Wolves howling...hmmm...

[Heart of Sword]

Hmmm...when wolves howl, they take on a submissive stance--ears back, eyes squinting (usually), and tail lowered. Of course, this applies to most wolves, not all. So what are they submitting to? I've been wondering if maybe they are worshipping God. Even lone wolves do this, so it's not that they are showing submission to a howling alpha. (And yes, animals DO appear to be aware of spiritual things--read the story of Balaam's Donkey)

Please, please don't come on this thread flaming me. I know it's probably going to happen since there are a few wolf-haters on here, so if you hate wolves (or hate me), please don't post. I've been given enough trouble on the CAA and don't want any more during my last days here.


A few pictures:

[starfire]

Such beautiful pictures! I've always thought wolves were elegant creatures.

*saves images*

[Heart of Sword]

Me too, but unfortunately in looking for wolf pictures I saw some dead wolves...hanging from a rope...........*shudders*

[starfire]

Oi. I'll never understand how someone can hurt an animal.

[Shadowchild]

I hate it when people take pictures of things like that. It is very saddening. People should respect our fellow creations from God not prosecute them. You may be right Heart of Sword. Wolves may actually submit to God but that is something we may not be able to answer till we go to be with God.

[Heart of Sword]

People can be so stupid

Ahhhh, please be careful, I don't want this thread to get locked...

[agasfas]

Wolves are probably one of my favorite animals. Very intelligent and quite loyal. They are so cool. Great pictures!

[Shadowchild]

I would post up a few pics myself but I am not on my regular computer so I do not have my folders with me. *crys*

[Stephen]

Lets keep the anti-hunting rhetoric at a minimum. Thanks.

[Heart of Sword]

We are. This isn't an anti-hunting thread.

[Stephen]

People can be so stupid

Things like this, only will toss fuel on the fire. I am just giving fair warning to this thread. I really hate hearing people cry later on when a thread gets locked without them being amply warned. ^^ Just a headsup.

[desperado]

If I remeber correctly (I could be wrong) the wolf howling is a sign of territory and signaling to other wolves. I have always been fascinated by the movements and hierchy of pack animals such as wolves.

Do you have any pictures of timber wolves? They are the gray ones with a little white, they have always been my favorite (though wouldnt want to be caught in a forest with them)

[starfire]

I'm sorry. That was my fault. I didn't fully think out the implications that post made. I truly didn't mean to insult anyone.


So, anyways, here's some piccys I thought were cute!

[Heart of Sword]

Wolves howl for many many many different reasons, sometimes territorial, sometimes in mourning, sometimes out of joy, after a hunt, and sometimes just because it's fun.

But why wouldn't you want to be in a forest with them? Wolves don't attack people unless it's out of self-defence or they're rabid. They're basically harmless unless you corner one. Even people who have gone near pups only get snarled at. In Europe there were quite a few cases but there was a problem with wolf-dog hybrids which can be extremely dangerous.

[SilverFang]

I realy love wolves. I dont know why, maybe becouse I am one . but there is a saying the gose along with wolves that makes me love them even more. I wish I could remimber it.

[desperado]

They are a dangerous animal. They may be majestic and all but they can be like bears if you come upon them unawares or such it is not a good thing at all. The reason though people have so little trouble with them over other preditory animals (bears or large wildcats for instance) is that they are in fact, very very rare.
In all truth I dont want to be near a wild preditory animal. I've heard of what bears and wolves can do, and I have SEEN what cougars and other wildcats can do.

[Heart of Sword]

They are a dangerous animal. They may be majestic and all but they can be like bears if you come upon them unawares or such it is not a good thing at all. The reason though people have so little trouble with them over other preditory animals (bears or large wildcats for instance) is that they are in fact, very very rare.

They haven't been rare forever, don't forget. Wolves used to be all over the US until very, very recently.

Do you have any evidence of wolves behaving like bears when surprised? (Unless they are rabid, of course.) If you can find some, then we can talk.

[SilverFang]

I agree with HoS. Wolves are not liek bears at all. besides I have been face to face with a wolf (not lying) and ot only did I touch them, but played with them as well, pups and adults.

[desperado]

They haven't been rare forever, don't forget. Wolves used to be all over the US until very, very recently.

Do you have any evidence of wolves behaving like bears when surprised? (Unless they are rabid, of course.) If you can find some, then we can talk.

On to the part about them not attacking (i will post this section in the forum). Wolves were ravenously hunted, if you look to any sorce that tells of colinizing a woods with wolves you will see some records of attacks. Just with any animal that humans intrude on there territory. That is one of the big reasons wolves were so fair game. They ellicitated fear and WERE dangerous when cornered.

And to find proof I will search after I get done with homework. But at the moment I am taking breaks inbetween writing my essay, daily book, and reaserch project

[Heart of Sword]

Luckiness!!!



Desperado, here's some info:

americazoo.com:
Although many people fear wolves, and there have been many movies made depicting the wolves as dangerous to people, there is no known record of a wolf ever having killed a human being.





gentletouchsweb.com:
Are Wolves Dangerous To People?

No. Wolves are very shy animals, and are afraid of people, avoiding us whenever possible. Even though people are expanding into the few remaining areas where wolves are found in large numbers, there has *NEVER* been a documented case of a healthy wild wolf deliberately attacking a person in North America.


Some people try to keep wolves, or wolf-dog mixes known as "wolf hybrids," as pets. Many think that if they raise a wolf pup with love and treat it like a dog, it will grow up to be a loyal pet and fierce watchdog.


