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WIInteresting how quiet it is when Colorado talks about bringing back wolverines.
Colorado just released a plan to reintroduce wolverines after a 100-year absence, including translocating animals from Canada.
And something remarkable happened.
No one claimed they’re “non-native.” No one warned they’d “destroy rural communities.” No one spread myths about them killing livestock, children, or pets. No one objected at the public hearings.
In fact, not a single person spoke in opposition at the January commission meeting.
Wolverines are carnivores. They’re elusive. They’re federally protected. They’re coming from Canada. So what’s the difference?
Fear. Wolverines don’t carry decades of organized fear-mongering behind them. Wolves do. And too many people have been pulled into pseudoscience because it sounds authoritative, repeats old myths, and preys on anxiety instead of evidence.
The facts haven’t changed:
• Wolves are native
• Livestock impacts are rare and manageable
• Coexistence works when we invest in it
What’s changed is who benefits from keeping people afraid. This contrast makes one thing clear: opposition to wolves isn’t really about biology or ecosystem health, it’s about narrative control. And when fear replaces science in those narratives, wildlife loses.
Fear isn’t wildlife management. Think about it: what systems benefits when people are taught to fear wolves?
@wildlifeforall.us
