Arizona Daily Sun (Original) Letter to the Editor Posted October 3, 2014 by Gaylene Soper
To the editor:
First, I would like to thank Mr. Wolf for keeping us apprised of the wolf conversation. I was curious about the antelope not jumping fences so I looked it up on the Arizona Game & Fish website. This is very interesting information. However, it seems to me that there a few other statistics that should be mentioned.
First of all an antelope can go as fast as 60 mph, they like wide open grasslands, and the largest weight of a male is barely 120 pounds. These three factors would make them undesirable for a family of wolves. Wolves are very economical in their movements.
It also states that they were hunted into near extinction, saved by a closed season from 1905 to 1922. After they were managed, and without a natural predator their increased population almost exceeded the antelope's food supply. I am sorry that they are hesitant to jump fences -- must be like shooting fish in a barrel for hunters.
One more thing: I have volunteered for the Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project extensively and can with all honesty say that I have not asked one person for money. GCWRP educates the public and asks the public for their support.
GAYLENE D. SOPER
Flagstaff
