VOL. XV, NO. 1
SEPTEMBER 28, 1973
'Cat Lady' Kills Wolves
It was almost a year ago that several members of the North American Association for the Preservation of Predatory Animals came to Maine West with two of their companions, who happened to be timber wolves. The purpose of the visit from the NAAPPA was to try to show people that wolves are not the cold‑blooded killers they have been said to be in years of fairy tales and legends. As a matter of fact, in America there has only been one reported attacking of a human by a wolf; and that was when the wolf was rabid.
John Harris, president of the NAAPPA, pointed out that in Alaska there are now only 3,000 timber wolves left; and bounty hunters are still getting paid to slaughter them. So lucrative is this business that an estimated 1,000 wolves a year are being disposed of. Texas still pays men to viciously slaughter red wolves, even though the animals are on the rare and endangered species list by the Department of the Interior.
John Harris, president of the NAAPPA, pointed out that in Alaska there are now only 3,000 timber wolves left; and bounty hunters are still getting paid to slaughter them. So lucrative is this business that an estimated 1,000 wolves a year are being disposed of. Texas still pays men to viciously slaughter red wolves, even though the animals are on the rare and endangered species list by the Department of the Interior.
In killing the wolves, the bounty hunters use a variety of traps, guns, and poisons, which other animals often eat and end up dying. With Mr. Harris were Jethro and Clem; wolves who showed the absurdity of the wolf legend. The wolves allowed themselves to be petted and acted like large tame dogs. They had also appeared on such television shows as Dick Cavett and the Tonight Show and had also appeared in numerous high schools and colleges throughout the nation.
Last July, while in New York, someone with a perverse sense of values enticed Jethro and Clem to eat chicken laced with strychnine. Harris found them dead several hours later. A few days later police arrested Harris's neighbor, a woman in her sixties. When asked why she did such a senseless thing, she said she never liked dogs. The woman lived with 20 cats.
Even though Jethro and Clem are dead, the cause of the NAAPPA remains. If students want more information about the NAAPPA or if they wish to contribute to the special Jethro Wildlife Fund, which buys land suitable for a predatory animal sanctuary, they should write to the San Francisco Ecology Center at 13 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco, California 94111.
Last July, while in New York, someone with a perverse sense of values enticed Jethro and Clem to eat chicken laced with strychnine. Harris found them dead several hours later. A few days later police arrested Harris's neighbor, a woman in her sixties. When asked why she did such a senseless thing, she said she never liked dogs. The woman lived with 20 cats.
Even though Jethro and Clem are dead, the cause of the NAAPPA remains. If students want more information about the NAAPPA or if they wish to contribute to the special Jethro Wildlife Fund, which buys land suitable for a predatory animal sanctuary, they should write to the San Francisco Ecology Center at 13 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco, California 94111.