THE TRUTH ABOUT WOLVES.

Wolves are either regarded as terrifying rabid killers, or beautiful examples of nature at its wildest
Reputation: Wolves have two public images. They inspire feelings of fear for their mad-eyed drooling, biting of
children, and killing of livestock. But they also draw admiration for their strong, family-centric society, and as flagships
of wild nature.
Reality: These extreme views of wolves are deeply held, but are rooted in history rather than modern-day reality. In
the highly modified landscapes of Europe and North America, it is time to rethink the meaning of wolf.
How many wolves are there in Europe? If I'd answered this question a year ago, I might have suggested 1000. I would
have been wrong, by an order of magnitude.
"If we'd been back in the 1970s then we'd have been talking about an endangered species," says John Linnell of the
Norwegian Institute for Nature Research in Trondheim, and a member of the International Union for Conservation of
Nature'sLarge Carnivore Initiative for Europe.
However, over the last 40 years wolves have made an incredible comeback across the continent. "At the moment
we're talking about 12,000 wolves in Europe," says Linnell. During the same period, the US population has also
expanded rapidly, he says.
That's a lot of wolves. So is there any truth in the notion that wolves pose a danger to humans?
"If we look at European history, there is actually a lot of evidence that wolves have killed a lot of people in past
centuries," says Linnell.
In rural landscapes that were heavily modified by humans, where there was a tradition of livestock farming and where
children were used as shepherds, wolves have attacked people. "This describes a lot of Europe up to the end of the
19th century," says Linnell.
Then there is the additional threat posed by a wolf with rabies. "During a very limited period, a rabid wolf can cover
fairly large distances, biting just about everything that stands still long enough to get bitten," he says. "Before we had
any treatments for rabies, this was a death sentence."
There are still parts of the world where these risk factors for wolf attacks are a feature. In one well-documented
case in India, a rabid wolf went on the rampage, attacking a dozen people in half-a-dozen villages in a single day.
Three of the victims those with "severe wounds to the face and head" died.
A few years ago there was a similar incident in Turkey, when a wolf leapt onto the face of a 60-year-old man sitting
in his garden. He managed to strangle the animal to death but not before it had bitten him. The man died a week or
so later, presumably from rabies.
However things are different in most of modern-day Europe and North America. There are no child shepherds and little
rabies, so the chances of a wolf attack are vanishingly small, says Linnell.
In complete contrast to the demonic stereotype, an alternative vision of the wolf has come to prominence over the last
50 years. This is an equally fantastical beast borne from a long-standing worship of wolf power. It has been embraced
by the New Age movement, and strengthened by the growing recognition that top predators like wolves can have a
profound and often enriching effect upon biodiversity.
The best way to introduce this other wolf is through the story of Yellowstone National Park.
In the 1920s, US government employees exterminated Yellowstone's wolves, leaving the region wolf-less for the next
70 years. Then in 1995, after two decades of planning, conservationists finally got the go-ahead to release Canadian
wolves into the park.
The reintroduction of wolves has transformed the ecology of Yellowstone. The most obvious immediate effect has been
on the elk population. At the point of reintroduction, there were around 16,000 elk. By 2004, elk numbers had halved
to 8,000.
That might not sound good, but the knock-on effects were impressive. With fewer plant-eating elk around, woody
trees like willow, aspen and cottonwood experienced a dramatic recovery.
Ecosystems are complex things, so it would be too simple to attribute all these changes solely to the reintroduction of
wolves. But there is overwhelming evidence that the sudden reappearance of Yellowstone's top predator has triggered
a big shift. Wolves, it turns out, are the friends of trees.
So what is the truth about wolves? It probably lies somewhere in between the demonic wolf of folklore and
the new-age wolf of the wilderness.
"The challenge we now have is to move away from both those extremes to a middle view that is not fear and is not
worship," says Linnell.
"Wolves are neither devils nor saints," says Linnell. "They are simply big predators."
There are around 12,000 wolves in Europe
In central Europe, a typical wolf pack territory is up to 200 sq km. In northern Europe, it can be over 1000 sq km
When a young wolf leaves its pack, it will often migrate over 1000 km as the crow flies
After wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone, the elk population fell by 50% within a decade. The trees were happy

