Todd Wilkinson, "When Scriveners Cry Wolf"

On December 18, 2023, five wolves were released into the mountains of Colorado, and five more were released the next day. I was pleased to be at the initial release because of my longtime research on the social behavior of wolves, coyotes, and domestic dogs and my interest in observing personality differences among the first group of wolves who were released. These are incredibly difficult projects to organize and implement, and many people are unaware of the various hidden factors—slippery slopes—that come into play. Many important questions need to be considered that center on our relationships with nature, especially those focusing on who lives, who dies, and why.

Suffice it to say, when these projects are put into action, the lives of individuals are put on the line, and many people and I feel that the life of every single individual wolf matters and should not be traded off for the good of others. I’ve learned that a number of wolf advocates are willing to allow some wolves to be killed to save the lives of others, and many people have no idea this remains a possibility.

Much of written and televised news about this repatriation program has been extremely negative.1 My estimate from doing daily web searches is that around 95 percent of media about Colorado’s new wolves is negative and misleading and, as some people have written to me, plainly anti-wolf. Sometimes people ask for “the science,” ignore it, and continue to ask for it.

Along these lines, award-winning........

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