NEWSWEEK • November 3, 2023
"Beautiful" photos of a wolf in Maine have sparked outrage on the internet. The pictures were captured by the Maine Wolf Coalition and posted to Facebook. "We believe the canid in the photo is a wolf based on its physical appearance, size, and behavior. It is well within the size range of Eastern/Algonquin wolves," said John M. Glowa, president of the Maine Wolf Coalition. "We know that this animal fathered at least five pups in 2023. We readily acknowledge that the only way to determine if an animal is a wolf is through DNA analysis. The northeast U.S. may have either gray wolves or Eastern/Algonquin wolves or hybrids of both." Many people agreed that the animal was "beautiful," but not everyone was pleased. Glowa said, "They may falsely believe that documenting an endangered species in Maine may negatively impact the forest products industry. They may oppose any predators that kill "game" animals such as deer or moose because they want to hunt them. Some may simply fear wolves. The simple facts are that wolves are essential to a healthy ecosystem-there is enough prey for wolves and hunters.”