“As the wolf populations increase, the depredations increase and the number of wolf removals will increase. It’s very logical,” said Mark Collinge, Idaho director for Wildlife Services, the U.S. Department of Agriculture branch that removes problem wolves, typically by shooting them from aircraft. “You just have to accept that part of having wolves is having to kill wolves,” he said.

Hmmm…Unfortunately, due to our numbers, this may be true. I have to ask, though, why does this line of logical thinking not apply to human populations? Our increasing numbers cause all sorts of problems, not just for wolves, but for the whole world. I feel sorry for wolves, not us. We are a reckless species who think we are above the laws of nature. That kind of ignorant arrogance is marching us towards destruction.

In response to many conservation groups’ recent court victory restoring protections to endangered wolves in the Northern Rockies and Greater Yellowstone, anti-wolf extremists are now urging their followers to illegally kill wolves. This ruling is essentially preventing a repeat year of controversial wolf hunting in Idaho and Montana. Anti-wolf extremists are claiming that killing one of America’s most iconic animals is patriotic.

Seriously? That’s funny. You know what would be even more patriotic than that? Putting a bullet in the head of every person who thinks that way. If there is room in this country for hopelessly naïve people like that, there certainly is room for an ecologically important and historically prominent native species like the wolf.

I visited the wilderness of four states and also three national parks recently, and though I saw some wildlife, the numbers paled in comparison to the number of people I saw. It wasn’t easy finding the wildlife, but humans were everywhere, and in great numbers. I may be human but those numbers neither comforted me or made me happy. It would be one thing if we held ourselves as majestically and naturally as the rest of the animal kingdom, but in general we don’t. I find my kind to be more of a pest than anything worth saving in the numbers we exist at. Some just don’t understand this kind of thinking, but that is because they just don’t understand in general. There are too many of us and there have been too many of us for a very long time. Our gluttonous over-consumption of resources only makes the repercussions of our over-breeding worse.

This is my hard line, folks. You can call it my opinion, but I call it truth. I can back up this truth with facts and debate anyone for the rest of my life if anyone wants to challenge me. I usually care what others think of me, but not on this subject. I don’t care if you disagree with my stance, you are wrong. I’m sorry if this offends anyone who I have ever admired, but I’m tired of our numbers ruining this world and the things I most value in it.