Wolves are not vicious killing machines.
 

Little red riding hood lied. There are no documented instances of a healthy, wild wolf killing a human being in North America. Wolves generally prey on Deer, Elk and other large ungulates, but will also take rabbits, beavers, and other small mammals. They tend to be shy of humans.

Preservation not only benefits the wolf, but also a wealth of other species.
 

Competition from wolves helps to control populations of coyotes and other small predators, which in turn benefits the small mammals and birds that coyotes usually prey on.

Wolves leave their 'leftovers' for other animals to eat, helping bears, raptors and other scavengers and increasing the biodiversity of the ecosystem.

Wolves improve the gene pools of the species they prey on by taking slow, weak or sick individuals.

Wolves can help protect plant populations by controlling the population sizes of large herbivores and grazers - in Yellowstone National Park, Aspen populations are recovering, apparently due to the effect of wolf predation on Elk.

The number one cause of wolf decline is human activity.
 

Human dislike of wolves is based mostly on fear and superstition, but this fear has had terrible consequences for wolves.

A bounty system for wolves has been found as far back in history as 600 B.C. in Athens.

In America,  wolf bounties date back to 1630. Both federal and state governments paid hunters who brought in wolf pelts up until 1965. At least one state had a bounty law on it's books until 2001.

By the 1970's wolf populations in the United States were severely reduced, and wolves were absent from many areas of their original range.

Wolves desperately need conservation efforts in order to survive.
 

Wolves currently exist on less than 5% of their former range in the lower 48 United States, and much of their former territory is prime habitat that will never be naturally recolonized for use by the wolf.

Wolf numbers have been reduced to roughly 15% of what formerly roamed North America, and most of these wolves are the product of an extensive, long-term conservation effort.  How close was the wolf to extinction before we instituted the current protections?  How close to extinction will the wolf come in the future if wolf preservation is hindered now?

Once the wolf is delisted, management responsibility will be solely in the hands of the states, few of which have mechanisms in place to protect the wolf.

Wolves can benefit the economies of rural areas.
 

Ecotourism can account for millions of dollars in additional annual revenue for small communities fortunate enough to have nearby wolf populations.

Protecting wolves will not hurt a ranching economy.  In the counties around Yellowstone National Park, livestock production accounts for less than 4 percent of personal income, while tourism-related industries account for more than 50 percent.

Effects on livestock are negligible, so effects on ranching jobs will be virtually nonexistent.

Several state and private programs provide reimbursement for any livestock losses due to wolves.

Wolves most often take the sick and weak from a herd of prey, ensuring that the wild prey population is composed of healthy animals. As coursing predators, wolves tend to chase their prey until they find an animal that is weak.

Wolf conservation efforts can make a difference.
 

The majority of Americans want to see the wolf succeed in the United States.  Polls have shown that up to 76 percent of Americans support wolf restoration efforts1.

Environmental regulations like the federal Endangered Species Act have enabled wolves to avoid extinction and generally increase in numbers in several states around the lower 48.

Without a comprehensive, proactive plan for wolf management at the state level, federal delisting would eliminate the only protection that wolves currently enjoy.

1. Duda, M. D., S. J. Bissell and K. C. Young. "Wildlife and the American mind: public opinion and attitudes toward fish and wildlife management." Responsive Management. Harrisonburg: Virginia. 1998.