wolves in the city?

[der2002]

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I love reading the animal-related section of my local paper and just came across this story:

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-me-outthere-20100617,0,4373611.story

The people involved seem well-intention and cautiously prepared, but nonetheless, I have such mixed reactions to this kind of urban "wildlife conservation." Thoughts?

 

[BlacKAT33]

o.m.g. this sounds like a great idea!!! sighh i had to stop reading after the first couple paragraphs

 

[Two]

I loved this article! I have a wolf dog on of my own & it makes me happy to see that other people are enjoying the company of these animals. Fang, my wolf dog is half timber wolf & half German Shepard. She is the sweetest dog anyone could ever have. They only downside is the amount of hair she sheds.

 

[nyanko]

I loved this article! I have a wolf dog on of my own & it makes me happy to see that other people are enjoying the company of these animals. Fang, my wolf dog is half timber wolf & half German Shepard. She is the sweetest dog anyone could ever have. They only downside is the amount of hair she sheds.

I think you missed the point.

 

[Minnerbelle]

tree surgeon 😕

as in the xylem needs a quadruple bypass?

 

[Whyevernot55]

First impression: I appreciate the sentiment of what these people are doing, but this is a BAD IDEA. These are NOT pets. They are wild animals who are, yes, extremely misunderstood and unfairly maligned, but WILD. Wolves just shouldn't be kept in people's homes. Build wildlife preserves, where people can learn about and see the animals, but for crying out loud don't breed them in your backyard.

I don't know. It seems like a disaster waiting to happen. While the idea of preservation and education is fantastic, I don't agree that this is the way to go about it.

 

[rileydog]

First impression: I appreciate the sentiment of what these people are doing, but this is a BAD IDEA. These are NOT pets. They are wild animals who are, yes, extremely misunderstood and unfairly maligned, but WILD. Wolves just shouldn't be kept in people's homes. Build wildlife preserves, where people can learn about and see the animals, but for crying out loud don't breed them in your backyard.

I don't know. It seems like a disaster waiting to happen. While the idea of preservation and education is fantastic, I don't agree that this is the way to go about it.

👍 definitely agree with you on this one

 

[Two]

I think you missed the point.

I understood the point, I was just trying to offer my opinion that owning a wolf or wolf hybrid isn't a bad thing. I understand they are wild animals, but I feel like a responsible person could safely own one as a companion. I personally feel that it's okay to have one to two, but I do not agree with owning so many of them in a populated area.

 

[nyanko]

I understood the point, I was just trying to offer my opinion that owning a wolf or wolf hybrid isn't a bad thing. I understand they are wild animals, but I feel like a responsible person could safely own one as a companion. I personally feel that it's okay to have one to two, but I do not agree with owning so many of them in a populated area.

You can't ever expect your neighbors, family, or friends to be able to predict what a wild animal will do, whether you are responsible or not. Wild animals are not pets. I understand that many commonly kept exotics are not quite "domesticated" but for the most part they are species that cannot actually bring harm to humans as easily as a large undomesticated predator can. So no, wolves belong in the wild, in accredited zoos, in nature reserves and in wildlife sanctuaries, not in pet homes. High percentage wolf hybrids belong in sanctuaries or with trained people who do not treat them as "pets." They are not pets.

 

[Lissarae06]

My thoughts exactly Nyanko. We all remember what happened to the Sigfried and Roy tiger. Who's to say that won't happen with one of these wolves? You simply cannot predict the behavior of a wild animal no matter how trained they are.

 

[der2002]

yes, exactly. And the most disconcerting part is how they want to educate children about these wolfs (F2 hybrids, I think) by allowing them to physically interact with them...

Honestly, I'm amazed the city allowed them the permits do this. Very curious.

 

[gilch]

You can't ever expect your neighbors, family, or friends to be able to predict what a wild animal will do, whether you are responsible or not. Wild animals are not pets. I understand that many commonly kept exotics are not quite "domesticated" but for the most part they are species that cannot actually bring harm to humans as easily as a large undomesticated predator can. So no, wolves belong in the wild, in accredited zoos, in nature reserves and in wildlife sanctuaries, not in pet homes. High percentage wolf hybrids belong in sanctuaries or with trained people who do not treat them as "pets." They are not pets.

I totally agree.

Another point is the cost. If you're into wolf conservation, surely it is less expensive to work with a reserve or sanctuary. $150,000 a year to feed 10 animals, $6000 for liability insurance...it sounds like the fencing and housing costs a pretty penny too. How many wolves could that money support in a wildlife sanctuary, zoo, or reserve? If these people want to conserve wolves, surely there are more options, perhaps even some that would allow personal contact.

So to help alleviate these costs, they are looking to expose children and cameramen to the wolves. Wow. Colossal stupidity. I also found it interesting that no experts were quoted . This screams advertisement to me.

 

[BlacKAT33]

My thoughts exactly Nyanko. We all remember what happened to the Sigfried and Roy tiger. Who's to say that won't happen with one of these wolves? You simply cannot predict the behavior of a wild animal no matter how trained they are.

and more recently, the chimp attacking the friend of the owner


wild...animal. wild!!! there are ways to educate people without trying to domestic wild species

 

[Minnerbelle]

I understood the point, I was just trying to offer my opinion that owning a wolf or wolf hybrid isn't a bad thing. I understand they are wild animals, but I feel like a responsible person could safely own one as a companion. I personally feel that it's okay to have one to two, but I do not agree with owning so many of them in a populated area.

Aside from liability issues, do you ever feel guilty about keeping a wild animal cooped up in a human home so that he can't express a lot of his normal behaviors? I mean, why not a husky or something?

I don't ask this to be judgmental, just out of curiosity. I ask because as a parrot owner, I've felt an overwhelming amount of guilt. Some parrot owners are able to have a stable lifestyle with their birds, but even with these people, a vast majority feel a great sense of guilt. I would NEVER encourage someone else to get a pet parrot for the sake of getting an exotic pet.

 

[Nechochwen]

Besides the "exotics as pets" issue and the liability issue, I take issue with the audience he is trying to educate about wolves. Don't get me wrong, I would like everyone to be educated and understanding on animal and natural issues, but people in urban California are usually not the people dealing with wolves. An educational program on coexisting with wolves would be better served in rural communities where the problems are personal as well as the prejudice.

Just my two cents.

 

[Two]

Aside from liability issues, do you ever feel guilty about keeping a wild animal cooped up in a human home so that he can't express a lot of his normal behaviors? I mean, why not a husky or something?

I don't ask this to be judgmental, just out of curiosity. I ask because as a parrot owner, I've felt an overwhelming amount of guilt. Some parrot owners are able to have a stable lifestyle with their birds, but even with these people, a vast majority feel a great sense of guilt. I would NEVER encourage someone else to get a pet parrot for the sake of getting an exotic pet.

I have never felt guilty owning my dog. We got her from another family member. She expresses her normal behaviors whenever she feels like it. We are her pack, we are her family. She has plenty of space to run around, she interacts with other dogs and animals (like a pack), & she defends her territory when other people come around. She acts more like a dog than she does a wolf. I think her behavior has a lot to do with the way we raised her. She grew up doing things that a typical dog will do. In fact, in her older years, all Fang does is lie around the house like a speed bump. She's become to lazy to run around XD