the killing of wolves using airplanes was to be allowed. This is not done very often due to the danger involved.16Some of the methods used to destroy the wolves are considered cruel and inhumane by todays standards. The most common method was to put food out for the animals that was laced with poison. Humans put not only poison in the meat but also ground glass, which would be very painful and would kill the animals slowly because of internal hemorrhage. Using glass was cheaper than purchasing the poisons. Another cruel and brutal way to kill the animal was to capture the wolf, wire its mouth shut, and then release it back into the wild. The wolf would eventually starve to death. Some found this to be a fun sport. The worst thing done was to set wolves on fire. This is a very cruel way to kill any animal.17A prodigious number of animals feed on wolf kills. Most of the time, a pack of wolves will kill an animal that is bigger than they can eat. This provides food for other animals such as ravens, foxes, wolverines, vultures, bears, and eagles. The eagles most important food source is the wolf kill. However, since these animals depended on the wolves kills, the poisoned food that was put out for the wolves was also often eaten by the other animals.18Other effects of the killing of the wolf had an impact also. Since the wolf was not around to eat the bison and elk, their numbers increased. This increase led to overgrazing, which allowed fewer plants, to grow. This decrease in the number of plants led to the decrease in the numbers of other smaller herbivores. This chain reaction keeps going on and on. It affects just about every living creature on the face of the planet.19After all this killing, in 1973, the Endangered Species Act [ESA] was passed. The wolf was immediately put on this list. This act was designed to protect any animal whose numbers fall below a suggested limit. If an animal is on this list, then it can...
