e 1800's, the United States government and other agencies thought something needed to be done to eliminate wolves altogether since they were viewed as a menace and a threat. Many programs were started that lasted until about 1965. Some of these programs offered bounties for the skins of wolves. The bounties ranged from $20 to $50 per wolf.5 Many wolves were killed due to this monetary factor; yet, other people simply hunted them for the thrill of it. In Montana alone over five thousand wolves were turned in for the bounty.6 In thirty-nine national forests, 1,018 wolves were killed in 1907 by some biological survey officers.7 In Yellowstone National Park, 122 wolves were killed between 1914 and 1926.8 Wolves were hunted with more passion than any other animal in the history of the United States.9 Most all of the information available at the time about wolves was highly inaccurate and led to mankinds hating and turning against the animal. The attitudes of people focused on this inaccurate information, resulting in the massacre of this precious animal.Thus, the wolf population began to diminish in 1850. The natural killing of these animals caused by the settling humans lasted for quite a while. Then, in 1915, a wolf control program started to help eliminate the threat of wolves. By 1925, the Western wolf population was practically eliminated. In Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho there were no packs to be found.10 The last reported killing of wolves in Yellowstone National Park was documented in 1944. The destruction of the wolf is still believed to be a good thing. In May of 1992 in the Yellowstone monthly report, the superintendent of Yellowstone National Park stated, "It is evident that the work of controlling these animals must be vigorously prosecuted by the most effective means available whether or not this meets with the approval of certain game conservationists."11People have always had some fear of wolves due to their lo...
