Have you ever come face to face with a wolf in Oregon before? Chances are you haven’t, and neither have I. But our chances are increasing now that wolves are returning to Oregon from neighboring Idaho. In the mid 1990s, wolves were federally reintroduced into the state and are now heading west. Is it time to be excited to hear the howl of a wolf, or should we fear for our safety?
During my winter vacation in Idaho (where the gray wolf population is now about 800), I found myself very frightened of them. While I was alone outside in the snow, I began to worry how I would fare if ever I encountered a wolf. Would it attack me? How would I defend myself? These are similar questions many may ask themselves in the coming years as Oregon will experience increasing wolf populations. Oregon’s second pack of wolves was recently confirmed in northeast Oregon and sightings have occurred in the Cascades. I’ve since realized I was ignorant on the subject of wolves, and my fears were based off hysteria deeply rooted in folklore during European settlement into America and earlier.
I thought wolves were terrible creatures from the stories shared while growing up, such as Little Red Riding Hood and legends of werewolves, which date back centuries. Werewolf trials in Europe, initiated by the Church, also contributed to the myths that demonize the gray wolf today. None was more famous than the trial of German Peter Stumpp in 1590. On a torture device, he admitted to murdering and eating children and confessed to practicing black magic, which caused him to be like a wolf. In addition to folklore having provoked fear of wolves, many places in Europe attempted hunting the wolf to extinction, mainly due to the species’ depredating of livestock, which is a concern today. By the 1500s, all the wolves had been killed in England.
Europeans brought their fear of the wolf to the New World, and for the following 350-plus years, eradicated nearly all of them moving east to west. The last gray wolf in Oregon was killed in 1946 after decades of bounty hunting, poisoning and trapping.
In contrast, some Native Americans tribes have a very different relationship with wolves. The wolf is largely depicted as an admirable hunter. Inupiat Alaskan historically performed a wolf dance to appreciate the sacrifice and celebrate the rebirth of animals they feasted on. Nez Perce Tribe members consider the gray wolf to be their equal, struggling to survive in similar ways. The symbol of the wolf was so significant among the tribe that they partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to help restore wolf populations in the 1990s.
Perhaps on your next backcountry outing in Oregon you’ll consider yourself lucky to hear a wolf howl in the distance. But you shouldn’t worry about wolves sneaking out of bushes and attacking you, as Little Red Riding Hood would like you to believe. Driving up to the mountain and crashing your car is much more likely. Canada and Alaska have abundant wolf populations of more than 11,000. The first fatal wolf attack in more than 100 years killed a man in Ontario in 2005.
If Native Americans and Canadians have lived with large wolf populations, why can’t we? Through centuries of vilifying the wolf, it has been difficult for some to accept the possibility of wolves and humans coexisting. By discrediting the myths from European culture, Oregon’s wolf recovery effort could greatly benefit. Successful recovery not only involves increasing populations, but it also requires an overall understanding and acceptance of the gray wolf.  
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