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The cost, at this point, is primarily paid by the animals.
Yesterday, the alpha female of the Lamar Canyon pack, pictured and described so vividly in this article, was slaughtered by a hunter. For the pittance of an $18 license, the killer ended the life of an animal whose entire life had been chronicled, described, and viewed by thousands. Her son was killed in the same area not too long before this. In all likelihood, this is the end of the pack.
The death of this female, dubbed "06 female," is a tragedy to many because she was so well-known. But, in reality, every wolf killed for sport is just as much an individual as she was, and their deaths are just as senseless.
The '06 female was no threat to lvestock or humans. Her pack almost never left the park, and she was habituated to humans who cherished the sight of her and wished her no harm.
That such killings are permitted, due to the relentless lobbying of the gun and rancher groups that wield enormous power, is indefensible.
posted by Cris Waller
December 8, 2012 @ 9:33 PM
About once a month at Sigma Xi headquarters, we liven up the lunch hour with an American Scientist Pizza Lunch talk. In these informal lectures, scientists describe new research to nonscientists. The series is light on jargon but heavy on solid science. Each Pizza Lunch offers an in-depth look at its subject, whether it's bedbugs or the smart grid. Click below to read about and download these talks -- and to subscribe!
JSTOR, the online academic archive, now contains complete back issues of American Scientist from its inception in 1913 (as Sigma Xi Quarterly) through 2005.
The table of contents for each issue is freely available to all users; those with institutional access can read each complete issue.
View the full collection here.