DAVID WOLF’S RANT

Gretchen and Dana Smith (1/8/11)

In the January 3rd Arizona Daily Sun, David Wolf accuses animal rights groups of venality, claiming that they tap government funding using “the emotional propaganda of wolves in danger.” Logically, some of his article is a fallacy because it’s an attack on the motives of the animal rightists.

Ironically, Mr. Wolf has a point to make based on his knowledge of wolves and wildlife in general. So, if he’s knowledgeable, why doesn’t he make on argument based on facts rather than accusing his opponents of being free loaders? He claims these groups use the government as a “gold mine” while pushing biology “to some dark corner.” Parenthetically, most biology takes place in dark corners.

His point is that the wolves reduce the number of deer and elk to be used as objects of blood sport by the hunters. He claims that “many conservation groups” “hope that the expansion of the wolf will eventually eliminate hunting by the human predator.” He may be correct about the animal rightists but, in doing so, he reveals his own motives. He wants to promote the hunting of the wolves so that hunters will have an ample supply of deer and elk. He assumes that stalking and killing wild animals is a sport as though an unequal contest between an armed predator and a defenseless animal were sporting. Hunters favor the euphemism of harvesting while it is actually akin to slaughtering. Ironically, Mr. Wolf’s rant engenders sympathy for those free-loading animal rightists and their wolves.