National Archives and Records Administration , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
By Bill Stokes
Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper in noting the recent research implication that the presence of wolves—an estimated 1,000 in Wisconsin, greatly reduces the incidence of deer-traffic collisions, which averages nearly 20,000 annually and results in eight deaths and 477 injuries in the state.
Researchers suggest that as wolves prowl roads and trails, they kill deer and intimidate them to stay away, thus reducing the frequeny of deer-car crashes by one fourth, which represents an annual saving of $10.9 million in property loss.
The Little Red Riding Hood paranoia that dominates the relationship between humans and wolves prevails in Wisconsin in the persona of narcissistic hound-owning bear hunters and other self-interest elements left in place by science-denying Repub legislators.
The consideration of wolves in traffic safety matters may be something of a stretch, but it is more valid than seeing them in grandma’s bed, which is the case currently in Wisconsin.