The problem is that they see the many similarities between wolves and dogs, and ignore the vital differences. Although dogs originally developed from wolves, it occurred by selective breeding for thousands of generations that actually altered the genetic makeup of the animal. This changed the animal's innate or "built-in" behavior to make it suitable for living with people in a home. The behavior of wolves, and of many wolf hybrids which enables them to survive in the wild, makes them unsuitable as a pet, often because they inherit the behavior the wolf needs to survive in the wild, but do not fear the human as a wolf does.







serconline.org
Q: Are wolves dangerous to humans?

A: No, Little Red Riding Hood lied. You stand a better chance of getting hit by a meteorite than being killed by a wolf. Although wolves are large, powerful animals that could kill humans, they do not. According to wolf expert Dr. L. David Mech, there are no documented cases of a healthy wild wolf killing a human in North America. By comparison, more than 20 people are killed and 3 million attacked each year by man's best friend, the domestic dog. Wolves don’t like people and avoid contact with us whenever they can.





nps.gov
Are wolves dangerous to humans? Is it safe to hike or camp in wolf country?

Wolves in the wild are afraid of humans and generally avoid contact with them. There are no documented instances of healthy wolves attacking humans in North America and only one instance of a rabid wolf doing so. Perhaps some of the widespread fear of wolves is the result of encounters with dogs allowed to run wild. Most places where wolves roam, people are not even aware of their presence.

So you see, wolves are not like bears at all. I study wolves, and in one book I have by L. David Mech (a wolf biologist), he spoke of biologists going to wild wolf's dens and taking out the pups to study them. They were not attacked. The adults "stood around and cried and reassured themselves" until the pups were replaced and the biologists left.



And of course anti-wolf websites talk of wolves killing people. They hate wolves and want everyone else to hate them, too. However the same can be said about pro-wolf websites.

However, you might want to know that a $100 reward was offered once for ANYONE who could present a documented wolf attack. Nobody came forward to claim the money.

And of course wolves can be dangerous when cornered. If someone had you up against a wall and was holding a weapon, intending to kill you, can you honestly say that you wouldn't hurt them?

[desperado]

I may be wrong, but I do remeber reading somewhere several documentations of people startling a wolf and it attacking them.
Agreed though wild dogs are a threat and are much more feral then the wolf. But honestly I do remeber hearing about some attacks (but they were very old accounts) modern day they probably shouldnt even be worried about, but just saying I wouldnt want to be near one and not protected in some way (same goes with any other preditory animal)

[Nate]

Do you have any evidence of wolves behaving like bears when surprised? (Unless they are rabid, of course.) If you can find some, then we can talk.

"Many records are fragmentary so cannot provide the total number of people killed by wolves, but do show that wolves have killed hundreds of people - and we can expect as many wounded people. However, given these attacks were over a period of 400 years and throughout the northern hemisphere, attacks by wolves are rare."

It states that you have a greater chance of being killed by lightning than by wolf attack. So it is rare...but it HAS happened, more than on a few occasions. Wolves can and do attack humans, sometimes unprovoked, sometimes when cornered.

By the way, here's the documentation:

http://www.natureswolves.com/human/aws_wolfattacks.htm

[desperado]

I knew I had seen documentation of attacks. And I totally agree that wolf attacks would be rare, but to clarify I wouldn't want to be near any wild preditory animal without something that could protect me.

[Nate]

Oh, same here. They're very rare, but I definitely wouldn't want to be around a wild wolf unless I had a gun for a last-measure defense. Better to be safe than sorry.

Yeah, I'd much rather look at them in zoos. XD

[Heart of Sword]

It's really a gray area. Some people say wolves have attacked people and some say it's never happened before. It's tricky. But I certainly disagree with the statement that wolves are dangerous. It's sort of like saying that computer monitors are dangerous because they've fallen on people's feet before. Do people destroy computer monitors? No. My point is that wolf attacks on humans are so incredibly rare that saying they're dangerous is the same as saying computer monitors are dangerous. IMHO, that is.

Of course, I'd want protection around a wild wolf, too. You never know if they're rabid or not until it's too late. Certainly, it's better to be safe than sorry. But killing all wolves, even those who aren't rabid, is wrong.

For example, would it be wrong to imprison all people who look at pornography because they're potential rapists? Or imprisoning all people who view violent movies because they're inclined towards violence? Of course. You can't punish someone before they've committed a crime. Imagine the uproar if that happened!

But I would like to get back on topic about wolves howling. This argument is only going in circles.

[SilverFang]

I agree.

the 1st time I heard a wolf howl, I could have wet my pants. I was realy young at the time and it was dark out. now I do the howling

[livewire]

I think wolves are absolutely beautiful creatures...

[Heart of Sword]

I was howling outside once (quite a long time ago) and THREE wolves came out of the woods! I was stunned by their beauty. Unfortunately, it was pretty dark out so I couldn't see them well, but...wow. The most beautiful sight I have ever beheld. But then my friend had to go and ruin it. She was terrified, so of course she had to scream. The wolves took off for the woods again. They were so freaked out, and I was so mad...

[SilverFang]

that would be so cool. I do wish I lived were there was wolves. I dream about wolves at least 3 times a week. I am eather with them as a human, or I am one. it is always the white wolf I see first.

[Heart of Sword]

I am eather with them as a human, or I am one. it is always the white wolf I see first.

That...that is so weird...same thing with me...a white wolf.