New Era for Wolves and People : Wolf Recovery, Human Attitudes, and Policy

Wolves hold an almost mythical status in the cultural history of Europe and North America. For hundreds of years, they have been the subject of fairy tales and other lore, embodying mystery, cunning, and sometimes threat. People are drawn to their beauty, intrigued by their behaviours. Yet for those who live in close proximity to wolves, coexistence is fraught with many serious issues.

Wolf management is an excellent model of human-nature interaction and the challenges that come along with it. A New Era for Wolves and People analyzes the crucial relationship between human ethics, attitudes, and policy and the management of wolf populations in Europe and North America. The contributors to this volume assert that these human dimensions affect wolf survival just as much, if not more, than the physical environment.

Contributors include recognized scientists and other wolf experts who introduce new and sometimes controversial findings. A New Era for Wolves and People includes colour photographs by David C. Olson and drawings by wildlife artist Susan Shimeld.

Marco Musiani is an associate professor of landscape ecology at the University of Calgary and is also affiliated with the University of Montana. He was born in Rome, the city of the famous she-wolf, and has conducted research and published internationally on wolf management.

Luigi Boitani is the head of the Department of Animal and Human Biology at the University of Rome and a leading authority on wolves. He has conducted an extended series of research and conservation projects on the Italian wolf population, which has recovered dramatically in the last thirty years.

Paul Paquet is an adjunct professor with the faculties of Biology and Environmental Design at the University of Calgary. He has studied wolves for more than thirty-five years and is considered an authority on carnivore ecology.