S tht v loi si
Li n: Si mang hai hnh nh trong mt con ngi. Chng khin ngi ta s hi vi cp mt d di, vi thi hay
cn tr em v git hi gia sc. Nhng chng cng khin ngi ta ngng m v cch t chc sng by n cht ch,
v vic chm sc cc thnh vin gia nh, v v sc sng mnh lit trong t nhin.
Thc t: C nhng quan im cc oan v loi si, nhng chng bt ngun t lch s ch khng phi t thc t cuc
sng hin i ngy nay. Trong cc iu kin sng thay i rt nhiu ti chu u v Bc M, liu nay c phi l lc
ta cn xem xt li cc quan im v loi si khng?
chu u hin c bao nhiu con si? Nu ti tr li cu hi ny mt nm trc y, ti c th a ra con s l
1.000. c th l cu tr li sai lm.
Nu chng ta quay tr v nhng nm 1970 th l mt loi sinh vt ang b e do tuyt chng, John Linnell t
Vin nghin cu Thin nhin Na Uy Trondheim ni.
Phc hi ng kinh ngc
Tuy nhin, trong vng 40 nm qua loi si c s phc hi ng kinh ngc trn lc a ny. Hin ti chng ti ni
c 12.000 con si chu u, ng Linnell cho bit. Trong cng thi im th lng si M cng gia tng
nhanh chng. S lng si nh th l rt nhiu. Nh vy th liu quan nim cho rng si l mi nguy him cho con
ngi c ng khng? Nu chng ta nhn vo lch s chu u, tht s c rt nhiu bng chng cho thy si git
cht nhiu ngi trong th k qua, Linnell ni.
nhng khu vc nng thn vn b con ngi ci to nhiu, ni con ngi c truyn thng chn nui gia sc v tr
em c trng dng lm mc ng, si tng tn cng con ngi. iu ny xy ra rt nhiu chu u cho n
tn cui th k 19, Linnell ni.
K l mi e da n t nhng con si c bnh di. Trong mt khong thi gian ngn, mt con si di c th di
chuyn mt qung ng tng i xa v cn bt c th g ng yn lu b cn, ng ni. Trc khi chng ta
tm ra cch cha bnh di th iu ny ng ngha vi n t hnh.
Vn cn nhng ni trn th gii ni nhng mi e da si tn cng nh th ny vn cn tn ti. Trong mt v vic
c ghi li c th n , mt con si mc bnh di ni in v tn cng hng chc ngi nhiu ngi lng
ch trong vng mt ngy. Ba trong s cc nn nhn nhng ngi b thng nng u v mt t vong.
Vi nm trc xy ra mt v vic tng t Th Nh K. Khi mt con si nhy b vo mt ngi n ng
60 tui ang ngi trong vn nh. Ngi n ng bp c con si cho n cht nhng n cng kp cn ng. ng
ta cht mt tun sau m nguyn nhn c th l bnh di.
Tuy nhin, ngy nay hu ht chu u v Bc M hin i th mi chuyn khc. Khng cn tr em i chn gia
sc v t c trng hp si mc bnh di. Do , kh nng si tn cng l rt t, theo ng Linnell.
Cch nhn khc
Tri ngc hon ton v hnh nh tn c m con ngi thng ngh n loi si, trong vng 50 nm qua ngi ta
c cch nhn khc v loi sinh vt ny.
Quan nim ny cho rng y l mt loi sinh vt phi thng xut pht t s tn th sc mnh ca loi si vn c t
lu.
Quan nim ny cng c cng c vi s nhn nhn rng nhng loi th sn mi hng u nh si c th c tc
ng su sc v lm phong ph thm s a dng sinh hc. Cch hay nht hiu quan nim ny v loi si l thng
qua cu chuyn v Cng vin Quc gia Yellowstone.
Hi thp nin 1920, chnh quyn Hoa K tn dit loi si cng vin Yellowstone khin ni ny khng cn mt
con si no trong vng 70 nm sau . Cho n nm 1995, sau hai thp nin ln k hoch, nhng nh bo tn cui
cng cng c php th loi si Canada vo ni ny.
Vic a loi si tr li lm thay i h sinh thi Yellowstone. Kt qu nhanh chng r rng nht l s lng loi
nai sng tm. Vo thi im loi si c a tr li Yellowstone, s lng nai sng tm vo khong 16.000 con.
Cho n nm 2004, s lng loi ny gim xung mt na cn 8.000 con
iu ny nghe c v khng tt lm. Nhng hiu qu th cp m vic ny mang li th rt n tng. Vi t nai sng
tm n cy c hn, nhng loi cy nh dng hay liu phc hi nhanh chng.
H sinh thi l vn phc tp. Do khng th coi mt cch n gin rng s thay i ny l kt qu ca vic loi
si xut hin tr li. Tuy nhin, c rt nhiu bng chng cho thy vic a loi si vo li dn n mt s thay i
ln. Loi th sn mi hng u ny ha ra li l bn ca cy ci Yellowstone.
Vy th u l s tht v loi si? C l n nm u gia hnh nh mt loi c th trong suy ngh dn gian vi
hnh nh loi si ni hoang d trong k nguyn mi.
Thch thc i vi chng ti hin nay l trnh khi hai thi cc ny i n mt quan im trung dung khng s
m cng khng tn sng, Linnell ni.
Si khng phi l c qu, cng khng phi thin thn, ng ni thm. n gin chng ch l loi th sn mi."
Mt s thng tin th v v loi si:

Ti u chu hin c khong 12 ngn con

Ti Trung u, mt n si thng kim sot vng lnh th rng ti 200km vung. Ti Bc u, din tch ny
ln ti 1.000km vung

Khi si non tch n, n thng i ti ni mi cch xa ti trn 1.000km ng chim bay