Who’s The Big Bad Wolf Afraid Of?

By Gordon Hopkins The saving of a species from extinction is a good thing. It is one of the most important things the human species can do. It can only be a net positive for the world.That doesn't mean there aren't costs.Gray wolves (Canis lupus) once nearly vanished from North America. Decades have been spent trying to reintroduce the animals to the land where they once roamed. It has been an uphill battle, both in the wild and in the courtroom, where the legal fight to strip the animals of their endangered species protections rages on. Nevertheless, the wolves have seen their numbers rebound in some portions of the west. As I said, this is a good thing. As I also said, there is a cost.As the numbers of gray wolves increase, so do reports of wolf attacks on cattle. Ranchers find themselves with the conundrum of protecting their livestock from wolves without once again driving them to extinction. Once possible solution is to “Shoot to Thrill.”For the last three years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has been trying to drive wolves away from livestock with drones, armed not with guns but with loudspeakers, blaring AC/DC songs like “Thunderstruck” and “Back in Black.”Apparently this non-lethal strategy is successful at driving away the wolves, but only temporarily. It’s most certainly preferable to the previous method, which was chasing them on foot. FYI: Gray wolves can run up to 37 miles per hour. Why AC/DC specifically? Am I supposed to believe wolves don't find Metallica and Quiet Riot equally offensive? After all, I certainly do. Perhaps it is because AC/DC is Australian. Australia has no native wolves. There must be a reason for that. The music is as good a reason as any I can think of. It isn't just the dulcet tones of the band that gave the world “Highway to Hell” that is being used to drive away wolves. Also effective is a scene from the 2019 movie “Marriage Story,” specifically a screeching fight between Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver. Part of the problem is that wolves tend not to see humans as a threat, so they don't feel the need to stay away from places where humans, and their livestock, congregate.According to one USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) district supervisor, the reason for choosing one of the most unpleasant sounds known to humankind, a married couple arguing, was simple, “I need the wolves to respond and know that, hey, humans are bad.” Mission accomplished. I've never seen “Marriage Story” and I probably never will. I don't pay much attention to most movie critics but if wolves hate the movie, I'm giving it a pass.

Bonnie J. Schoenbeck

Fairbury Woman Gets Prison Time for Felony Drug Charge

Related Articles

Are Marshmallow Peeps the New Pumpkin Spice?

Again

Time Marches On (But I Don’t)

The Year of the Fire Horse