Fear-mongering about wolves not based in science

Despite generations of us raised on "Little Red Riding Hood," wolves are fascinating animals that almost never attack humans. Yes, they'll follow you at a distance across a frozen lake. They'll kill and eat domestic livestock. They'll kill pets and the loose-running dogs of Wisconsin bear hunters.

It's not inconceivable that a healthy, wild wolf would attack a human being. But the few documented cases of attacks on humans nearly always involved either rabid wolves or those habituated to human contact at campgrounds or garbage dumps. In Minnesota, wolves have had hundreds - probably thousands - of chances to attack humans and have not done so.

The only case in Minnesota even resembling a wolf attack occurred many years ago. A man hunting rabbits, wearing a coat well-anointed with buck scent from deer season, was jumped from behind by a wolf. The man fired a shot from his .22-caliber rifle.

"The wolf appeared to come to its senses and fled, leaving the hunter with a long scratch," wrote Minnesota wolf researcher L. David Mech.