Before being able to reintroduce wolves into Colorado, we need to get the public comfortable with them. To do this, we need to stop representing dangerous or scary topics in art/culture as wolves. Many people are brought up reading books like “The Big Bad Wolf” and “Little Red Riding Hood.” Though these stories are just metaphors for bad people, they teach children that wolves are dangerous. In reality, wolves play an essential part in ecosystems. They control herbivore populations, which in turn keeps riparian areas and wetlands healthier. Only about nine humans have been killed by wolves in the past 100 years in the U.S., usually by rabid or captive wolves, whereas people have killed over 3,000 wolves in the past 10 years in the U.S. The truth is wolves are a lot less dangerous than other wildlife, like bears, and certainly less dangerous than humans.
Isabella Poschman
Aspen Junior Environmentalists member