Recommendations for Solving the Problem

animalia-life.com

The gray wolf is not endangered but the main concern is for people who treat these animals like any other household pets. The gray wolf is an apex predator and no matter how much you try to train it, it will always retain some of its predatorial instincts. Currently most laws in the US are that if you want to own a wolf it has to be a hybrid every state has a different percentage to what amount of “wolf” the hybrid can possess. For example if you have a wolf hybrid it has to be less than 75% wolf. Therefore, we recommend that we put much stricter laws on the percentages and make it illegal to have a wolf that is a first generation (wild) cross.

The Predatorial Nature of Wolves

Although Wolves are beautiful creatures... people also need to remember that they are apex predators hence, they tend to be extremely vicious creatures.

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Wolves generally do not attack humans however, it does happen. These reasons can range from predatory, agonistic, rabid and defensive. There are not many attacks in Modern America, however that is due to the extirpation of wolves in reaction to attacks in the past. This has given wolves the ability to avoid human contact. There are only about eight fatal attacks in the us recorded in the past decade. This is not because wolves are not dangerous, scientists speculate that this is because they are far more intelligent than most other dangerous animals and they know that attacking a human will result in serious consequences. Although, very few attacks have happened over the years… the ones that did caused serious damage and perhaps death to its victim. Native Americans were frequently killed by wolves pre-colombus, in fact wolves would often follow American hunters to feed off their kills but after guns were introduced, a fear of humans was instilled in wolves causing them to be very shy of human interaction.

Doesn't Seeing This Just Break Your Heart?

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Don't we all deserve a chance to be free?

Problems with Domesticity of Wolves

Special care, housing, diet, maintenance- Not meant to be kept indoors. Require large amounts of space to live in and roam around, at least ½ an acre per animal with environmental stimulation like vegetation, platforms, shelters, and large water containers. Eats large hoofed animals, like deer, elk, moose, caribou, and also beavers, rabbits and other small animals. Can eat about 20 pounds of meat in one sitting. (Can You Turn A Wolf Into A Dog by Pat Tucker and Bruce Weide)

thebiglead.com

Issues trying to change their nature- As puppies, wolves may be obedient at first, but as they reach maturity, wolves begin to challenge owners for dominance and will challenge them to potentially lethal struggles for dominance. Common greetings for wolves are dangerous as well since they involve licking of faces and biting of muzzles which could be dangerous for younger humans. Even when “trained”, predatory instincts may be triggered by things such as children running or crying which could cause the animal to see them as no more than prey. Gray wolves are highly territorial and will attack any strange dogs that enter their territory.

fws.gov

What happens when the individual is no longer willing to care for the animal- Often times, people will release a wolf pet back into the wild when they are no longer willing to care for the animal, but this should not be done. This has very negative effects on the wolf and the ecosystem. A released wolf does not have the survival or hunting skills to be able to survive once it is released. If a wolf hybrid is released into the wild, it could alter the genetic soundness of the ecosystem if it breeds with a wild wolf. Some organizations are willing to take wolves and wolf-hybrids when the owner is no longer able to care for it.

What Do You Know About Wolves?

Quick Facts-Know Your Stuff!

Number of gray wolves kept as pets/in captivity- No one knows! But there are many records of wolves and wolf hybrids being kept as pets during their juvenile phases.

Number of gray wolves in the continental US- There are about 5,500 gray wolves in the continental United States and somewhere between 7,700 to 11,200 in Alaska as of 2013 (according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service).

http://www.britannica.com

Where/How They Are Captured?- In the warmer months, gray wolves lie out willingly in the sun for hours. People there will attack them while out in the open. These animals are killed mostly for their threat towards livestock on farms and fear that eventually they will attack humans. Up until the early 1500’s, there were laws in England that allowed for wolves to be captured. They were captured and persecuted throughout Europe until 1943, in of all places, Nazi Germany was the first to put them under protection. Although highly elusive, some ways humans have tried to capture the wolf is by poison with strychnine, tracking by domestic dogs (Bloodhounds or German Shepherds), foothold traps and killings of the litters when they are first born. In Russia, they will trap a pack and put human scent on “Flandry poles”. The trappers rely on the wolves hatred of human scent. This tactic is not as effective because soon the wolves become accustomed to the scent. Some other not as common methods include imitating calls, using eagles or falcons and the highly controversial tactic of shooting wolves from aircraft. (Wolves in Russia: Anxiety through the ages by W. Graves and V. Geist and Do wolves make good pets, hybrids, captive wolves by P. Tucker and B. Weide)

Risks of Wolf Ownership

wikia.com

What are the personal and public safety risks of keeping this animal- Wolves present several personal safety risks. Even in captivity, wolves retain their natural behavior, which is often viewed as aggression. As wolves grow older, they become increasingly more predatorial and territorial. Adult wolves are dangerous to small animals and children. Due to it’s pack mentality, a wolf may attack its owner if it perceives any sign of weakness in a display of dominance.

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Laws against keeping wolves as pets- There is no federal law that prohibits the ownership of a wolf or a wolf-hybrid. Each state, however, has it’s own laws regarding the ownership of gray wolves and exotic pets in general. In Massachusetts, no person is allowed to have a wild wolf as a pet unless it has been owned since June 30, 1995.  

nytimes.com

Consequences (legal or personal) of keeping animal- Some personal consequences to owning wolves include death of owner or owner’s family, death of other pets, possible arrest/fine, harm to your house, harm to neighbors, and harm to the wolf itself.