Green Fire in a Wolf’s Eyes
The wolf as both an endangered species and an animal with abundant charisma returned to the West at a critical time. If the reintroduction of the wolf had not occurred when it did, one of the greatest wildlife conservation success stories in history would not have become a reality. For many, our willingness to co-exist with the restored wolf in the lower forty-eight states has moved the American relationship with wildlife even further away from the divisive Western worldview to a more Japanese worldview that sees us and wild nature as points on a continuum. This change is embedded in the debunking of the “bloodthirsty wolf myth” and an improved awareness of a predator’s right to exist, encouraged by more appropriately valuing its presence against other competing values. For the red wolf, its reintroduction to northeastern North Carolina has provided a powerful educational tool for engaging the public and improving their ecological and economic understandings of the value of wildlife. The return of a charismatic predator like the wolf to the lower forty-eight is not only changing the narrative regarding this animal, but has given us the opportunity to assign its presence tremendous value for future generations.