Concerned parents in New Mexico are going to drastic measures to protect their kids from wolves. They've constructed cages for students waiting for school buses. They're called wolf houses, and critics find the whole stunt to be ridiculous.
But let's examine if it's needed or not.
Starting in 2007, Catron County began installing wolf houses to protect students from wolves at bus stops. Local rancher Tom Paterson told Cowboy State Daily the move was necessary. "What choice do we have?" he asked. "This is personal for me." Paterson said a wolf killed one of his steers on his property near where his grandson plays.
There are an estimated 264 wolves in New Mexico and Arizona. However, Paterson believes the number is closer to 317 in New Mexico. He believes that its time to remove the federal protection for the animals in the state.
Wolves At The Door
"Provided that the states have the wherewithal and the commitment to manage these animals," he said. "This is a huge issue, and we've got to get it right, to protect our people, our livestock, and our other species of wildlife."
According to Paterson, there's been cases where wolves had stalked children on ranches and into school yards. Concerned parents have built these wolf houses to protect students waiting for buses.
However, Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy, believes the concerns are overblown. There hasn't been a wolf attack in the continental USA in nearly a century. So he sees the wolf houses as catering to an irrational fear. Additionally, Pacelle says that coyotes cause more livestock deaths than wolves.
Wolves can actually help protect livestock from coyotes.
"Wolves won't tolerate coyotes. They either kill them or drive them off," he said.
So what are your thoughts on the matter? Do you see the cages as necessary or just an irrational fear?
