Wolf and Man
In the very early periods of human existence, there was probably little real conflict between ®wolves¯ and people. The Plains Indians of North America shared their hunting territories with wolves and respected the skill and strength of these fellow predators. Inuit share their homeland with wolves and hunt the same ®prey¯. Conflict arises when humans begin to produce their own food instead of hunting wild animals and gathering wild plants. Wolves have no choice but to continue their predatory way of life, but now they might not find their prey since humans have domesticated the wild animals, sheep, and cattle for their own use. Therefore, humans believe the wolves are dangerous predators. The human change from hunting and gathering to farming and herding began about 12,000 years ago and there has been a human/wolf conflict since. With hunting or trapping in pits and other devices, wolves were completely wiped out in England by the early 1500's. Scotland got rid of its last wolf in the mid-1700's. Other European countries eventually wiped out the wolf as well. An estimated 1 to 2 million wolves died in the western part of the United States in the last half of the 19th century.